MCD Sues Over Eminem Cancellation

Denis Desmond’s MCD is suing three insurance companies, claiming they failed to pay up when Eminem canceled last year’s gig at Slane Castle.

The Irish promoter is looking for euro 1.41 million from London-based companies Liberty Syndicate Management Ltd., Brit Insurance Ltd. and Markel International Ltd.

The 80,000 tickets for the Slane Castle concert were sold within an hour, but just weeks before the September 17th show, Eminem pulled out because he was suffering from exhaustion.

It was the last concert scheduled for the European leg of the 32-year-old Grammy award-winner’s Anger Management tour.

On December 4th, Justice Peter Kelly granted MCD’s application to have the case admitted to the Dublin Commercial Court, and made directions for both sides to issue the relevant legal documents.

“The dispute has been going on for well over a year and so we’re fast-tracking it by going to the Commercial Court, which doesn’t take as long as going through the High Court,” Desmond told Pollstar.

In an affidavit, Desmond told the court that Eminem’s tour was due to begin in Germany on September 1, 2005, but a month earlier, his manager Paul Rosenberg announced that the controversial rapper was canceling it due to exhaustion.

— John Gammon