Best So I Went to Salt Lake for a Rap Show

So, as I may have told you in real life, I came out to Utah to see the Wu-Tang Clan play for $5 as part of Salt Lake's Twilight Concert Series. Not to sound uninformed, but it seemed crazy to me to see the Wu-Tang Clan in Salt Lake. So I had to go. When I was picking up my rental car the guy that walked me to my car told me he was going to and they were expecting 50,000 people in the park that night. "15,000?" I asked back. "50,000" he said. "15?" I asked again. "50." he said again. It went like that for a while until he said "There were 45,000 out for Nas and they think there will be more for this." And I was like "Nas?"

Anyway, a big part of going to a concert in a not giant park with 50,000 people is standing in an enormous, crowded, agitated line. But we made it in with a few minutes to spare before the show started.

Oh and the joke I made about the Wu-Tang Clan playing Salt Lake is I called them the "Wu-Tab Choir."

People were digging out their finest Wu-wear for the show.

Once the Clan took the stage we were given a variety of hand or arm-raising instructions. 

Such as: Put a fist in the air!

"Hold your W's up!"

Note the gentleman in the tree. The park was in a bit of Mad Max chaos, people were doing whatever it took to get all the Wu they could.

"Fist in the air!" again. We also were told to make peace signs, two piece signs, two fists in the air, wave hands side to side, etc. It was highly interactive.

Once more, W's up. The show was pretty good, it was very hectic just being in the park with so many people. And I was slightly surprised by the show-goers, there was a real head shop crowd turn out but I didn't see many hipster rap enthusiasts. Basically the park seemed full of every kid who's parents were worrying about them that night. And me! Sorry if you were worrying about me, Mom. I was ok.

And after an hour and a bit, the show was done. I had seen the Wu-Tang Clan once before, Valentine's Day 2006, so it was really sweet that we could see them together again. And Graham, Noell and Lauren were there, too. Oh and a nephew of Jeff's. I take my nephew to Taco Bell. Jeff takes his to rap shows. Maybe in a few years, Walker!

Oh and probably I should say something about the show: Live hip hop is always a little hit or miss, it's kind of usually a bunch of guys yelling and holding their microphones out to the crowd to finish their lines. There was definitely a lot of that that night. But the Wu-Tang Clan is just intrinsically entertaining. A fun game is to just try to name all the members of the group (finally, after 20 years, I can do it). I spent most of the show trying to get straight who was who on stage and wrapping my head around the fact that Method Man was not there. This was something they did not announce from the stage, maybe hoping that most people couldn't tell he wasn't there. But Meth was not there. Everyone else was, though. Plus people who I had no idea who they were. As it should be.