The lasting legacy of Wu-Tang Clan is something that cannot be denied. Childish Gambino took his moniker from a Wu-Tang name generator, Danny Brown dedicated a song to Ol’ Dirty Bastard after becoming inspired by his chaotic energy, and the lyrical delivery of Action Bronson has been compared to that of Ghostface Killah. The sound of Wu-Tang Clan persists, too: while Kendrick Lamar’s GNX and Baby Keem’s Ca$ino are overtly influenced by West Coast rather than East Coast hip-hop, the similarities in sound and style are evident.
When the Clan announced that their tour, branded as Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber, would consist of a series of farewell shows, it was assumed that these would serve as a triumphant goodbye. This didn’t entirely materialise in reality, however, and various factors meant it unfortunately fell short.
Despite Havoc of Mobb Deep being dubbed as the tour’s special guest, the only opening set Co-Op Live was given came from BBC Radio 1Xtra host DJ Target. Target played a series of hip-hop classics both past and modern, ranging from House of Pain’s ‘Jump Around’ to Giggs’ ‘Talkin the Hardest’, encouraging the crowd to throw Wu-Tang hand symbols into the air and delivering tributes to legends such as 2Pac and DMX. Towards the mid-point of the set, Target proclaimed “we’re celebrating some East Coast legends tonight”, satiating the audience but not in the same way that a live performance would.
Credit: Samuel Chamberlain @ The Mancunion
As the clock passed eight thirty, a live band appeared on stage, before RZA joined them to perform a subdued solo opening of ‘Sunlight’. As ‘Bring da Ruckus’ began, RZA was joined by other members of the Clan, to the delight of the crowd. Surveying the audience, all that could be seen were various forms of merchandise displaying the group’s iconic logo: this was clearly a gathering of die-hard fans, some of whom had followed them from the start, and others who had inherited their music from family members accompanying them.
‘Clan in da Front’ followed, before ‘Da Mystery of Chessboxin’’ saw one member of the Clan spray champagne into the crowd, and another request that the music be turned louder. Once the song’s gritty, off-kilter beat had faded away, RZA took a moment to address the audience, stating that “someone told us that this is the biggest fucking arena in the whole UK”, referring to Co-Op Live’s capacity of 23,500. The classic track ‘Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin ta F’ With’ was then performed in full before its iconic one-line chorus was interspersed throughout the remainder of the set. This was sure to provide an early highlight in the show, and saw members of the Clan sharing embraces (and spliffs) in a celebratory moment of love.
‘Method Man’ and ‘Protect Ya Neck’ closed out the first portion of the set, and saw some members of the Clan shining more than others, with their two live drummers standing out. The instruction "I want to hear you all sing this" was happily followed by the audience, who recited the confrontational verses word-for-word. The track was perfect to bring an end to the show’s first section, functioning as a roll-call cypher for the group’s members by giving each a chance to display their personality.
Once the Clan departed from the stage after just half an hour, what first appeared to be a video interlude adding to the show was eventually revealed to be a blatant advertisement for One Spoon of Chocolate, the 2025 action thriller directed and produced by RZA. This didn’t seem to put a bad taste in the audience’s mouths, but seemed a little kitsch given the purpose of the tour to celebrate a career and legacy. The advertisement was also quickly forgotten as the Clan remained off-stage to give their female backing vocalist a solo moment in the spotlight, displaying vocals strong enough to enrapture the arena.
To open the second segment of the show, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon appeared alone to perform ‘Rainy Dayz’, ‘Criminology’, and ‘Incarcerated Scarfaces’, before they were joined by the promised special guest of the night, Havoc of Mobb Deep. Together, they raced through a selection of Mobb Deep hits including ‘Survival of the Fittest’, ‘Eye for an Eye’, ‘Shook Ones (Part II)’, and ‘Quiet Storm’. Once his time on stage had passed, Havoc took a moment to laud the Clan, declaring “Wu-Tang Clan for fucking life, these are my brothers right here”. Since Wu-Tang Clan and Mobb Deep both hail from New York, and have both been formative to hip-hop of the East Coast and beyond, Havoc proved an apt choice to join the group, and gave the crowd some of the best moments and verses of the night.
The best moments of the night came when the bass could be felt in the bones, shaking the floor with aid from the eagerly bouncing audience. This was especially felt during ‘Ice Cream’, the Raekwon song which immediately followed the Mobb Deep segment. The Clan rarely paused their performance, hurtling through 34 of their biggest songs, but Method Man did take a moment to praise the crowd. “Down on the floor, what can I say? You’re blowing my mind” he extolled, before continuing that “ever since day one we’ve been coming to the UK, and we’ve always felt the love especially in Manchester”. “Imma be real, this is one of the roughest cities we’ve been to”, he said of Manchester, a statement unclear in its levels of jocularity.
