Wu-Tang Clan Brings Da Ruckus With Very Raw & Dope, Riot Fest Performance

Wu-Tang Clan performing on the Radicals Stage on Saturday Sept. 16, 2017 at Riot Fest in Chicago’s Douglas Park. Photo courtesy of Tito Garcia

Swords a blazing, Raekwon, donned in a Chicago Bears sweater and cap came out spitting vicious rhymes to his classic, Incarcerated Scarfaces, track from his just as timeless and classic debut album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, before bringing out his longtime partner in rhyme, Ghostface Killah, to get things started Saturday night on the Radicals Stage for legendary group, Wu-Tang Clan’s highly-anticipated Riot Fest performance at Douglas Park in Chicago. As the two performed their classic collaboration, Criminology, together, Raekwon asked the crowd if it was alright to start bringing other members of the Clan out. To which everybody screamed a big, “Yeah!”

Cappadonna then came out to spit his memorable vicious guest verse from Raekwon’s Ice Water. The three performing the track, then transitioned very smoothly into Ghostface’s Daytona 500 collaboration from the three emcees, before all of the rest of the Wu members Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, RZA and U-God, then proceeded to come out, one-by-one. With U-God coming out last spitting his classic verses from Da Mystery of Chessboxin’ Meth then started to really bring the energy up, as they went into M.E.T.H.O.D Man, before going into the very soulful Tearz.

Promoted as a live performance in full of the Hip-Hop collectives seminal classic debut album, Enter The Wu-Tang, 36 Chambers, it ended up being a good portion of their performance, but with a few other Clan classics thrown in as well as solo tracks. Such as Glaciers of Ice from Raekwon’s Cuban Linx, Mef’s own very raw and classic Bring Da Pain from his own seminal debut solo album, Tical and Slang Editorial from Cap’s very underappreciated classic debut album, The Pillage. GZA would even finally come out too, as the group went into their very classic and still raw, grand opening track to 36 Chambers, Bring Da Rukus. RZA telling fans to throw up their middle fingers, before they got all crazy and got the crowd to, “Bring da motherfuckin’ ruckus! Bring da motherfuckin’ ruckus!”

All the real money makers would really come out then, as everybody sang and rapped along to the always raw and classic, C.R.E.A.M. The perfect segue into Raekwon’s own Ice Cream, with all the different flavors brought to you by the different members. The group showing the great raw chemistry they still have so seamlessly on tracks like Gravel Pit and Can It All Be So Simple. RZA and Meth asking if everybody could light their phones in the sky for all the fallen in Chicago and all the victims of the recent hurricanes down south, as they transitioned to the very soulful latter track.

You know a Wu-Tang Clan show can’t end without a tribute to their own fallen member, Ol’ Dirty Bastard too. Method Man doing the perfect spot-on rendition of ODB’s always very classic and timeless, Shimmy Shimmy Ya. Before RZA asked the crowd if they were ready for the very first live performance of a new Wu-Tang track, which of course everybody was and then they went into the world premiere first ever live performance of the new Mathematics-produced single and track, People Say, which features members of the Wu and longtime Wu affiliate Redman. Wu-Tang Clan would triumphantly end the show appropriately with their always classic, lead single rom their double-disc classic, sophomore album, Wu-Tang Forever, with Triumph.