As Portland-grown rapper Vursatyl finished his set on May 12, he demanded the crowd get hyped for GZA, the Wu-Tang Clan deity visiting the Hawthorne Theatre in celebration of 30 years of his classic Liquid Swords album. The respectably sized crowd squealed with joy—after all, it’s not often you get to see one of the strongest members of Wu in a place as intimate as the Hawthorne Theatre.
More than an hour later, though, those same fans were still waiting for the Genius to arrive, standing at the railing with their chins in their hands, looking bored and tired. When you make records as unassailable as Liquid Swords, you can get away with making people wait—whether or not you should is a different story.
Then again, GZA was fashionably late before the doors even opened: The show’s original date in February was rescheduled two days before it was supposed to pop off. Though not sold out, the May air buzzed with an excitement only attainable with three extra months of anticipation.
But the energy didn’t fully dissipate during the long wait for GZA to take the stage. Much of that energy was buoyed by the Phunky Nomads, his live band—and his ace in the hole. Rap concerts often use a DJ as a crutch, essentially doing hyper-legit karaoke for cash, but with a four-piece behind him, GZA must still bring the heat.
The 59-year-old Wu leader isn’t as spry as he was when he played 2014’s Project Pabst Music Festival, or when he made the Pickathon pilgrimage in 2022, welcoming Portlanders back after the pandemic. Age hasn’t stifled his delivery, though, which was immediately obvious as he tore into Liquid Swords’ classic “Duel of the Iron Mic,” his vivid songwriting only made better by the band’s translation of its off-kilter beat.
It took him a little time to shift into gear, visibly frustrated while working through “Living in the World Today” and “4th Chamber.” Chalk that up to sound issues keeping the Genius aggravated. “Yo, what’s up with the sound here?” he asked, blaming his wedge monitors. Someone in the crowd shouted back, less forgiving: “It’s ALWAYS bad here!”
Once he got in the zone, he showed that he’s still hungry and ready to eat, cutting through tracks like a hot knife through butter. Last year, when Wu-Tang Clan played their (allegedly) final tour and stopped at Moda Center, GZA seemed tired and annoyed, flinging out his truncated rendition of “Liquid Swords” due to pure obligation.
At the Hawthorne, he was still razor-sharp, his hypnotic drawl blending beautifully with the band’s rhythm section and violinist, all of whom rendered the grimy beats of Liquid Swords in ways that made the songs seem fresh again.
The biggest rub is that, since this was a Liquid Swords celebration first and foremost, the rest of GZA’s stellar catalog (other than Liquid Swords follow-up, Beneath the Surface) took a backseat. No Legend of the Liquid Sword and no Pro Tools—truly a shame. In place of those cuts, though, we got a bevy of tracks from the Wu-Tang Cinematic Universe, like Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Shimmy Ya” and Raekwon’s “Criminology.” GZA doesn’t have the stark delivery of the Chef or the unhinged swagger of ODB, but honestly, it doesn’t matter who does “C.R.E.A.M.”—it’s still oh so sweet to hear.
Wisely, GZA saved “Liquid Swords” for last, a track that still showcases his effortless and acidic delivery freakishly well. There was no hint of a phone-in this time, and somehow, that track alone justified waiting an extra hour to hear it. Yeah, the crowd would have been even more hyped up, but you can’t rush the Genius—even if you really, really want to.
