Hundreds line up for 5 p.m. Eminem ticket giveaway

Hundreds line up for 5 p.m. Eminem ticket giveaway
BY PAUL GULLY and B.J. HAMMERSTEIN • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS • May 18, 2009

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Several hundred Eminem fans lined up outside Record Time of Roseville today for a chance to score tickets to the Detroit rapper’s secret concert. While tickets aren’t being released until 5 p.m., by noon, the line snaked through the store’s parking lot and onto an adjacent side street.



Vincent White, 26, and Derek Marciniok, 40, were the first in line for tickets. The two arrived at 1 a.m. Monday morning – a full 16 hours before the tickets were to be released – with a lawn chair, blanket and football.


Shortly after their 1 a.m. arrival, the two were joined in line by 30-year-old Ben Devlin-Ruelle.


“We didn’t get any sleep last night,” Devlin-Ruelle said. “It was pretty cold, so we kept busy playing football and cards. But it’s all worth it for a chance to see the greatest hip-hop artist of our generation.”


Dakota Wint, who had learned of the ticket give-away via Eminem’s MySpace page, made the 30 minute drive from Taylor at 7 a.m. with friends Dylan Kraft and Myke Carmody.


“It’s been a long day so far,” said Wint. “But we had to make sure to get here early enough to get tickets. The new record it really good, so I’m sure the concert will be great.”


Tara Verlinden, 27, made the drive to Record Time from Brighton alone. While Verlinden is a “huge Eminem fan,” she said half of her motivation for making the trip was for the experience.


“I decided to go solo on this,” she said. “But I’m having a lot of fun, and I met some friends in line who I plan to meet up with prior to the show tomorrow.”


Several cars in the lot were playing Eminem’s new record, “Relapse,” which is set to drop at midnight, giving those who hadn’t downloaded it a chance to hear it before it hit stores.


The Free Press has learned that the much-buzzed-about secret show in Detroit will be Tuesday night at the Sound Board inside the MotorCity Casino and Hotel.


Representatives from Em's Interscope/Shady label didn't provide further details, but did confirm the event, which is to feature a performance by the rapper at the state-of-the art facility inside the Detroit casino, will happen the same night his long-awaited new album "Relapse" drops.