For a couple of hours on Monday night, the Town Ballroom in Downtown Buffalo was transformed into one of the 36 chambers in the slums of Shaolin.
The legendary Wu-Tang Clan brought vintage hip hop back to Buffalo for at least one night, coming through town on their "Rebirth" tour. Except for RZA, all of the surviving members of the Clan were present, including Method Man, Ghostface, Raekwon, and GZA.
Joining the Clan on stage were affiliates Streetlife and Cappadonna, DJ Allah Mathematics, and a slew of posse members, which made for what seemed like 50 people on the modest Town Ballroom stage.
The beginning of the sold-out show focused on classics from the group's debut smash, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), as the Clansmen set things off with the album's first track, "Bring Da Ruckus." "Clan in Da Front," "M.E.T.H.O.D. Man," "Protect Ya Neck," and "C.R.E.A.M." were also scattered throughout the performance.
Other show highlights included "Triumph," "4th Chamber," "Bring Da Pain," and "Criminology."
Wu-Tang members seemed re-energized, showing the crowd that the chemistry that was once so readily apparent on each album still exists. In an era when Wu-Tang collaborations often happen without members seeing each other face-to-face, this is a good sign for fans. When one member performed a verse on Monday night, the other members repeated key phrases and punchlines, inspiring the crowd to join the singalong.
The most energetic performance was given by Method Man, who at one point was standing up on top of the crowd members' raised hands as he rapped "Da Rockwilder."
The show wasn't perfect, however. The Town Ballroom's sound engineer, who the frustrated rappers kept disparagingly referring to as "House Man," couldn't seem to stop certain members' microphones from cutting out at certain points, and other microphones were simply too quiet.
Additionally, though the show lasted over an hour, it ended on a weird note, as there was no closing song but simply an announcement from Method Man that instructed the crowd to buy the latest albums from Ghostface and Raekwon. He ended by telling the ladies in the crowd that the Clan was partying at the Hyatt after the show.
For a second, nobody even realized that the show was over. The self-proclaimed "killa bees" had attacked swiftly and swarmed on to their next show without so much as a goodbye.
Unlike real bees, though, this swarm was fun while it lasted.
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