Eminem Debuts ‘Houdini’ Live in Surprise Detroit Performance

Last night, Eminem Debuts gave a surprise four-song performance at “Live Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central,” a hometown event that featured Diana Ross with Big Sean, Jack White and more celebrate the opening of Michigan Central Station.

The event, 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 in Jelly Roll to handle the hook of his Aerosmith-sampling single “Sing For the Moment.”

Read Who is Paul in Houdini? Whos Paul in Eminem Houdini?

He also brought in local legend Trick Trick for “Welcome 2 Detroit” and performed his 2010 single “Not Afraid,” and ended with a fireworks display.

Eminem’s concert in Detroit was streamed live on Peacock and will air on NBC this Sunday. It was created to honor Michigan Central Station, which first opened in 1913 and closed in 1988. Since 2018, when it was acquired under new ownership, Michigan Central Station has undergone a renovation that involved more than 3,100 workers.

Eminem has been steadily making himself more visible in pop culture as he prepares for his upcoming 12th album, “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce),” which he announced in April. The record currently has no release date but is expected to arrive this summer, led by the single “Houdini,” which drops on May 31.

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

Read What is Eminem’s ‘Houdini’ about?