Eminem Debuts ‘Houdini’ Live During Surprise Detroit Performance, Brings Out Jelly Roll for ‘Sing for the Moment’

Steven J. Horowitz

7 June 2024 at 11:45 am·2-min read

Eminem gave a surprise four-song performance last night at “Live From Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central,” a hometown event featuring Diana Ross, Big Sean, Jack White and more to celebrate the grand reopening of Michigan Central Station.

The event, executive produced by Eminem and his longtime manager Paul Rosenberg, featured the rapper performing his new single “Houdini” for the first time. Backed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Em closed the evening with a medley of songs from his catalog, bringing out Jelly Roll to handle the hook on his Aerosmith-sampling single “Sing For the Moment.”

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Additionally, he enlisted local legend Trick Trick for “Welcome 2 Detroit,” and gave a rendition of his 2010 single “Not Afraid” that concluded with a fireworks display.

The Detroit concert was live-streamed on Peacock and will air on NBC this Sunday. It was held in honor of Michigan Central Station, which initially opened in 1913 and closed in 1988. Since 2018, when it was acquired under new ownership, Michigan Central Station has undergone a restoration that employed more than 3,100 workers.

Eminem has been slowly making himself more of a presence in pop culture in the lead-up to his upcoming 12th album “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce),” which he announced in April. The record, which is currently without a release date but is slated for this summer, is led by the single “Houdini” that dropped on May 31.

For “Houdini,” Em teamed back up with longtime collaborator Luis Resto for a self-referential look back at his 2002 single “Without Me.” On the track, he makes references to Megan Thee Stallion, Steve Miller Band and the hook from “Without Me.”

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