Wu-Tang Clan's farewell tour mesmerizes TD Garden
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
—Led by the mastermind
Advertisement
The crowd cheers as Wu-Tang Clan takes the stage for Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber at TD Garden on Friday.
Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
Famous for transcending their collective upbringing in the housing projects and on the mean streets of Staten Island by envisioning an alternate universe based on the feudal Japanese warrior class, RZA and Wu-Tang recreated much of that onstage. A huge video screen overhead flashed with animated visions of ancient samurais and pagodas while the group members took turns commanding the stage below.
Advertisement
After Cappadonna roared through 'Run,' from his 1998 solo debut, RZA took the opportunity to deplore gun violence.
'Sometimes you don't get a chance to run,' he said. Noting that the government 'is trying to regulate women, but won't regulate guns,' and education but not guns, he paid tribute to several of hip-hop's fallen heroes — Biggie Smalls, Tupac Shakur, Nipsey Hussle, A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg ('Can I kick it?,' RZA chanted) — as huge black-and-white images of each appeared overhead. The 'in memoriam' segment emphasized what was already a clear bid for posterity.
With their justice-seeking tirades, openers Run the Jewels were an apt table-setter. 'Boston shows up on time!' El-P noted appreciatively. They were honored, he said, to open for 'the greatest rap group of all time. It's really not a debate.'
Method Man performs during "Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber" at TD Garden.
Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
After RZA's introduction, Ghost and Raekwon led Wu-Tang onstage, prowling like tigers as they took the first two verses of 'Bring da Ruckus,' the lead track on '36 Chambers.' The crowd enthusiastically chanted along to the repeated phrase in the title of 'Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F' Wit.'
The Wu-Tang Clan is New York City to its core, but the Boston audience exulted in their presence. And the rappers reciprocated. Several wore custom kelly-green Celtics jerseys with the number 25 on the front and their stage names across the back. As he's been doing throughout the tour, Inspectah Deck led a tribute to Gang Starr, the vintage New York rap duo led by the late Boston native Keith Elam (a.k.a. Guru), with that group's song 'Above the Clouds,' which featured a guest vocal by Deck.
Advertisement
RZA of Wu-Tang Clan during the hip-hop collective's farewell tour show at TD Garden.
Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
The final segment of the show began with the band's electric violinist ripping a soundtrack interlude spiced with a snippet of another hip-hop classic, OutKast's 'So Fresh, So Clean.' Young Dirty Bastard ably took the fore during his father's 'Shimmy Shimmy Ya' and 'Got Your Money,' while a collage image of the old man loomed overhead.
The band wrapped with their best-loved track, 'C.R.E.A.M.' — Cash Rules Everything Around Me — and 'Triumph,' the latter from their second album, 1997's 'Wu-Tang Forever.' Each member took a verse.
RZA sent the wrung-out crowd into the night by imploring them to raise their Wu-Tang 'flags.' A sea of hands went up, thumbs crossed. If this was in fact the group's last time in town, the shadow of those Ws will linger.
WU-TANG CLAN
With Run The Jewels. At TD Garden, Friday.
James Sullivan can be reached at
.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hypebeast
an hour ago
- Hypebeast
PARCO Taps Shanghai-Based Emerging Director Aj Duan for Autumn 2025 Campaign
For over 50 years,PARCOhas been a leading force in Japanese style and culture, not only as a major commercial institution, but the brand is also renowned for its richly imaginative and insightful campaigns. Continuing to welcome audiences into its world, PARCO now unveils the latest campaign for the Autumn 2025 season. She has an extensive portfolio that includes campaign visuals for distinguished fashion houses, including Hermès and Gucci. However, this collaboration with PARCO marks her first creative project for a Japanese company. The theme of the striking new campaign is 'echoes of self.' Expanding upon that theme, Duan explains her thoughts on the concept, 'The word 'echoes' has always resonated with me. It's a sound in a very uncertain state; you can never tell when the original sound began, because it's constantly reflecting, distorting and transforming. The phrase 'echoes of self' emerged as I was creating this campaign.' She continues, 'I believe that each of our 'selves' is composed of a multitude of voices, a variety of 'echoes.' Voices from the outside, the perspectives of others, and our own experiences all continuously influence and shape our self-perception, much like echoes. In an age that moves at a breathtaking pace and that is overflowing with information, I wanted to use the imagery of 'echoes' to express our search and contemplation for that ambiguous, yet certain, existence we call the 'self.'' The theme signifies not only a physical reverberation of sound, but a deep, internal resonance. This worldview was brought to life through the majestic backdrop of Izu Oshima island. The campaign depicts two individuals living in a modern society dominated by information overload and speed, as they confront the selves they're beginning to lose. Through their connection with nature, they rediscover their bond with the natural world and with themselves. The campaign also features sounds that we might not ordinarily notice, inviting the audience to experience a sharpening of the senses through the visuals and their auditory elements. The PARCO Autumn 2025 campaign, directed by Aj Duan, will launch Tuesday, July 22nd. Looking ahead, the Winter 2025 campaign is scheduled for release in mid-October. Check out thePARCO websitefor what's next.
