When Eminem first headlined Reading in 2001, he was a maverick choice for the rock festival. Back then, he was at the height (some would even dare say zenith) of his career as the controversial ambassador for white rappers who, with his first two major label albums, had pushed hip-hop ever further into the mainstream and become the world’s biggest-selling rap artist.

Now, on his third Reading appearance (his second was in 2013), he is part of the old guard – perhaps even a typically staid choice for a festival whose line-up seems increasingly out of sync with its teenage audience. Looking at the crowd – who sported more braces than beards – we might wonder if relative newcomers such as Drake or Kano would be better poised to take to the main stage. But this was not the case. The young audience were crammed tight and full of enthusiasm.

When Marshall Mathers burst on to the stage he did so with a joyous urgency that reassured the crowd that he’d returned to form. The trademark peroxide buzz cut was swapped out for a cap and a ginger beard. But his ability to convey the pathos of a song through his voice, facial expression and body popping remains unparalleled.