Remembering the New York State of Mind: Tour Reflection
- Michael Troutman
- Sep 13
- 4 min read
By Q'moshyn
On 9/13/22, Hip Hop Titans Nas, Busta Rhymes and Wu Tang Clan co-headlined the "NY State of Mind Tour" to bring audiences an immersive, multi-media experience. I had the pleasure of attending the Prudential Center in Newark NJ show, and I knew everybody there was anticipating an epic, nearly 30-year sonic journey from the legends even though Method Man had warned fans that he wasn't going to officially tour due to filming obligations.
At the very opening of the show, there was a video montage playing on a large, double-decker, stage-wide screen with clips from the "Can You Dig It!" scene from 'Warriors,' and the shoot-out scene from 'Scarface.' This perfectly set the tone for a dope segue way into "Verbal Intercouse" featuring Ghostface, Raekown, and Nas. As much as these guys were on the road separately, I thought I'd never get to see them perform together in my lifetime. Biased-wise, they're three of my all time fave MCs anyhow!
Nas ran a few of his tracks accompanied by both a DJ and a live drummer. "Got Yourself" had the crowd Lit-lit. An even bigger roar came over the crowd as the initial dings of "New York State of Mind" intro pinged through the arena speakers. "Eye For An Eye" had a lot of crowd participation and lyrics reciting.
At times, the crowd dulled, not on account of Nas but due to so many standing around filming the event with their phones instead of taking in the experience.
Busta Rhymes wasn't having any lackluster crowd participation, opening his set alongside Spliff Star with his verse from "Scenario" and throwing confetti into the audience right before he lit them up with his "Look at Me Know" verse.
Nas came back in with a fiery rendition of "Hate Me Now," then the entire Clan traded verses on their fan-favorite posse cuts where they all shared the stage round-robin style. Again at times, the crowd was unexpectedly weak due to people recording from their phones. Rza proceeded to scold the crowd, reminding everyone that "the energy you give to us, we're gona give it back to you" which got the crowd more hyped as the haunting, howling falsetto of "Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nuthin to F--- Wit" began blaring over the audience sound systems. The crowd lit up even further at the⁴ surprise appearance from Method Man performing his iconic verse from the aforementioned Wu posse cut, and a couple other solo hits like "All I Need."
Method Man galvanized the whole show by bringing out hometown hero and so-dubbed "11th member of Wu-Tang Clan," Redman, for a very lively performance of their hit, 'Da Rock Wilder.'
What I liked about the remaining set list is how the co-headliners interwove their playlist song-for-song as opposed to having separate sets with just Nas, then just Wu-Tang, then just Busta Rhymes. It kept the fans on their toes, never knowing what song or posse cut was coming next.
The Wu members gave each other chances to shine by posting up along the wall during the show, occasionally chiming in with different adlibs or memorable punchlines to serve as each other's hypemen.
While it overall had a dope vibe, cellphones seemed to dampen if not ruin the concert-going experience. Even during pivotal show moments, it seemed like most were standing with their phones up filming the show instead of being in the moment to actually enjoy the show. I somewhat felt bad for the performers for having to keep reminding fans to make noise since I remember growing up in an era where a Wu-Tang show included loud mosh pits, climbing speakers, hands waving, towels twirling, ladies dancing, water thrown onto the crowd, and crowd-surfing (mostly by Method Man). I heard from some friends of mine who went to the Camden show that the crowd was way hyper than the Newark one I attended.
Maybe a good idea to consider to minimize the inattentiveness during shows is to do as the comedians do and use a company like YONDR to hold audience member phones in pouches until after the show, and and they can release a special collector's dvd of that show performance for attendees to pre-order, and let cameramen roam the audience to take footage and photos with scannable tickets to keep track of the photos and videos of the respective concert-goers who want keepsakes. By the way, If Nas, Wu-Tang, or Busta decide to use that idea, remember they heard it here first and I needs my cut and keep all this "Wu-Tang Money all up in the family" like Ghostface declared in Glaciers of Ice.' Lol, I digress.
Otherwise, this was a great trip back down memory lane for Gen Xers and older Millennials who are keeping Hip Hop Alive. Rza segued to the outro with a bluesy remixed rendition of the Beatles' "Come Together" to celebrate the beautiful, multi-cultural audience that Hip Hop culture continues to unite. After numerous affirming daps and group bear hugs between Busta, Nas, and Wu members to celebrate this win for themselves and for Hip Hop at large, Nas closed with "One Mic" to encapsulate how we all can use our voices and platforms, no matter how big or small, to make an impact.
“I love your review! I appreciate how you not only paid homage to the legends, you also painted a clear picture of your memorable experience. You definitely made me want to bump some Nas and Wu-Tang. And your excitement for the "Da Rock Wilder" performance gave me chills. I appreciate how you not only paid homage to the legends, you also painted a clear picture of your memorable experience. You definitely made me want to bump some Nas and Wu-Tang. And your excitement for the "Da Rock Wilder" performance gave me chills.” - Jonell Brown, HypeFresh Magazine
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