Eminem

21st Century Reading Appearances: 2001 Main Stage Headliner

The Defining Reading Moment: Putting the chainsaw and D-12 to one side and letting the Marshall Mathers LP anthems “Kill You” and “The Way I Am” speak for themselves.

Rap acts at Reading/Leeds have the potential to end in disaster as shown by the  infamous 50 Cent bottling at Reading in 2004. Eminems booking to headline in 2001 was a risky one and with the character being so controversial there was a lot of talk about whether his set would pass without incident. The worries proved unfounded as his sets at both festivals were remembered for all the right reasons, with two great performances that have only added to the clamour to see Eminem return. Craig Brooks

In 2001 Eminem was all about publicity stunts and a larger than life persona, and, for a while, it seemed like Reading 2001 would be defined by controversy. A 16-girl had been reportedly rapped at the site, protesters were ready and waiting to turn Eminem and Reading festival into a PR spectacle, and if you thought Eminem’s arrival on stage would end the drama, well, then you’d be dead wrong. A crowd crush ensued the second the rapper took to the stage and 45 fans were left needing medical attention.

Unsurprisingly, Em’s performance didn’t make the headlines, but when everyone returned from Reading, theirs only one thing the fans wanted to talk about: the set. “The Way That I Am”, “Forgot About Dre”, “Real Slim Shady” and “My Name Is” had the entire crowd bouncing from front to back, and made Eminem a Reading legend over night. David Hayter