Music N' Other Drugs

Dear Shady,

I’m writing this to let you know that your set inside the West Herr Riviera Theatre last night exceeded all expectations. I had my doubts as to whether or not a live band tribute to Eminem could work, but the swagger with which you guys assumed control of the stage made me a believer. The arrangements were tight, the verses were ablaze, and the inspirational vibe of the evening had me ruing the fact that I hadn’t really dived that deeply into the catalog since W. tried to convince us all that Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction.

You see, I never owned physical copies of any Eminem album, but I knew plenty of people who did and remember hearing “The Slim Shady LP” in a friend’s basement back in 1999 as if we were let in on a secret that we shouldn’t have been. Our 11-year-old minds couldn’t believe what our ears were hearing, as Em’s humor and creative license to kill were unlike anything we had experienced before. While I didn’t know the first thing about what it was like to grow up in 8 Mile, I found his willingness to go to places where other mainstream artists wouldn’t to be endlessly fascinating despite the flaws.

So, my fandom was real once upon a time, but, as life got more complicated, I evolved and he didn’t.

At least that’s what I thought until last night.

Your refreshing spin on the material has me questioning my dismissal of the last 15+ years of his career, which is no small praise.

While “Love the Way You Lie,” “Not Afraid,” and “Houdini” were all familiar to me, the screaming guitars and thunderous low end made it so that it was like hearing them for the first time. I felt every word and found your collective ability to connect with the crowd along the way to be an invaluable component to your success.

Perhaps the way that 2025 has gone for me played a role in how much I responded to this show, but I’d be lying if I said that my 37-year-old self didn’t have a blast. Sometimes things from your past resurface when you least expect to remind you that it’s not so bad and I can’t thank you enough for that.

Sincerely,

David, your newest fan

https://www.facebook.com/shadytribute/https://www.facebook.com/shadytribute/

Shady – Eminem Tribute Band (@shady_tribute) • Instagram photos and videos