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Eminem Plays Free Detroit Concert

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Tuesday night in Detroit Eminem made his grand return to the stage after a four-year absence — and a stint in rehab for drug addiction — to celebrate the release of his comeback album, Relapse, with an eight-song set for a crowd of 2,000 fans.

“How many motherfuckers are gonna get fucked up tonight? Get fucked up for me, ’cause, goddamn it, I can’t anymore,” the man born Marshall Mathers implored from onstage at Detroit’s Motor City Casino, where a hometown crowd gathered for the MySpace-sponsored show. Many of those in attendance scored their ticket via a Twitter scavenger hunt through Detroit on Tuesday (hints were posted on Em’s page).

The show was a chance for the rapper to perform songs from his new album — and, some speculate, prepare for a U.S. tour with 50 Cent and Dr. Dre. He kicked off the 40-minute set with his gory single “3 A.M.” Later, he rhymed through the celeb-bashing “We Made You” and Relapse‘s most tender tune, “Beautiful,” about his life spinning out of control, which he wrote in rehab.

Em gave a shout out to his fallen friend and D12 collaborator Proof, who was killed at a Detroit nightclub in 2006. “I was a little bit nervous coming out there because, as we all know, I didn’t have my right-hand man tonight. I’m talking about Proof, in case you didn’t know. Man, I fucking miss him.” The crowd chanted, “Proof!” in response.

For the encore, the remaining members of Eminem’s erstwhile hip-hop crew — Bizzare, Kuniva, Swift, and Denaun “Kon Artis” Porter, who filled in for Proof throughout the show — joined him onstage for a take on Oscar-winning 8 Mile hit “Lose Yourself.”

“This might actually be one of the best shows I’ve ever done,” Em, who has been sober for a year, told the audience. “‘Cause when I get offstage, I’m actually going to remember it.”

Setlist:
“3 A.M.”
“Hello”
“Insane”
“Beautiful”
“Crack a Bottle”
“We Made You”
“Underground”

Encore
“Lose Yourself” (featuring D12)