‘Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber’ Is the Perfect Send-off at LCA
Wu-Tang Clan brought their ‘Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber’ farewell tour to Little Caesars Arena on July 8, 2025, along with special guests Run The Jewels. This power-packed 1-2 punch of artistry and lyricism was perfect from the word “go” with both of the acts, and was the perfect way to close down the legacy of the Wu.
RUN THE JEWELS
Killer Mike and El-P are already legends in their own right, both as solo performers and as a duo, but performing as the direct support for Wu-Tang Clan had to be a moment for each of them as they took the stage in Detroit.
They threw down an 11-song set with precision, starting with “Legend Has It,” “Run The Jewels” and “Talk To Me” as their first 3 tracks to prime the audience. Surprsingly, this setlist had a lot of different vibes and picks than what you would expect to hear at a RTJ joint, but they did make sure to throw in “Lie, Cheat, Steal” and “ooh la la.”
At times, the pair would come together and pose back-to-back — a prime shot for those of us in the photo pit trying to get them dead-center between their first and point logo hanging behind them, or would dust each other’s shoulders off. At one point, Killer Mike started rapping before he was supposed to, and El-P slowed him down, before Mike explained he was “just excited.”
By the time their set concluded, everyone was ready to enter the chamber… perhaps for the last time.
WU-TANG CLAN
There’s something in the air, almost a tangible thickness when you’re waiting for an act to come on stage, but the tension was nearly making my mind levitate prior to seeing RZA walk to the center stage. Wu-Tang Clan has cemented itself as legendary, with all its ebbs, flows, and changes, but are considered royalty within Hip-Hop. Many times, you can pinpoint an exact style stemming back to their sound, coming from a younger act. Some credit them for bringing sampling into the stratosphere, even though the process had been around for many eons. Still, it didn’t stop fans from piling into the arena, no matter how many years they’ve been active, to have one last send-off for the group as a whole (save a few members, who are obviously no longer with us on this mortal plain).
RZA spits something profound and a cappella. I wish I could have captured that in full, but I didn’t have it transcribed. Maybe it’s better that way, considering he may change it up every night. Even as a documentarian, even I sometimes feel some things are better left to memory. Then the rest of the Wu hit the stage, commencing to plow through around close to 8 tracks with the press snapping away at each approaching member getting their spotlight and dropping the lyrics they’re most known for.
The first 8 gave us a first-hand look at some of the cooler tracks in their catalog, including “Bring Da Ruckus,” “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nothin’ to Fuck Wit,” “Method Man,” “Shame on a N*gga” (which came with a disclaimer to the white people in the audience to watch their mouths), and one of my personal favorites, “Protect Ya Neck.” 32 tracks total were performed in the set, including side-quests of songs from members of Wu-Tang, but designated as not proper Wu joints. Number 31 gave us “C.R.E.A.M,” arguably one of the most iconic Wu-Tang Clan tracks, before closing out with “Triumph.”
The legacy of these men, and their lineage, has created and stood the test of time within what you could call Hip-Hop History books. And even though the Wu are not from Detroit, there is something to be said about their fan base here. It must also be a base that they value and have had for some time. We did get a call out in “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nothin’ ta Fuck Wit” outro, after all. But the globalization of Wu-Tang, the melting pot of fans here? It’s true, and will forever be: Wu-Tang is for the Children (and those children are us).