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Mark Rothko's former NYC home re-lists for $9.5M
Only in New York could a single Gilded Age carriage house have ties to both the abstract painter Mark Rothko and the music legend Elvis Presley. Now, the duplex where the late Rothko created his art at 155 E. 69th St. is back on the market for $9.5 million. That's the same price the property asked last year with a different brokerage, as Gimme Shelter exclusively reported. But the listing comes with a catch. 9 The famed artist Mark Rothko, who died in 1970 at age 66. Getty Images 9 The home is replete with elegant touches, such as a fireplace in this plush living area. Zoe Wetherall 9 A view of the grand layout. Zoe Wetherall 9 Fireplaces accent many areas inside. Zoe Wetherall One family owns and raised their family in a five-bedroom duplex that's now back on the market. A Japanese company owns the second half and operates a non-profit tea society foundation there, and has no plans to sell at the moment, said listing brokers Jeremy Stein and Jennifer Henson, of Sotheby's International Realty. The Urasenke Tea Ceremony Society, according to its web material, is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and understanding the 'Way of Tea' through lectures, demonstrations and classes. Both the society and the duplex owners agreed when they bought the property that they would sell the building 50 years later if both parties didn't want to hold on to it. That's 12 years from now, Stein said. 'At the moment, the Japanese company doesn't want to sell but they will have to in 12 years and the [$9.5 million] property will be worth a lot more at that time,' Stein said. He added that if someone bought the duplex now and lived in it, they'd make a large profit when they would sell the building, which is estimated at the moment to be worth around $24 million. At one point in the 1950s, the property was divided into music studios — and that's how Presley fits in. It's where he re-recorded the end of the soundtrack for his first film, 'Love Me Tender.' 9 Untitled, Mark Rothko, 1955, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. Alamy Stock Photo 9 The kitchen has eat-in space. Zoe Wetherall 9 There's room aplenty for a home office. Zoe Wetherall 'There are scenes of him [in 1956] signing autographs outside the house, and getting mobbed as he leaves in a car out of the garage,' Stein said. The home was built for a wealthy financier, James Stillman. The carriage house's next chapter was recording studios and, after that, Rothko's studio. Rothko often worked in the space and sometimes would cover the skylight with a parachute to create different types of light when he worked. The property is where Rothko created art for the famed, and non-denominational, Rothko Chapel in Houston. 9 There are five delightful bedrooms inside. Zoe Wetherall 9 The landscaped roof deck comes with views of the neighborhood. Zoe Wetherall This building is part of a 'stable row,' one of the side streets between Lexington and Third avenues where wealthy Manhattanites kept their horses and carriages during the Gilded Age. Built in 1884, the double-wide red brick structure was designed by architect William Schickel. It features arched windows, a large arched door, a one-car garage, a coveted curb cut and the enclosed garden. The private residence, which can also be accessed through the garage, opens to a large living area with a working woodburning fireplace and a glass-enclosed terrace. There's also a formal dining room, with access to the terrace, and an eat-in chef's kitchen. There are three bedrooms on this level — one with a working fireplace — as well as three baths and a laundry room. The upper level boasts an atrium at the top of the stairs with skylights. There's also a main bedroom suite lined with windows that look out to the landscaped roof terrace, plus another working fireplace. There's also a home office on this floor, along with a tea room, storage and access to the terrace. Along with the stairs, there's an elevator that goes from the top floor to the garage. In addition, a mezzanine level comes with additional storage and a wine cellar.
Hypebeast
19 hours ago
- Hypebeast
Caviar Kaspia at The Mark Hotel & Happier Grocery Unite on Luxury Poke Bowl
Caviar KaspiaatThe Mark Hotel and NYC's new lifestyle supermarketHappier Groceryhave come together for a special edition poke bowl, elevated with the luxurious touch of Kaspia's Baeri Caviar. In addition to premium-quality Baeri Caviar, the bowl includes a mixture of organic salmon, wild yellowfin tuna, organic avocado, European cucumber, and Japanese wakame in the traditional Hawaiian dish. The colorful entree, offered at $50 from Happier Grocery and $55 at Caviar Kaspia at The Mark, represents the marriage of Kaspia's luxury heritage and Happier Grocery's health-conscious approach. Caviar Kaspia, founded in Paris in 1927, brought its culinary traditions to the NYC hotel in 2023, opening a restaurant designed by Jacques Grange. Known as one of the foremost purveyors of the delicacy, Caviar Kaspia moved to its famous Place de la Madeleine location in 1953, drawing the world's culinary voices and tastemakers to its doors for decades. The Mark Hotel is a cultural landmark in its own right — a favorite hotel for theMet Gala's most prestigious guests and exclusive afterparties. This year, the likes ofPharrell,Tyla, andCharli XCXhit The Mark for a star-studded afters following the highly anticipated gala. Happier Grocery has paved its own lane, opening the multi-level grocery and lifestyle flagship on the busy shopping district of Canal Street in Fall 2023. With a distinctly modern perspective, the grocery has produced its own streetwear-inspired merch and also recently released a collaborative smoothie withMarc Jacobs. From July 22 until August 15, poke and caviar lovers alike can order the 'Happier with Kaspia' bowl at Caviar Kaspia's Upper East Side restaurant and Happier Grocery's SoHo flagship.
