Two powerhouse Detroit musicians teamed up with a pair of epic songs as surprise guest Eminem joined headliner Jack White at halftime of the Detroit Lions game on Thursday, Nov. 27.
In one of the most memorable Ford Field halftime performances in memory, the two homegrown stars partnered on a hot medley that included two of the most eminent anthems of the 2000s: the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” and Eminem’s “’Till I Collapse.”
Inside Ford Field, the sellout crowd erupted as White introduced “Detroit’s own Eminem” as the rapper emerged in a hoodie and Lions Jacket.
“Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!” Eminem shouted as he wrapped up his cameo moment.
White hit the stage in a leather jacket over a T-shirt with a vintage Lions citation: “Another One Bites the Dust,” referencing the franchise’s customized version of the Queen hit in 1980 following the team’s 4-0 start.
“Seven Nation Army,” the White Stripes classic that has become a sports-stadium staple, got a reliably feverish White delivery to cap the eight-minute set, with all of Ford Field serving as his vocal accompaniment and the Lions cheerleaders as his personal dance squad.
The stadium-ready “’Till I Collapse” seems to have supplanted “Lose Yourself” as Eminem’s live tour-de-force of choice. The motivational 2002 album track, never released as a single, has emerged as one of the rapper’s defining hits, even leading his streaming stats in recent years.
On Thursday, the song got tucked into a performance of the White Stripes’ “Hello Operator,” part of a set that launched with White’s 2024 solo song “That’s How I’m Feeling.”
White was the first Thanksgiving performer booked under the Lions’ new deal with Eminem and his manager, Paul Rosenberg, who will produce the nationally televised halftime show through 2027.
Thursday’s onstage collaboration was the first-ever for White and Eminem, who each broke big out of Detroit at the turn of the 2000s.
The hometown music vibes were flowing out of the gate Thursday as the Lions took on the Green Bay Packers: CeCe Winans, despite battling a cold, turned in a phenomenal “Star-Spangled Banner” as the Detroit-born gospel star showed off an ageless voice.
“Seven Nation Army” had gotten an early workout as fans at the sold-out Ford Field broke into the familiar chant, while “’Till I Collapse” was the pump-up music just before kickoff.
Eminem hasn’t played a full hometown concert in more than a decade (2014 at Comerica Park), but he has certainly been no stranger to Ford Field. Along with his regular appearances as a die-hard Lions fan, he has done onstage cameos at recent concerts by Ed Sheeran and Jelly Roll.
Last year, he and White were stars of the Michigan Central train station opening concert, which was also produced by Eminem and Rosenberg.
For Jack White, it checked off another box, adding Ford Field to the ever-growing roster of hometown venues on his three-decade resume.
And Thursday’s collaboration goes on the list of notable Detroit music cameos, harking back to Kid Rock’s show ahead of the 2006 Super Bowl, when Bob Seger appeared onstage as a surprise guest.
For White, the Thanksgiving performance capped a high-profile month that included the Nov. 8 induction of the White Stripes into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
He wrapped the Ford Field set with a hometown salute: “I love you, Detroit!”
Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Eminem, Jack White make Detroit music history at Lions game
Reporting by Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
