Eminem's Slane Festival cancelled

The 11-date trek that was due to kick off in Hamburg on September 1 and culminate on the 17 with a sell-out show at Slane Castle.
According to an official statement issued in Santa Monica and dated August 16, “Eminem is currently being treated for exhaustion, complicated by other medical issues. The shows are not expected to be rescheduled.”
Slane promoters MCD quickly quashed rumours that headline duties would pass to 50 Cent whose own September 18 headliner in The Point is now in doubt.
Despite being billed as the summer’s hottest tour, Eminem has been having a torrid time of things at the American box-office.
According to the respected BusinessWeek magazine, “The Anger Management tour has played to nearly half-empty auditoriums in cities like Chula Vista, California and Auburn, Washington.”
While other acts have responded to last year’s 11.8% drop in concert sales by charging an average $35 to $40 a ticket, fans wanting to see Eminem have been asked to pay as much as $91.
“Eminem and 50 Cent received high guaranteed upfront payments, causing promoters to jack up ticket prices,” say Rolling Stone. “(As a result) sales are sluggish in some markets.”
There were problems of a different kind on August 9 when weapons were allegedly found in a van ferrying Anger Management acts Lloyd Banks and Young Buck from a gig in New York’s Madison Square Gardens.
Their subsequent arrest by the NYPD may not be entirely unconnected with their onstage chanting of “Fuck the police!”
Both were arrested and later released on bail.
Lord Henry Mountcharles, the owner of Slane Castle, has reacted angrily to the rapper’s decision to cancel his European tour and the chance to entertain 80,000 of his Irish fans this September.
Speaking to RTE radio from his holiday home in the US, Lord Mountcharles commented: “In all the years that Slane has been running we’ve never been confronted by a scenario like this.
“I don’t think the Rolling Stones or U2 would cancel a section owing to nervous exhaustion.”
Lord Mountcharles also explained that it was too late to reschedule another gig, but he refused to comment on whether he would pursue the errant Slim Shady for compensation.
“I’m very taken aback. I’m trying to be judicious with my words. I’m not very happy about what has happened,” Lord Mountcharles added.
“I was looking forward to the show myself. I think he is a stunning artist but I don’t think he will get a slot in Slane again.”