Eminem smashed an attendance record at the MCG over the weekend
Hip-hop legend Eminem has used his Australian tour to break new ground, smashing an attendance record for the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Last year, it was announced that Eminem was set to make his return to Australia in 2019 for his Rapture Tour. His first visit of the country in five years, the tour was in support of his surprise record, Kamikaze, and featured a lineup that included Boogie, Royce da 5’9”, and Adelaide legends the Hilltop Hoods.
After kicking things off in Brisbane last week before moving onto Sydney, Melbourne served as the penultimate leg of the tour. However, the Victorian performance also fell one day after the 20th anniversary of Eminem’s mainstream breakthrough, The Slim Shady LP. Needless to say, things were going to be special.
As it turns out, it was more than just special, the concert set a new attendance record for the MCG, with over 80,000 fans pouring into the venue.
“It is an outstanding achievement for Eminem to break the live concert attendance record at the MCG tonight with a total of 80,708 fans in the audience,” explained President and CEO of TEG Dainty, Paul Dainty.
“Eminem is one of the greatest showmen in the world with a fiercely loyal Australian fan base that continues to grow with each tour. He is no stranger to selling out stadium shows but this new record is just phenomenal.”
Eminem’s record eclipses the 2009 Sound Relief concert, which was held in support of victims of the Black Saturday bushfires.
With over 78,000 tickets sold and boasting a lineup of Kings Of Leon, Kylie Minogue, and Midnight Oil, Sound Relief itself replaced the previous record of 74,600 tickets being sold for Guns N’ Roses’ 1993 concert at Melbourne’s Calder Park Raceway.
As Noise11 notes though, Eminem might take out the record for the most tickets sold to a single show, though other artists, including Madonna and The Rolling Stones, sold more tickets during their previous stints at the venue.
While Madonna’s 1993 concert saw 96,663 tickets sold over two nights, The Rolling Stones managed to sell 88,434 during their two-night stint in 1995.
As it stands, the current record for event attendance at the MCG is 100,022 (two less than capacity), and was set at last year’s AFL Grand Final. However, prior to a reconfiguration, the stadium managed to hold a massive 121,696 patrons during the 1970 VFL Grand Final.
Check out Tone Deaf’s recap of Eminem’s record-breaking concert here.
Check out Eminem’s ‘Rap God’:
This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.