Gig review: The Wu-Tang Clan at Co-op Live, Manchester

Hip-hop was formed 53 years ago, which is also the average age of the members of the Wu-Tang Clan, one of the acts of the genre that can confidently and accurately call themselves OG’s.

Pioneers as a group and in their own individual right, Wu-Tang deliver each act of their ‘Final Chamber’ tour as a greatest moments of each facet of the collective.

There are moments when the quality varies wildly from member to member, some were always the stronger MCs and have the bigger tunes – such as Ice Cream, Release Yo’ Delf and Liquid Swords – to carry them, where others mill around the stage waiting for their turn, looking increasingly bored at their lot.

You sense a genuine gratitude from the band to deliver a final victory lap. An ‘in memorandum’ section of who they term ‘the fallen soldiers of hip-hop’ looks back at and honours the likes of Biggie Smalls, Biz Markie, Tupac Shakur, late member Ol’ Dirty B******d and recently deceased creative member Power, with musical interlude and sing-a-long covers of the aforementioned artists’ numbers.

And, of course, they deliver the hits, such as Protect Ya Neck, Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit and CREAM.

The Shaolin Temple stage design and production is first class and expertly executed to provide a backdrop to the Wu’s continued artistic obsession with Chinese martial arts and lethal wordplay, however the rather unsubtle merchandise advertising boards on both sides of the stage bring you back to realising this is a touring product. A merchandise table on wheels with a soundtrack.

As a way to round off a career spanning 34 years, one that the naysayers of the hip-hop said would be another passing musical fad, for all its highs and some lows of the evening, the Wu-Tang Clan have earned the right to plaster their iconic W on every corner of the globe as an everlasting brand.

Setlist

Sunlight

Bring da Ruckus

Clan in da Front

Da Mystery of Chessboxin’

Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit

Method Man

Protect Ya Neck

Set 2:

Rainy Dayz (Ghostface Killah and Raekwon cover)

Criminology (Raekwon song)

Incarcerated Scarfaces (Raekwon song)

Survival of the Fittest (Mobb Deep cover) (Joined by Havoc)

Eye for an Eye (Your Beef Is Mines) (Mobb Deep cover)

Shook Ones (Part II) (Mobb Deep cover)

Quiet Storm (Remix) (Mobb Deep cover)

Ice Cream (Raekwon song)

Release Yo’ Delf (Method Man song)

Grid Iron Rap (Method Man song)

Bring the Pain (Method Man song)

All I Need (Method Man song)

Wu-Tang Clan: ‘Rise of the Deceiver’

Liquid Swords (GZA/Genius song)

Duel of the Iron Mic (GZA/Genius song)

Gravel Pit

4th Chamber (GZA/Genius song)

Severe Punishment

No Said Date (Masta Killa song)

Above the Clouds (Gang Starr cover)

Tearz

The Way We Were (Barbra Streisand cover)

Purple Tape Files

Reunited

It’s Yourz

Shimmy Shimmy Ya (ODB song)

Got Your Money (ODB song)

C.R.E.A.M.

Triumph