REVIEW: Wu-Tang Clan at Horncastle Arena

Veteran hip-hoppers Wu-Tang Clan gave an adoring Christchurch crowd exactly what they wanted at the 36 Chambers 25th anniversary show last night. James Dann was there.

Christchurch is probably about as far as you can get from Staten Island, both physically and emotionally. And yet, here they were: The Wu-Tang Clan in our city. They probably didn’t know much about Christchurch - why would they - but they gave a very receptive audience the show they wanted.

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Going into this show, one of my main concerns was the acoustics. Horncastle Arena is a concrete graveyard, where treble goes to die. The last show I saw at the venue was excellent - David Byrne on his American Utopia tour - but the top-end of many songs turned into a high-frequency wash. There were no such problems for the Wu, partly because of the bass-heavy nature of the music, but also because of the number of bodies in the venue absorbing the sound.

The crowd was about as diverse as you can get in Christchurch. There were a few who looked like they’d been fans since 36 Chambers came out in 1993 and some who looked like they weren’t even born then. Most would have been somewhere in between the two.

The number of official Wu-Tang shirts in the audience was a reflection of just how slick the crew has become as a marketing exercise, with most of the members wearing some form of merch on stage. The merch for this leg of the tour even integrates aspects of Māori design.

One of the few who wasn’t in official team wear, Raekwon, showed his respect for another aspect of New Zealand culture by wearing an All Blacks jacket.

The tour celebrates the 25th anniversary of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), the groups’ debut album, released in early November, 1993. They’ve embarked on a victory lap, and to be honest, they deserve it.

The first half of the set was the album, almost exactly as it appears on the record. That’s not a bad thing, as 36 Chambers is one of the most important in the history of rap. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s loaded with bangers: the crowd more than willing to give it up for ‘Shame On A N**a’ and ‘Clan In The Front’.

During ‘Can’t It All Be So Simple’ and ‘Da Mystery of Chessboxin’, as well as ‘Winter Warz’ from Ghostface Killah’s solo record Ironman, the various members had a chance to properly introduce themselves to the audience, with a little more space to expand on their vocal nuances.

They finished off the 36 Chambers part of the show with a powerful run of ‘Wu-Tang Clan Aint Nuthing Ta F**k Wit' / 'C.R.E.A.M.' / 'Method Mad' / 'Tearz' / 'Protect Ya Neck’, for which the crowd were appropriately psyched.

The second half of the show took a tour through the wider Wu discography. There were cuts from many of the member’s solo records, including GZA’s Liquid Swords (‘4th Chamber’, ‘Duel of the Iron Mic’), Ghostface Killah’s Ironman (‘Black Jesus’, ‘Fish’), Method Man (‘Bring the Pain’, ‘Da Rockwilder’) and the late O.D.B. (‘Shimmy’). They even threw in a cover of Rick James’ ‘Mary Jane’.

Stepping up into his father’s place was the Young Dirty Bastard, who roamed the stage with the manic energy of a bumblebee that’s just been let out of the kitchen cupboard. Not content to just cover his father’s verses, he backflipped his way into an all-too-brief chorus from ‘Baby I Got Your Money’. His youth and energy gave the show an extra bit of zip.

While the rest of the crew still have the verbal dexterity, most of them are in their late 40s and don’t quite have the physical dexterity to match. That said, having such a big crew allows them to step up in turn; it never felt as though the pace was slipping.

It should come as no surprise that a crew who’ve been playing gigs for more than 25 years know how to put on a show. Method Man was especially good at working the room, playing sections of the crowd off against each other, succeeding in his ultimate aim of raising the vibe of all.

After the coherence of 36 Chambers, the second half didn’t have quite the same focus and flow - not that the crowd cared. The pit was deep - one of the most committed I’ve seen in this venue. Even the people seated in the top tier of the arena were on their feet for the most part. 

As the opening bars of ‘Gravel Pit’ boomed around the arena, every arm reached for the rafters. 

With such a rich history: 25 years, half a dozen official albums, countless solo records - it would be easy to nitpick the setlist (no ‘Pinky Ring’!), but as the punters walked out into the warm, damp night, few would have had any complaints.

Wu-Tang Clan showed that after all these years, their debut record still has a wit and depth that can’t be matched by the mumble-rap of 2018, and that they have an on-stage camaraderie and charisma that few can challenge.

Wu-Tang clan play Auckland’s Trusts Arena tonight. Tickets available at Ticketek.

Wu-Tang Clan live at Christchurch's Horncastle Arena, Thursday, December 13:

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