The descent into Memorial Stadium where Wu-Tang Clan was ending their North American tour with a closing spot at Bumbershoot was almost something out of a movie, that overdone, cheesy scene of 25th Century “urban party”, lights flashing, bass pounding, and an unmistakable smoke rising up in large clouds. That was until you got down on the floor, where things were decidedly calmer, concertgoers watching attentively, but not aggressively, talking to their friends and trying to figure out where Ghostface Killah was. Method Man, who acted as the MC (as in the Master of Ceremonies) of the evening, worked the crowd, inquiring about the quality of their drugs and promising them a good show, and the audience, ecstatic, roared and flashed their Ws with abandon, but the energy that was building with each record DJ Mathematics spun was tempered by the group’s decision to, as is common but unfortunate procedure at rap concerts, cut their songs short, performing choice verses and the hook, just enough to get the crowd moving and excited before ending, rather abruptly, a scratch and stop.

Thankfully for Wu-Tang, those in attendance were a forgiving bunch, so eager to see and hear the hip-hop luminaries live and in person, speaking, jumping, and rapping in front of them, that the occasional awkwardness was overlooked as they stood there anxiously waiting for the next piece to begin.