Raekwon @ the Paradise

Video and Recap from Raekwon at the Paradise

Written by Chris Faraone for the Boston Phoenix
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It dawned on me this morning in the shower - as I was scrubbing off last night - that I've been listening to Wu-Tang for almost 20 years. That might not seem like a big deal to Sting and Aerosmith fans, but in hip-hop that's virtually unmatched longevity.

Raekwon's Paradise performance was hardly one of the most memorable Wu spectacles I've witnessed. The Chef cooked some classics and cranked flames from his latest masterstroke, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II, but the overall experience was borderline disappointing.

As expected by everyone who has ever had their hopes up for a Capone-N-Noreaga show - and subsequently had those hopes crushed like pink cookies - predicted, the legendary Queens unit did not come as advertised. According to some kid I overheard by the coat check, Nore was boarding a plane for Europe just hours before he was scheduled to perform in Boston.

Rae delivered, but it was hard to ignore the several thousand-strong posse that he had with him to ice grill the crowd. In general, the only dudes I want to see on stage at a Wu-Tang show are the core characters and maybe some extended family members.

All that said; a Clan show is a Clan show, and that's that. After nearly two decades I still crazily anticipate every tour that comes within fifty miles of me, and I'm not about to let Rae's entourage or Noreaga's attendance get in the way of that.