Wu-Tang Clan Opens the Final Chamber and Lets West Palm Beach Hear the Legacy
All images by Larry Marano
Thirty-three years after Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) arrived like a warning shot, Wu-Tang Clan still knows how to make an entrance. At iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre on September 23, the group brought its Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber tour to West Palm Beach on a bill with fellow ’90s hip-hop architects Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
The set began where the legend began: “Bring da Ruckus,” “Clan in da Front” and “Da Mystery of Chessboxin’” came early, followed by “Protect Ya Neck.” Those songs remain astonishing in their construction, with verses that jostle for space while giving every voice room to leave a mark. Heard together again, they made the case for Wu-Tang’s enduring force without requiring a farewell speech.
The night also gave individual members space to roam. Raekwon’s “Incarcerated Scarfaces” and “Criminology” brought the chill of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… into the Florida air. GZA’s “Liquid Swords” and “Duel of the Iron Mic” added another chapter, while Havoc’s appearance for Mobb Deep material expanded the evening into a tribute to a wider New York hip-hop family.
Then came a moving reminder of who was missing. Young Dirty Bastard carried his father’s spirit into “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” and “Got Your Money,” bringing Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s unmistakable presence back into the room through memory and music.
By the time “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Triumph” closed the set, the tour’s title felt both celebratory and bittersweet. Wu-Tang’s songs have outlived their original moment because each member brought a different voice to the same fierce vision. West Palm Beach heard those voices together, still sharp enough to leave a mark.
Wu-Tang Clan:
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony:
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