Eminem denied using gunshot sound effects during his Bonnaroo music festival set — amid fierce backlash from fans who said they were left traumatized when the noises made them duck in panic or run for the exits.
“Contrary to inaccurate reports, Eminem does not use gunshot sound effects during his live show,” a spokesperson for the rapper told People Sunday.
The loud blasts heard during the hip-hop heavyweight performance of his 2000 track “Kill You” were actually “a pyrotechnic concussion which creates a loud boom,” the spokesperson said.
“[Eminem] has used this effect — as have hundreds other artists — in his live show for over 10 years, including previous US festival dates in 2018 without complaint,” the rep said.
But fans of musician panicked when they heard the noises during his headlining set at the festival in Manchester, Tennessee, on Saturday night.
“[I] was having a good time at Eminem’s set then he played a realistic gunshot noise,” tweeted an attendee with the handle @sandwahhh. “[T]he whole crowd ducked and I’ve never felt more traumatized and ready to panic. completely inappropriate.”
The frightening effects came as some in the crowd were on edge after the deadly shooting at a Las Vegas music festival in October when gunman Stephen Paddock 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed 58 people and wounded over 800 more.