Wu-Tang Clan
Co-op Live, Manchester
19th March 2026
Classics prevail amid the chaos at the Clan’s final European show.
More than once tonight, Wu-Tang Clan refer to the fact that Co-op Live is the biggest arena in the UK; they seem quite enamoured with that fact. And, in fairness, that they would play what has been pegged as their final European show in such a huge room, which appears to be largely sold-out, represents a stirring comeback; for years, they were playing clubs and theatres on this side of the pond.
The legendary hip hop collective appears to have benefited from a new generation’s discovery not only of Wu-Tang but of the golden age of nineties rap in general; with every passing year since their iconic 1993 debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), they stand out more and more both from the hip hop climate of their time and that of the present-day. They were, not to put too fine a point on it, authentically weird, a nine-piece collective who eschewed material trappings in favour of lyrics that were littered with references to kung fu movies, spirituality and even chess, whilst somehow still underlining all of that with the palpable grittiness of their Staten Island upbringing.
They would go on to earn a reputation for unpredictability as a live act, to put it diplomatically. Tonight is this reviewer’s sixth Wu-Tang show, and apparently last, as this tour is being billed as their last. I have never seen the same lineup twice; over the years, various members have failed to show for reasons including that they were filming an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (Method Man), were directing their debut kung fu movie (RZA), and had dramatically fallen out with the rest of the group over creative vision (Raekwon, more than once). Whilst the full surviving lineup – Ol’ Dirty Bastard passed in 2004 – have been largely present and correct on this European leg, there has still been the odd mystery no-show here and there.
Tonight, almost miraculously, everybody shows, save for Cappadonna, a sort of honorary tenth member. RZA, the de facto leader of the clan (although he prefers the term ‘abbot’, meaning “one who gives advice) opens the show with a deep cut, the brooding Sunlight from 2007’s largely forgotten 8 Diagrams. From there, though, it is wall-to-wall hits; with the show split into sets, the first sees a slew of tracks from 36 Chambers, including Bring da Ruckus, Clan in da Front and Method Man.
That last track is important: Wu-Tang shows generally live or die by whether Method Man himself is in attendance. He is by far the most energetic member of the group, a born performer and a conduit for the crowd’s energy, and tonight is no different; he has the entire crowd in the palm of his hand, as does RZA, who appears more comfortable than ever in a role that sees him as MC in more ways than one.
There is no over-reliance on Method Man, though; in fact, it is not that often during this near-two hour set that all eight surviving members of the clan take the stage at the same time. The second set sees respect paid to some of the best-loved solo Wu LPs; Raekwon runs through classics from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx with help from Ghostface Killah, and the pair are joined by a special guest, Havoc, to play some of Mobb Deep’s biggest tracks, including the immortal Shook Ones Pt. II. Method Man returns for four songs from his 1994 solo debut Tical, but the biggest audience response is reserved for songs from GZA’s second album, Liquid Swords. He is in attendance after missing Tuesday’s show in London and remains arguably the group’s most fascinating member; the oldest of the clan, turning 60 later this year, his deep love of science and philosophy informs the lyrics that he reels off with a cool detachment that’s at odds with the rest of the collective’s energy.
This being a Wu-Tang show, there is inevitably a chaotic flavour to proceedings. Whilst their long-time DJ Mathematics is on the ones-and-twos, the bigger arena budget has afforded them a live band, which isn’t always a good thing, as they sometimes drown out iconic samples, and generally take a sledgehammer approach to the songs, which is fine on the more energetic numbers, and an issue on the moodier, subtler tracks. There is a faintly bizarre episode mid-set when Tearz is followed by an extensive In Memoriam section paying tribute to fallen stars of hip hop, which is then followed by singer Blue Raspberry, a long-time Wu affiliate, delivering an incongruous solo take on Barbra Streisand’s The Way We Were.
It’s mawkish and out of place, and the best tribute to a departed rapper is delivered as part of the set anyway; Young Dirty Bastard, the eldest son of Ol’ Dirty Bastard, is on hand to deliver his father’s verses, which he does so with uncanny accuracy; the apple has not fallen far from the tree, as he clearly has more than a touch of his father’s unhinged brilliance about him. The final set begins by celebrating the groups’s commercial peak, 1998’s double album Wu-Tang Forever, this time with the whole clan on stage; the remarkable Triumph closes the show, a track that went platinum in the U.S. despite not having a hook or a chorus, just one member after another doing their best to top the last one with their verse, as RZA sprays bottles of champagne into the crowd.
Rather than vanish into the night, though, they chaotically begin to shout over each other as each member attempts to plug his own new album, or movie, or documentary series, amid impassioned calls to vote for Wu-Tang Clan’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – they are on this year’s longlist. They then enigmatically promise to see us again soon. The Final Chamber? Maybe not just yet.
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Wu-Tang Clan can be found at their Facebook | Instagram | website
Words by Joe Goggins: find him on X here
Photos by Adam Edwards. You can find Adam at his website, Instagram and Facebook
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