Hip hop legends assembled at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre to start October off with Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber Tour. Phoenix is still holding on to that summer heat and the crowd showed up early to party with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Wu-Tang Clan at a meeting of the minds for East Coast and proudly Midwest hip hop.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony started the night strong, taking the fans back to 1994 with their setlist of hits. From “Thuggish Ruggish Bone” to “1st of Tha Month”, the audience knew every word to the group’s classic songs. Each member- Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Flesh-n-Bone- had their rotating moments in the spotlight and their unique flows tied the set together perfectly. The venue was fired up by the end of their energetic performance as they cleared the way for The Final Chamber.
With over three decades at the top of the game, Wu-Tang Clan took the stage ready to continue cementing their legacy. RZA emerged from the smoke first, introducing the lore of the Wu-Tang Clan with his spoken word introduction that flowed right into “Bring Da Ruckus” as the rest of the group filed onstage one by one. RZA, GZA, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa- along with Cappadonna and Young Dirty Bastard- each had a piece of the rhythm that moved nearly without stopping through “Da Mystery of Chessboxin'” and “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit”. The roar of the crowd’s cheers intensified when Method Man made his grand entrance, prowling the front of the stage and flashing a peace sign and a smile at the front row.
From there, the group certainly brought the ruckus as the middle of the set was a mashup of each member’s solo work to give everyone plenty of time in the spotlight while the others looked on in support. Of course, “C.R.E.A.M.” got top billing before the show ended in “Triumph” for another installment on their latest successful run.
