Eminem repeatedly and profanely reminded a packed Rose Bowl stadium that he doesn't much care about anything, as he and Rihanna opened their six-date Monster Tour onThursday night.
Then the Detroit rapper belied his words by delivering a boisterous, full-throttle performance that vastly outshone Rihanna's own.
Bolstered by eight dancers and a live band, Rihanna strutted and gyrated around the stage, frequently thrusting and groping her crotch.
The singer managed to pound out a slew of hits in shotgun fashion, including Talk That Talk, Rude Boy, Umbrella and Pour It Up.
Toward the end of her run, the lights dimmed and the crowd raised glowing cell phones to accompany Stay, an evocative ballad that concluded with fireworks leaping up from behind the stage.
Eminem's portion of the set opened with a surge of energy, one the audience had clearly been holding in anticipation as Rihanna performed.
Rihanna took the spotlight for a few more of her hits, including Diamonds and We Found Love, toward the end of the night following Eminem's performance of Not Afraid
. But the emphasis lingered on the other headliner. It was the Eminem show, no question. His renditions of Lose Yourself, from his film 8 Mile, and The Real Slim Shady, earned an impressive response,
notable reminders of Eminem's sizable influence on music and pop culture over the past two decades.
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