The gunshots had some in the crowd freaking out, in light of recent mass shootings.
Realistic-sounding gunshot noises used during Eminem's Bonnaroo performance Saturday night terrified some concertgoers and has led to some backlash toward the rapper.
Several videos of the performance have been posted online. In one, thousands of concertgoers can be seen having fun and dancing to the music, when a gunshot noise goes off, prompting some in the audience to shriek and the camera holder to drop the camera and cut the video off. Other Twitter users indicated that the noises were used three or four times, prompting a few to leave the concert, shaken from the scare.
The scare comes against the backdrop of multiple mass shootings, including the Oct. 1 killing of 58 and wounding of more than 800 when a gunman opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival in Las Vegas.
Instagrammer Sandra Poenar said on Twitter that the gunshots scared some people to tears during the performance.
"i was having a good time at Eminem's set then he played a realistic gunshot noise. the whole crowd ducked and i’ve never felt more traumatized and ready to panic. completely inappropriate," she tweeted. "a second “gunshot” just went off and we got to the ground... my friend literally started sobbing that’s not okay. not funny or entertaining."
A few minutes later, she tweeted again.
"it just happened again. 3 times. we left the concert area and it still sounds so real from far away and everyone ducked again. we’re all shaking. NOT OKAY EMINEM."
Shane Morris, who is running for U.S. Senate in Tennessee, wrote on Twitter that it sounded like a bomb might have gone off from where he was standing.
"So, if you're not able to understand why Eminem having 'gunshots' go off was a bad thing, here are 60,000 people directly in front of him. Point two: I thought a bomb had gone off. Not gunshots," he wrote. "The concussion from Eminem's 'gunshot' was so loud, I was in the artist area behind the main stage, and my immediate thought was, 'Holy s**t a bomb just went off.'"
Perhaps it isn't a surprise that an Eminem show would spook casual concertgoers. From his infamous song "Kim," which details a fictional murder, to the teaser for his latest video, "Framed," which makes it appear as if the rapper has killed an entire family after escaping from an asylum, he has never shied away from violent imagery and lyrics in his performances.
For a look at Eminem's recent sobriety milestone, watch the video below.
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