More rock bands should format their gigs like this – snippets of each song, segueing into each other, rapid-fire. Playing the entirety of each track on the setlist is not good for the momentum of a show, especially to people with attention spans as short as my own.
But enough of that. Kicking off the set, three members of Ghostface’s Theodore Unit collective took to the stage early to warm the crowd up prior to Mr. Starks’ arrival. Alas, there was a noticeable absence of charisma and star quality, and the audience became increasingly restless.
Cue the great man himself, and there was a monumental shift in the atmosphere; we were in the presence of greatness at last – the most beloved (living) member from the best group of the last 15 years, and one of the most distinctive MCs in hip-hop’s history. The lightning-quick helium-high delivery! The deranged surrealist wordplay!
He’s the most showbiz member of the Wu Tang clan, too – bar his Ironman debut, he’s rarely wallowed in the murky, gothic ambience honed by his parent group, instead opting for his own brand of breathless, sweeping, soul-inflected hip-hop. He has also avoided the diminishing returns that some of his colleagues have suffered from, and built the kind of repertoire that can only serve you well on nights like this.
The killer tunes keep on coming; a rousingly anthemic ‘Biscuits’, the breakneck rush of ‘Run’, the minimalist bounce of ‘Cherchez La Ghost’, a breezily magnificent ‘Holler’ – no track reaching its proper conclusion, leaving us excited, sometimes frustrated, but never bored. Best of all is ‘Shimmy Shimmy Ya’ – a delirious stomp through the Ol’ Dirty Bastard classic, in tribute to the late, great Wu MC – the giddily brilliant one-note piano hook even more exciting in the live setting.
Minus points for the sound quality though: the lush gorgeousness of Ghostface’s recorded material is pretty much lost tonight, replaced by a more brutal macho thump.
Let’s not quibble though: this was a timely reminder of the enduring brilliance of Wu-Tang – let’s just hope Ghostface will be back soon with his cronies in tow.