{"id":568768,"date":"2026-03-27T23:04:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T23:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/568768\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T23:04:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T23:04:11","slug":"wu-tang-clan-brought-the-ruckus-to-melbourne-one-last-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/568768\/","title":{"rendered":"Wu-Tang Clan Brought The Ruckus to Melbourne One Last Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

As thousands of fans streamed into Melbourne\u2019s Rod Laver Arena on a cold Friday, the Wu-Tang Clan prepared to take to the stage for the last time in the city, as part of their global Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber Tour.<\/p>\n

What should have been a home run of a tour, instead got off to a less-than-ideal start in Brisbane the night before. Billed as a tour that would feature \u201call living members\u201d of Wu-Tang, fans were confused and ultimately disappointed to realise Method Man, Cappadonna, Raekwon and Young Dirty Bastard (YDB) had failed to make the trip to Australia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While a social media post from the group confirmed Method Man would not be touring due to \u201cunforeseen circumstances\u201d mere days before, the absence of the other three members of Wu-Tang still has yet to be addressed. Understandably, fans and ticketholders online were quick to express their frustration and disappointment, and it was fair to assume that the vibe might be slightly off in Melbourne as a result.<\/p>\n

Wrong.<\/p>\n

Surrounded by fans of different ages, most dressed in different items of Wu-Tang merchandise, the tennis arena remained jam-packed with enthusiastic tension until the iconic Wu banner dropped to make way for RZA\u2019s solo entrance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Joined by U-God, Ghostface Killah, GZA, Masta Killa and Inspectah Deck, the group\u2019s de facto leader wastes no time in launching into a three act production littered with hits, album cuts and a trailer for RZA\u2019s 2025 action thriller film, One Spoonful of Chocolate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Admittedly the addition of the trailer, as well as the requests for attendees to use QR codes to vote for the group\u2019s induction to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, gives self-indulgence rather than celebratory of the legacy that has brought us all here. Thankfully, they aren\u2019t prominent elements of the show.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Instead, the show focuses on the chemistry that has been embedded in the foundations of Wu-Tang\u2019s seven studio albums and multiple side-quests.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Wu-Tang<\/a><\/p>\n

Image: Sosefina Fuamoli<\/p>\n

Leaning into their two albums that helped define East Coast hip hop during its Golden Age in the 1990s \u2013 Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and Wu-Tang Forever \u2013 the collective trade bars and energy with ease, backed by a live band and vocalist Candi Lindsey, aka Blue Raspberry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no denying the impact of tracks like \u201cBring da Ruckus\u201d, \u201cProtect Ya Neck\u201d, \u201cDa Mystery of Chessboxin\u201d and \u201cShame on a N***a\u201d delivered in their original form, but the addition of live instrumentation tonight adds extra dynamism to the performance of the rappers, ultimately elevating the experience for the fans.<\/p>\n

Act II features dips in and out of members\u2019 solo catalogues; from GZA\u2019s \u201cLiquid Swords\u201d and \u201c4th Chamber\u201d, to Ghostface\u2019s \u201cCherchez LaGhost\u201d and Raekwon\u2019s hits \u201cCriminology\u201d and \u201cIce Cream\u201d, this meaty element of the set serves as a poignant reminder of the Staten Island collective\u2019s sphere of influence. The absence of Raekwon stings particularly during the renditions of his solo work, but his bandmates do well in doing these songs justice.<\/p>\n

The legacy of Ol\u2019 Dirty Bastard is celebrated (\u201cShimmy Shimmy Ya\u201d, \u201cGot Your Money\u201d) during Wu-Tang\u2019s third act, reserved for the bangers many attendees have likely been hanging out for; \u201cGravel Pit\u201d and \u201cC.R.E.A.M.\u201d scratching the nostalgia itch.<\/p>\n

Along with ODB, RZA takes pause to acknowledge fallen friends, peers and colleagues; an in memoriam section of the show that pays tribute to artists including Biz Markie, Phife Dawg (A Tribe Called Quest), Nate Dogg, Tupac, Nipsey Hussle and DMX. Oliver \u201cPower\u201d Grant<\/a>, long-time Wu-Tang associate and executive producer, who passed away in February, is also celebrated \u2013 it being evident that his loss is something the entire group is still navigating with sensitivity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For longtime fans, seeing these lyrical architects perform with confidence and a natural swagger is fulfilling on its own.<\/p>\n

Ghostface Killah remains one of hip hop\u2019s most important voices, the flourish and nuance found within his stories make their way to the stage with vigour. Armed with the smooth flow that has characterised his whole catalogue, GZA cuts an impressive figure on the Rod Laver Arena stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The signature flows of U-God, Inspectah Deck and Masta Killa; ranging from laidback to gruff and punishing, offer highlights as the night continues with renditions of tracks like \u201cSevere Punishment\u201d, \u201cOne Blood Under W\u201d and \u201cReunited\u201d giving each member to hold their own.<\/p>\n

The Australian leg of the Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber Tour continues to Sydney before taking on Japan and North America.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Will it actually be the final time we see some combination of the crew perform? It remains to be seen. Some would say that as long as there\u2019s money to be made off the brand, there\u2019s always going to be potential to see Wu-Tang back again.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For now, this was an opportunity to celebrate the work of one of hip hop\u2019s seminal groups. And despite the no-shows and disruptions that, if we\u2019re honest, seem to be synonymous with the genre, the Wu-Tang Clan did well in reminding their audience that their music is timeless and still hits hard when it needs to.<\/p>\n

Simply put, the catalogue remains nothin\u2019 to fuck with.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As thousands of fans streamed into Melbourne\u2019s Rod Laver Arena on a cold Friday, the Wu-Tang Clan prepared…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":568769,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[64,63,134,136,19569,279641,279642],"class_list":{"0":"post-568768","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-music","12":"tag-wu-tang-clan","13":"tag-wu-tang-clan-australia","14":"tag-wu-tang-clan-melbourne"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=568768"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568768\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/568769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=568768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=568768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=568768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}