Wu-Tang Clan & Nas
9th May 2023
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Tom Grut.
The announcement that The NY State of Mind tour would be winging its way to Aotearoa understandably sent ripples of excitement through the hip hop community, the combination of both Wu-Tang Clan – not seen on our shores since 2018 – and Nas too good to miss.
Titans of their craft, Wu-Tang and Nas laid down a show that lasted almost two hours and had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands, despite Auckland weather and the local state of emergency threatening to have seen the whole show cancelled at the last minute.
With a two-tier stage that housed a five-piece live band and DJ Green Lantern on the second level, leaving plenty of room for the rap gods themselves to move around, Spark Arena exploded as the lights went out and the screens came to life with images of New York.
Stepping out into the middle of the band RZA welcomed the audience reminding one and all to always be yourself before ‘Killa Beez’ set them on fire, those down front chanting along to every line as if their very lives depended on it. One by one each of the members began to appear, GZA receiving whoops as he delivered lines from ‘Liquid Swords’, Inspectah Deck following close behind with ‘Until the Day’.
Unlike their last tour here in 2018 which celebrated the seminal album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), there was noticeably a couple of clan members missing; Method Man and YDB, the son of the late great Ol Dirty Bastard regrettably not joining the tour. But with eight other members; Rza, Gza, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Master Killah, Inspectah Deck and Cappadonna holding down the fort in true style, there were really no complaints to be had.
The addition of the live band was inspired despite the sound mix sometimes seeing them overshadow the rappers themselves, the addition of the instruments lifting many of the tracks into an embodiment all of their own; ‘Bring Da Ruckus’ one of the first of many of Wu-Tangs biggest hits seeing all those present move as one, ‘Tearz’ and ‘Clan in da Front’ only intensifying said movements as incredible visuals elevated the experience.
Unlike most standard shows featuring a support act before the headliner, the NY State of Mind tour was a celebration of both featured artists, Nas soon arriving dressed in black to join Ghostface Killah and Raekwon for ‘Verbal Intercourse’. Taking their leave, Nas turned up the heat with ‘Stillmatic (The Intro)’ as DJ Green Lantern accompanied him from atop, a voracious live drummer periodically lifting each track above and beyond.
Nas wasn’t here to just look pretty neither, as he launched into a formidable montage of tracks, ‘Hate Me now, ‘Got Ur Self A Gun’ and ‘It Ain’t Hard to Tell’ soon followed by ‘The Message’, ‘Get Down’ and ‘Represent’. Having recently released his sixteenth studio album – King’s Disease III – Nas was out to prove that he is indeed the GOAT, a hood poet whose lyricism is second to none.
Spanning across his discography, Nas continued to deliver with ’40-16 Building’ and a rather unexpected ‘Phone Tap’ his collab with AZ, Nature, and Dr. Dre. ‘One Love’ and ‘Memory Lane’ were accompanied by graphics of infamous subway train stops, Nas going acapella for a moment as he spit the bars to the second verse as if it was just another Sunday afternoon.
Speaking of how 2023 is the 50th anniversary of hip hop, Nas laid down ‘N.Y. State of Mind’ from his stunning debut album Illmatic, generations of fans ranging from those in school to the grandparents holding their hands uniting as one under the track, the atmosphere within the arena one of pure joy and not something that could ever truly be replicated.
But Nas had one more left up his sleeve before the Clan reclaimed the stage, another unexpected but celebrated gem in the form of Mobb Deeps ‘Eye for an Eye (Your Beef is Mines)’ with that unforgettable beat. In a day and age where rappers come and go, it is tracks like this, where the focus is on simple beats and lyricism that makes you sit back and take notice, that will indeed live forever and is why artists such as Nas and the Clan can draw crowds out in their thousands despite it being a very wet Tuesday.
Ghostface Killah, Cappadonna and Raekwon soon had everyone groovin to ‘Ice Cream’, the original music video playing on the back screen. ‘Can it All Be So Simple’ followed closely behind before all eight members came together for a blistering version of ‘Protect Ya Neck’, GZA, the clans spiritual head and oldest member spittin fire bars and proving that at nearly sixty he can still own the mic, before ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ brought the house down.
Candidly milling about and signalling that they had to ‘go out the back to discuss something’ the clan disappeared as Nas once again took the floor, this time in a bright red jacket, a black glove on his right hand and serious ice on the other.
If punters thought his first set was good, they were about to have their jaws laid out on the floor as Nas went into sheer overdrive and delivered yet another montage of tracks at break neck pace; ’27 Summers’ ’40 Side’, Missy Elliot’s ‘Hot Boyz’, ‘Oochie Wally’, ‘You Owe Me’, ‘Nas is Like’ and ‘The World is Yours’ leaving fans in his wake.
But he wasn’t quite done yet; ‘Made you Look’, ‘30’ (off his latest album) and a phenomenal version of ‘If I Ruled the World’ had everyone wrapped around his little finger and hanging on every last syllable. Nas worked every inch of the available space; he was king, and he knew it.
The show could have ended there, and fans would have walked away elated (including this reviewer), but RZA had other plans as he strode out in a black jacket, with the instantly recognisable ‘W’ emblazoned on the back in shimmering gold sequins. Speaking of how music had the power to bring everyone together regardless of race or gender, he delivered his version of The Beatles ‘Come Together’, before he was soon joined by the other seven members who took much delight in flaunting some personal items that they had worn during the night (caps, t-shirts, and a jacket) before tossing them into the front rows.
No Wu-Tang show would be complete without a tribute to ODB, ‘Shimmy Shimmy Ya’ soon followed by ‘Got Your Money’, Wu-Tang closing out the show in style with the infectious ‘Gravel Pit’ and a in your face version of ‘Triumph’.
Joined by Nas, RZA sprayed the front row with champagne as a cake was suddenly rolled onto the stage, the clan requesting Tāmaki Makaurau to join them in wishing Ghostface Killah happy birthday which they did so with much enthusiasm. Nas once again taking the lead as he delivered ‘One Mic’ reminding all that he was still delivering the goods three decades on.
“We came in peace, we leave in peace” RZA announced to the audience, requesting them all to put their peace signs in the air and to chant the word itself on the count of three, the solidarity of both artist and fan felt strongly throughout the room.
Wu-Tang Clan and Nas, GOATS of the hip hop world whose legacy without a doubt will live on for decades to come.
Were you there at Spark Arena for this magnificent night of hip hop? Or have you seen Wu-Tang Clan or Nas perform live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Note: The reviewer purchased their ticket at full price, and Ambient Light has been supplied photography for this concert. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.
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Since 98 I’ve always wanted to see Nas perform live and finally had the chance to complete a bucket list item 🙌🏽
I thought the sound mix was terrible , the drummer and the DJ were the only ones with a clear channel . So many Spark shows have the worst sound mix , and I moved around trying to find improvement I doubt I’ll be wasting more money to go there.