Eminem’s blockbuster career will notch another milestone this summer when he becomes the first rapper to headline London’s Wembley Stadium.
Marshall Mathers will play the iconic 90,000-capacity venue on July 11. It’ll be the artist’s first show in the capital since he played the now-defunct Docklands Arena back in 2001, though he has headlined a handful of U.K. festivals in that time.
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Speaking to BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe, the rapper said the Wembley date was a back-up plan as he’d original hoped to play an outdoor show at central London’s Hyde Park. “I heard that I wasn’t going to be approved to play in Hyde Park and it made me even more excited to play in London this summer,” he said. “The easiest way to get me to do something is to tell me I can’t do it. Thanks to the Royal Parks for making it all possible….for Wembley.” Tickets go on sale May 9.
Eminem is no stranger to playing big venues. Earlier this year, the superstar headlined four stadium shows across New Zealand and Australia, with Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole in support.
Like elsewhere, Eminem strikes a formidable presence on Britain’s sales charts. “The Marshall Mathers LP 2” (Interscope/Universal) opened at No. 1 on the U.K. albums chart last December to become his seventh chart topper in the territory. His chart feat moved him level with the Beatles in joint second place for the most chart-topping U.K. albums in a row. That record is jointly held by Led Zeppelin and Abba, with eight each.
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Wembley Stadium opened to the public in 2007 on the site of the famous earlier stadium, which was demolished in 2003. The “new” Wembley Stadium has hosted concerts from the likes of Muse, Madonna, U2, Take That and the Live Earth concert.