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 Some Eminem fans were left shaken by his performance at 2018 Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee because they incorporated sound effects that sounded like gunshots, and the rapper was soon the target of an online backlash. While many were quick to point out that his music and concerts have for years incorporated such sounds for years, his set on Saturday triggered panic among others, and later, debate about whether the effects are appropriate in a time when nerves are already frayed in wake of the 2016 Paris nightclub shooting, the 2017 massacre at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas and the 2017 bombing at Ariana Grande's Manchester concert. But a spokesman for Eminem told Billboard in an email that "contrary to inaccurate reports, Eminem does not use gunshot sound effects during his live show. The effect used by Eminem in his set at Bonnaroo was a pyrotechnic concussion which creates a loud boom. He 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.” "I hate to be the one to say it, but being someone who suffers from very mild PTSD, it was EXTREMELY irresponsible and distasteful to end songs w the shot gun sound effect," Russett tweeted. i have grown up loving Eminem and his music but I was extremely triggered to the point of tears," tweeted popular YouTube star Andrea Russett, 22. "To hear a gun shot sound effect and see the entire crowd drop to the floor out of instinct is not funny, cute, or amusing," she continued. "This is the sad reality that we are living. this is not funny or even something to be joked about." The hip-hop star’s decision to use the violent sound effects incited a backlash on social media, with many people saying the noises were inappropriate given the prevalence of mass shootings in the U.S.
– Gunshot sound effects at an outdoor music festival, when memories of last year's Las Vegas concert massacre are still fresh, goes way beyond poor taste, critics told Eminem after his Saturday night set caused panic at the Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee. Witnesses say some fans screamed, ducked, or dropped to the ground after the sounds were heard at the end of "Kill You," Billboard reports. "I hate to be the one to say it, but being someone who suffers from very mild PTSD, it was EXTREMELY irresponsible and distasteful to end songs w the shot gun sound effect," tweeted social media star Andrea Russett. "To hear a gun shot sound effect and see the entire crowd drop to the floor out of instinct is not funny, cute, or amusing," she added, per E! Online. Critics said that after the killing of 58 people in last year's Las Vegas mass shooting and other deadly attacks on concerts, Eminem should at least have warned people there could be gunshot noises during his set. But plenty of fans came to the rapper's defense on social media, arguing that he has used similar sound effects without problems during countless other live performances, including at a New York City music festival just a week ago, Time reports. An Eminem rep said the noises weren't even gunshot effects. "Contrary to inaccurate reports, Eminem does not use gunshot sound effects during his live show. The effect used by Eminem in his set at Bonnaroo was a pyrotechnic concussion (that) creates a loud boom. He has used this effect—as have hundreds other artists—in his live show for over 10 years," a spokesperson said in a statement. (A body was found Friday at a Bonnaroo campsite.)