The Montreux Jazz Festival, founded in 1967, has become established as one of the world’s most prominent annual musical events. Featuring some of the planet’s most renowned and admired performers, the festival has drawn fantastic crowds and has become extremely popular. So when NYC’s Wu-Tang Clan took to the stage at the Stravinsky Auditorium in July of 2007, the European crowd knew it was in for a treat.
RZA, GZA, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Raekwon the Chef, Ghostface Killah, and Masta Killa whip the crowd into a frenzy throughout their gruff and incessantly compelling set. The energy of the Wu-Tang is in full effect, as DJ Mathematics works the wheels of steel with exactitude. Wu collaborators Cappadonna and Streetlife join the already crowded Stravinsky stage for the set.
This rare gathering of the entire group, minus the deceased Ol’ Dirty Bastard of course, marks an excellent way for inquisitive onlookers to get a peep of what the Wu can do. Their infinite energy, mesmerizing stage presence, and interplay with the crowd plainly can’t be beat in modern hip-hop acts.
With DJ Mathematics setting the tone on the turntables with his bottle of Guinness always nearby, the musical backdrop for the set is an interminable salvo of scratching and tight samples. His introductions to some tracks and moments are absolutely killer, including a concise shot of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” before busting off into more Wu-Tang seriousness.
The Wu’s command of the crowd is celebrated and Live at Montreux 2007 offers a clear look at how it’s done. Ghostface Killah orders the Switzerland audience to shout louder and louder. Method Man’s remark to people throwing water bottles is amusing and on-point.
A tribute to ODB runs through a medley of his more popular tracks, including “Brooklyn Zoo,” “Got Your Money,” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya.” The Wu pulls some girls up on stage for the tracks, adding an element that their fallen comrade doubtlessly would have treasured.
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