It was clear from the way that everyone was half walking, half dancing their way through the crowds at the Riverstage that the Wu-Tang Clan were well overdue for a visit to Brisbane. A group that has held such an iconic place in the New York hip hop scene since the nineties is not a common sight in this sunny city. RZA’s opening guarantee was, ‘Whatever energy you give to us, we gonna give back to you.’ A reasonable offer and a promise that the crowd was more than happy to accommodate.

Following RZA’s opening, four of the original nine members (Ghostface, GZA, Masta Killa and Raekwon) emerged from backstage and brought out ‘Bring Da Ruckus’, opening with one of the most recognisable tracks from their 1993 masterpiece, aptly titled ‘Enter the Wu-Tang’. 

Although not all Wu-Tang clan members were present (missing from tonight’s performance were Inspectah Deck, Method Man, U-God and Cappadonna) they did bring back up in the form of DJ Mathematics, who brought enough harmony and synergy to accommodate for the absentee list.

They worked their way through some of their most recognisable tracks, the group’s energy far outweighing the fact that the detailed poetic nuances of their tracks were lost amongst the non-existent acoustics of the open air at the Riverstage. It’s a great venue but when it comes to words spoken in quick succession, it does leave a lot to be desired. A lot of it just reverberated into the night air, and not straight into your earlobes where they were needed most.

I was hoping to get a preview of their latest album, one that had been purchased by one Martin Shkreli (otherwise known as the man the internet loves to hate), but I couldn’t pick out anything that would challenge that millionaire’s claim upon the elusive Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. Thus, I must return to despising him that much more – although only slightly more than my hatred for their plan to willingly sell their album to the highest bidder. They may have hoped that the buyer would release it on the internet for everyone to enjoy in some kind of good will gesture. But when the stakes are so high/expensive you are only going to attract the worst kind of bidders and isolate the majority of your fans.

They pulled together a number of covers, some surprising and some just ill thought out. ‘Come Together’ by The Beatles fell so far out of time it could have become its own time signature. With much love and respect, I have to say that was not up to par.

They canvassed David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Biggy and Tupac. They paid homage to the collaborative spirit of hip hop music. Something that draws backs to their roots and was expressed in an authentic and meaningful manner.

The crowd was filled with devotees of all ages, clearly a testament to the influence and excellence of their music. However, I’m just going to throw this out there, but there was something about a bunch of ageing 90s Caucasian kids dancing along and yelling ‘nigga’ that took a few moments of consideration. I would never doubt that the fans there thoroughly enjoyed the music, and that music is an almost universally enjoyable thing, but there is something about the origins of the music that seemed at complete juxtaposition to the socio-economical situation of the audience. I could have a point, or this could be yet another time where my paralysing political correctness gets in the way of me getting down. Nothing was right or wrong. Take it whatever way you want.

As you can expect from Brisbane, but would never have been heard of or tolerated in their New York origins, any encore was prevented by our state’s beloved and newly introduced curfew. And so the night ended somewhat abruptly.

This group has undoubtedly produced some of the best hip hop music in the last few decades. Their music crosses cultural boundaries and can be appreciated in so many situations worldwide. Overall, their performance did not disappoint. The crowd held nothing back and gave as much energy as they could. Even lining up for the bar involved a sing along, with a lyrical understanding usually reserved for those frequenting karaoke bars and only singing their favourite songs like it was their last audition for some big break on Australia’s Got Talent.

Come back sometime soon Wu-Tang, hopefully we won’t lock you out by 10pm next time.

- Chelsea Heaney