‘Release Yo’ Delf’, ‘Grid Iron Rap’, ‘Bring the Pain’, and ‘All I Need’ closed out the second portion of the show, before another advertisement was aired, this time for Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver — an RPG video game produced by Ghostface Killah and RZA. Returning to the stage with the rest of the Clan, RZA recognised that “there’s a lot going on in the world, so you might have some negative energy building up”. Despite the lack of “negative energy” at Co-Op Live on that particular night, he informed the crowd that “what we want to do is help you to get rid of that tonight”, before launching into ‘Liquid Swords’ and ‘Duel of the Iron Mic’.
Then came the moment that many in attendance had been waiting for: a moment that swept those sat down onto their feet. As the bouncy drums and hypnotic soul sample of ‘Gravel Pit’ rang across the arena, every audience member was united in the sing-along opportunity the track provides. Despite its playful approach and mainstream appeal, ‘Gravel Pit’ didn’t feel out of place in the set, segueing naturally into ‘4th Chamber’ after RZA took a moment to instruct that “now we’ve expelled negative energy, it’s time to build our positive energy. You move it from your ankles to your thighs, to your hips, and what that means is you jump when I jump” and ask “can Manchester jump harder than London?”.
‘Severe Punishment’ followed with additional lyrics from ‘Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthin ta F’ With’ distorted into “Manchester ain’t nothing to fuck with”, before the crowd were asked “how many people out here love real hip-hop?”. The answer was unanimous, leading the Clan to continue with ‘No Said Date’, ‘Above the Cloudz’, and ‘Tearz’.
The latter included “a moment to remember our fallen soldiers”, including “the hip-hop prophet” 2Pac, “our brother from the east coast” Prodigy of Mobb Deep, DMX, Nipsey Hussle, and The Notorious B.I.G. RZA appeared alone at the front of the stage for this, leading a touching tribute to their contemporaries which ended with “the man who helped us start this all off”, Oliver Power Grant who passed away just four weeks prior to the show.
An “In Loving Memory” photo of Power was displayed on Co-Op Live’s screens and left to linger, but was instantly undermined by a third and final advertisement break, this time for a documentary on the group entitled The Purple Tape Files. This obviously wasn’t the right time for barefaced commercialism complete with QR codes, and at this point it made the rest of the show feel downcast. Later in the set, the Clan mentioned their nomination for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but even this was subdued by the lingering truth that mid-set advertisement breaks are the furthest thing from everything that rock and roll represents. Claiming to represent the underground while simultaneously including three advertisement breaks in a live show do not go hand in hand.
As ‘Reunited’ opened the final segment of the Clan’s performance, it almost made up for the rampant consumerism previously on display, and members were quick to proclaim “the great city of Manchester” once the song had finished. One member sported a Manchester United jacket despite Co-Op Live’s proximity to the rival Etihad Stadium, appearing to show genuine love for the city. However, the ability for anything in the performance to be truly genuine was shrouded following such a mis-timed exhibit of commercialism.
Following ‘It’s Yourz’, Young Dirty Bastard was invited to the stage to perform ‘Shimmy Shimmy Ya’ and ‘Got Your Money’ with the Clan, two songs credited to his late father and former member Ol’ Dirty Bastard. The incredibly infectious ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ came after, and it was bound to be this that could be heard sung by audience members as they left the venue. Before ‘Triumph’ closed the show, RZA stated that “the most important thing we do is we come out and we say thank you to all the fans for thirty years of support”, inspiring a chant of “Wu-Tang forever” and handing a champagne bottle to a fan in the front row.
When Wu-Tang Clan left the stage, RZA encouraged the crowd to lead another chant, this time simply of “peace”. “We came in peace”, he declared, “so we’ll leave in peace”. This final gesture of harmony and goodwill made previous poor decisions slip into distant memory, highlighting the unifying power of such an iconic group. While the show was hindered by advertisement breaks and occasional poor performances, each member of the Clan was given the chance to prove their proficiency, not that they needed to. A cynical mind might find something to cringe at when presented with the sight of seven men in their late fifties dressed straight out of Grease, some adorned with glittery trousers and others sporting sideways caps. However, at the farewell stage of their career, it’s clear that the group can do as they please: Wu-Tang Clan truly Ain’t Nuthin ta F’ With.
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