EMINEM’S WEMBLEY SHOWS PLAGUED BY SOUND PROBLEMS
15 July 2014
Eminem’s performances at the Wembley Stadium in London last weekend were plagued with sound problems, a poor speaker system and fans on Twitter demanding refunds.
Eminem played to 160,000 fans in his record breaking performances last Friday & Saturday night (July 11th & 12th) with many complaining they couldn’t hear a word the rapper said between songs, or even clearly hear what songs were being played. Eminem, who was joined by Dr Dre on stage for a medley, is the first rapper to headline at Wembley Stadium.
It should have been an exciting and memorable night for fans, instead many, who had paid up to £99 (AU$145) per ticket, hit social media to ask for a refund.
Can’t believe I paid that much for eminem and couldn’t even notice what tune was being played. Dreadful sound system.#EminemWembley #eminem
— wavy webb (@wavy_webb) July 13, 2014
Eminem ticket sales totalled to over £13m, that’s plenty of money to hire a decent sound system! #EminemWembley — Kas B (@KasBurke) July 13, 2014
Heavily disappointed with eminem at Wembley tonight. Sound system was awful. Can you inform me on how to receive a refund @wembleystadium?
— Oli (@Oli_Burrows) July 13, 2014
Fans of the Detroit rapper weren’t the only ones complaining, music critic John Aizlewood (from the UK Standard) said that the talented rapper’s “wit and his remarkable capacity to move heart and mind were wholly lost in an unforgivably sludgy mix”.
Aizlewood’s scathing review goes on to say:
“The stage set was breathtaking, albeit only regarding how little money, imagination and effort had been deployed…it was the equivalent of a fuzzy television in the corner of your living room. And with the soul-sapping inevitability of one seemingly determined to betray his once-in-a-generation, once-in-a-genre talent, Eminem tossed off much of his finest work in couldn’t-care-less medleys.
I didn’t realise it was possible to be so disappointed by a concert.”
Wembley Stadium issued a statement the following day saying:
“We are aware of some sound issues from earlier tonight and have monitored & adjusted it where necessary. We thank you for your patience.” (source)
Which says nothing about refunds for the audience members who could barely make out each song. Watch the Eminem and Dr Dre medley on the Youtube video below to decide for yourself.
We’ll leave the last word to Eminem fan Connie B-H who tweeted:
Have wanted 2 see @Eminem for 14 years & when I finally do I cant hear a word so gutted REFUND @wembleystadium #eminemwembley — Connie B-H (@Conjabb) July 13, 2014
This type of act is not meant for stadiums. What may sound find in a club may not translate well to a large open air stadium.
i can hear him decently clearly in the video
The video probably has a direct feed from the desk
No, that is definitely not a direct feed. It would be much clearer sounding and you wouldn’t be able to hear the crowd, let alone the woman right next to him screaming.