Wu-Tang Clan Close Out Day 2 Of the X-Games With A Bang!

The X-Games bring a lot of amazing things to this beautiful city. From world class athletes to jaw dropping stunts and a sense of bustling excitement, it truly is a great reminder of how amazing this event and this city is. Beyond the sports aspect is one of my favorite parts of the X-Games being hosted in Minneapolis– the music. It’s always a star-studded line-up with bands that I never even dreamed about seeing in my city and yesterday was proof of that.

The second day moved the action inside US Bank stadium were fans got to see the action on several fantastic courses.  The Next X competitions give a chance for younger (yes I said younger) talent to show us their skills. Japan’s Daiki Ikeda took the top spot in Skateboard Street and Tate Carew won in Sakeboard Park.

In the Men’s Skateboard Street Elimination Japan’s Sora Shirai emerged as the front runner going into Saturday’s finals

In the youngest field in X Games history, Women’s Skateboard Park was won by 13-year-old X Games rookie, Misugu Okamoto. Hometown athlete Nicole House just coming of an injury won for “largest unofficial cheering section” with 150 family and friends and placed 9th. 

The Moto X QuarterPipe High Air was one of the most impressive events of the day with winner Corey Creed reaching  32’6” in height.  

The Real Cost BMX Big Air had two-time gold medalist Ryan Williams  kill it on his second run with a nothing bike flip over the gap and a frontflip flair on the quarterpipe. R-Willy may or may not have practiced this earlier this week when he rented a Lime scooter in Minneapolis for the first time.

With 2 Gold Medals on the books for Australia already, their fellow Aussie Rob Adelberg took home the gold in Moto X Freestyle. When asked what make’s Australia such a super power in extreme sports earlier this week, he offered the following explanation. “What we see in Australia from other countries is only their best stuff. So we think we need to compete at that level and train for that”

After an exciting day of competition the action moved to the armory.

My favorite local DJ Shannon Blowtorch got things started by spinning her signature mix of old and new songs as people started trickling into The Armory from U.S. Bank stadium (where the actually X-Games are being held). Although it had been a long day for everyone and it was already creeping on 11PM, Shannon’s music hit the right nerve and had people moving and getting excited as soon as they stepped foot in The Armory. Drinks were flowing and people were mingling setting the stage perfectly for the rest of the night.

Local hip-hop God P.O.S. took the stage right at 11:15 and instantly catapulted the atmosphere in the hangar-like venue to an all time high. It’s no surprise that I’m a huge fan of this man. Not only is he a member for the uber-popular rap collective Doomtree from right here in the Twin Cities, he also has a style all of his own that is nothing short of infectious. With help from DJ Fundo behind the turntables and fellow Doomtree member Sims, P.O.S’ set flew by but definitely packed a punch. Although the X-Games are a worldwide event, I love the fact that they had this local man opening up the show. It definitely gave the Minneapolis music scene a chance to shine and they honestly couldn’t have picked a better person to represent the local hip-hop/rap scene.

The changeover between P.O.S. and headliners Wu Tang Clan flew by with the help of a couple of other rappers. Both King Kahali and another man who I sadly didn’t catch the name of due to the need of a bathroom break. Although treated like filler acts when it came to the line-up, both of these rappers captivated the audience with a sense of ease and truly made the time fly by. Sure, you could still feel the anticipation in the air for the one and only Wu Tang Clan to take the stage but I loved the fact that these two men got the attention they clearly more than deserved.

Then, just like that, the stage was set for Wu Tang Clan and the members of this iconic group started taking the stage one at a time to a deafening roar of applause from the packed and excited audience. Do I even need to give you an introduction to Wu Tang Clan. I mean, when I hear their name, the words legendary, iconic, and influential come to mind. Since the early 1990’s, Wu Tang Clan has been a force to be reckoned with when it comes to east coast hardcore rap. You know their songs, you know their members and to be able to see them live is truly a dream come true.

Sure, things have definitely changed since this group started in the early 90’s but Wu Tang’s style and message have not making last night a truly powerful performance and one that will surely be the talk of the town for weeks to come. Although the stage was crowded by the multiple members of this group, every single member was given a chance to shine which added to the realization of what everyone in the crowd was getting treated to. Not only were we all seeing Wu-Tang Clan, but we were also seeing RZA, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and all of the other notable names that make up the Clan.

Their set started at the early hour of 12:45AM which, with the 2AM city curfew, didn’t leave the group much time to perform but have no fear, they used every single second of their set to it’s full potential. Wu Tang played nearly all of their hits which had the audience dancing and screaming along to every word with a sense of fury and passion. I won’t lie, I couldn’t sing along like the people around me but that didn’t stop me and everyone else in my position from having a damn good time. 

The X-Games bring a lot to this city and I hope it continues to be an annual event for years to come.