By Daniel Paiz

Deltron 3030, Run the Jewels, and Wu-Tang Clan deliver epic performances in Denver at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre on Friday night. Deltron 3030 doesn’t really tour, so when it was announced they’d be opening the show for the Clan and RTJ, this became a must-attend concert. Run the Jewels is preparing for their Run The Jewels X tour series, where they perform each of their four albums over the course of four nights in a handful of cities; Denver was a good warm-up for these shows. Wu-Tang Clan plays whatever they want to, and with a live band backing them they did quite a show.

This one turned out to be one of those shows where the earlier you arrived, the better your night was.

“Deltron’s our hero…”

Del The Funky Homosapien, DJ Kid Koala, and Dan “The Automator” Nakamura all showed up for this under the radar opening set, and it was a blast off from the beginning. Kid Koala and Dan “The Automator” brought out Del with the fan favorite “3030”, with Koala giving fans all the scratches in between The Funky Homosapien’s cool verses, and their set never lost any steam.

Their set largely consisted of tracks from their debut album “Deltron 3030”, including “Mastermind” “Virus”, and the slept-on personal favorite of mine, “Do You Remember” from their sophomore album “Event 2”. There were some big Deltron fans scattered across Fiddler’s as the night continued on. Del occasionally spoke to the crowd, as did Dan. Kid Koala really didn’t say much, but he didn’t have to. At one point, Koala scratched out guitar sounds to flawlessly deliver his own version of a guitar solo!

Dan “The Automator” made mention of the fact that while he uses Serato to DJ, Koala still solely uses vinyl for his sets. It was the most Hip-Hop thing of the night, and those who were their early were treated to a legendary set. These guys were excited to be here, thanking the crowd throughout their set at the venue already being halfway full. Del surprised everyone by ending their set with his verse from the classic Gorillaz song “Clint Eastwood”, which was frankly a music bucket list moment for this fan. These guys truly set the energy perfectly for a group that does that so well on their own.

“and the crowd goes…”

Run the Jewels have to be one of the most energetic groups in music; not just in Hip-Hop, but in all of music. That’s why it was surprising to see that altitude initially got to the dangerous duo of Killer Mike and El-P, as it appears that the elevation factored with smoking led to Mike feeling it. However, these two are consummate professionals and soon recovered, getting the crowd involved pretty early on.

Trackstar the DJ seemed to run into some technical issues, as a few times when Mike and Jaime (first names of Killer and El FYI) were ready to go, and the track didn’t start on their cue. The few times that happened, it felt like Trackstar was going but the sound wasn’t joining. Trackstar, however, killed it on the decks and scratched phenomenally during the RTJ set. Being the show veterans they are, these two rappers talked to the crowd, made some jokes, and kept things moving. Moving might be an understatement, as these two basically shook the entire crowd.

There were plenty of first-time Jewel Runners at this concert (likely due to more Wu-Tang fans than RTJ fans no doubt). This was largely evident in that the newer the track, the more people knew the words; the older the track, the more vocals veteran runners (waves at reader) were heard above the buzz of excitement filling the amphitheater.

That’s no problem, as all it takes to be a Jewel Runner is to put one hand in the shape of a gun (go on, try it) and the other hand like you’re holding a 36-inch chain (make a fist but like point the knuckles away from you). Also, once you’ve mastered the gun and fist position, make sure to be a good person, check on the fans around you, and have fun. Congrats, you’re now a Jewel Runner too! Okay now onto the headliner for this show.

“best protect ya neck!”

Wu-Tang Clan has a dynamic that doesn’t change a whole lot after you’ve seen them in concert a few times. That’s not a bad thing, as you know RZA will set the stage for his crew mates, Young Dirty Bastard (RIP ODB!) will have the most energy out of anyone else on that stage, and the rest of the Clan will drop some timeless rhymes when their tracks come up. For me, Method Man is the X-factor when it comes to if a show is going to be good or really good. Unfortunately, tonight he couldn’t make the set do to travel issues. That put more emphasis for this fan on how much YDB added to the set and made me wonder who else might step up so to speak.

GZA definitely stood out, and then Masta Killa, Cappadona, and Ghostface Killah had some highlights as well. The live band definitely added a nice sonic freshness to the tracks, as live instruments are sometimes wont to do. The classics sounded as classic as ever, and the crowd was in love with the Wu. This historic group has such an important impact on the culture and genre, and they inspire all kinds of acts to this day. It’s great to see a group of legends get their flowers while a majority of the crew are still here.

Final Verdict

Deltron 3030 had the set of the night, delivering beats, rhymes, and scratching that soothed that itch for Hip-Hop fans. Run the Jewels each time seems to zap all of the power across the state and drop it on the stage and throughout the crowd. Wu-Tang Clan made classic tunes sound timeless as they tend to do. The night was a success, and everyone became a Jewel Runner! Or, it was a success, and everyone just learned something new. Either way the fans won tonight.