Eminem’s representative has denied the rapper used gunshot sound effects during his set at the Bonnaroo festival.
The rapper caused a panic among the crowd during his headlining set at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee on Friday (08Jun18) when he performed his song Kill You, off his 2000 album The Marshall Mathers LP, and gunshot sounds could be heard.
Video footage posted to social media showed audience members screaming and ducking when the sound effects went off, and the Without Me hitmaker was criticised heavily online for using the noises.
But on Monday, a spokesperson for the star issued a statement to People.com insisting that he doesn’t use such effects in his show.
“Contrary to inaccurate reports, Eminem does not use gunshot sound effects during his live show,” they said. “The effect used by Eminem in his set at Bonnaroo was a pyrotechnic concussion which creates a loud boom. He has used this effect – as have hundreds other artists – in his live show for over 10 years, including previous U.S. festival dates in 2018 without complaint.”
One Twitter user wrote that they decided to leave the festival after hearing the effects more than once. They wrote, “I was having a good time at eminem’s set then he played a realistic gunshot noise. The whole crowd ducked and i’ve never felt more traumatised and ready to panic (sic). Completely inappropriate.”
Another user also referenced the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas as they blasted Eminem for using the sounds.
“Less than a year after Vegas and @Eminem thinks it’s a good idea to blast gunshot sfx (special effects) onstage at a music festival? Bad call on this headliner @bonnaroo,” they wrote.
In October (17), 58 people were killed and more than 800 injured when a gunman opened fire on festivalgoers from the window of a nearby hotel.
