It was in the year 2000 when I first heard Eminem.  We were living in Dallas at the time.  As I was driving into work one morning, I flipped through radio stations and stopped when I heard “The Real Slim Shady”.  I was cracking up at the lyrics and thought to myself, This guy’s hysterical.  Who the hell is he??  And thus began my infatuation/obsession with Slim Shady/Marshall Mathers/Eminem.

Yes, some of his lyrics, especially in earlier tracks, are disturbing, offensive, and unsettling; but I think that like any artist, he’s expressing himself.  I find him brilliant, ridiculously funny, and remarkably intense.  It’s quite a ride listening to his music, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.  So, when I first learned he was going to perform at ACL this year, I almost jumped out of my skin.

Last night, my friend Rose, her daughter Katy, Alexa, and I finally got to see Eminem live.  As ACL is an outdoor completely open venue, we were on a mission to get as close to the front of the stage as possible.  In an effort to do so, we stood amongst a sea of people for 3 hours, and then nearly suffocated as the crowd pushed, shoved, and squeezed its way toward the front at the end of the set before his.  I thought I was going to pass out at one point, but my resolve kicked in and the crowd settled down and we made it pretty damn close – just five people back from front stage.

I can’t even begin to describe my hysteria throughout his entire set.  I was entranced.  He put on a very entertaining show mixing both old and new songs.  It was so much fun and the best part was being there with Rose, Katy, and Alexa.  Today, my feet hurt and my voice is completely gone, but it was all so incredibly worth it, and I’m so very grateful for the whole experience.