Like everybody else I love Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers) and I love the energy and vitality of live hip-hop gigs; so an opportunity to see nearly all of the original Wu Tang line up on stage together simply couldn’t be missed.

Rocking up at around 8 o’clock, I was greeted by a rather small crowd being entertained by a DJ playing newer hip-hop and R&B. There was some 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes and unfortunately some of those annoying auto-tuned rappers as well.

Then this weird looking white guy jumped on stage and started screaming into a microphone. He kind of looked like a hairier version of Sammy Hagar and he thought he was way more hardcore than he actually was as he introduced Lil John. I’m convinced Lil Jon is an elaborate joke conceived by Dave Chappelle and the ghost of Andy Kaufman style – sure, I like getting fucked up as the next person, but I don’t make an effort to mention it in every conversation.

But I’ve got to hand it to Lil Jon, he can certainly move a crowd. He played many of his hits like Let’s Get Crunk, Crazy and Put Yo Hood Up with fast beats and an intense energy coming from Lil John and his DJ by the end of the set it was almost like listening to dance music. Unfortunately the “crazy” white guy also jumped around on stage like an idiot for most of his set, swilling booze out of a bottle and spitting it on everyone, seeming to piss everyone off including Lil Jon.

After his set the DJ stepped back up and started playing some old school classics including Check Yo Self, Momma’s Gonna Knock You Out, Let Me Clear My Throat some Michael Jackson and even Warren G. and Nate Dogg’s Regulate. The venue had filled up quite substantially by now and it was getting later and later but Wu Tang were still nowhere to be seen, but most people were enjoying themselves singing along to the old school.

When Wu Tang did finally take the stage, they were greeted with thousands of people cheering with the W up in the air. Dropping straight into Protect Ya Neck, the place got live as fuck. RZA, GZA, Raekwon, DJ Mathematics and Inspectah Deck were all jumping around on stage. The energy of seven big MCs was electrifying. I’ve always been impressed by the likes of the Beastie Boys and Jurassic 5 when they all rhyme together, but that’s all about harmony. Wu Tang are all about spitting powerfully into the mic, and they eclipsed the music in some places with the sheer intensity of their rhymes. There was a little bit of feedback at first, but this was quickly corrected.

They dropped hit after hit, like Wu Tang Ain’t Nothing To Fuck With, and Clan In Da Back, as well as the various MCs “solo” stuff, like RZA’s You Can’t Stop Me Now. They also did a tribute to Ol Dirty getting everyone to put their lighters / phones in the air as they dropped I Like It Raw and Baby I Got Your Money.

The end of their set was a little weird. As they played stuff off their latest album, which the punters seemed unfamiliar with there was a real drop in energy. Unlike other concerts which end with a bang, this one simply faded out. There wasn’t an encore either, although it felt like the Wu wanted more as they meandered on stage taking in the applause. There was a great sense of disappointment from the crowd when the lights came on, that’s for sure. But after a night of amazing music, but I’d thoroughly recommend that even if you only have a passing interest in Wu Tang go see if they ever make it back down here.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE GIG HERE