Wu-Tang Clan announce final tour, Phoenix stop for June

Wu-Tang Clan are genuine hip-hip royalty. As Sam Machkovech put it for Phoenix New Times way back in 2005, they "shouldn't still exist," as they "outlasted the three great pitfalls of modern hip-hop: ego battles, gang violence and, most important, irrelevance."

Still, all great dynasties must change or adapt, and Wu-Tang have opted to close out their days of touring with one final giant-sized North American outing. The jaunt kicks off June 6 in Baltimore, Md., visits Phoenix's PHX Arena (formerly Footprint Center) on June 18 and winds down July 18 in Philadelphia. Run The Jewels open for the entire tour.

"This is a special moment for me and all my Wu brothers to run around the globe together one more time and spread the Wu swag, music and culture,” said RZA in a statement. "Most importantly, to touch our fans and those who have supported us throughout the years. On this tour, we’re playing songs we’ve never played before to our audience, and me and our production team have designed a Wu-Tang show unlike anything you’ve ever seen. And to top it off we’ve got the amazing Run the Jewels on our side."

This may be their final tour, but Wu-Tang are moving full steam ahead with a brand-new album. Due out April 12, "Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman: Wu-Tang, The Saga Continues Collection" is the group's first release since 2017's "The Saga Continues." (For what it's worth, "Saga" has been called a compilation album, and their last proper LP was 2015's "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin." But with all the wackiness surrounding that record, are we really counting it?)

Per Billboard, the entirety of Wu-Tang Clan have contributed to the new album, which the group's long-time DJ, Mathematics, described as "a piece of history — something truly one of a kind." The release will be limited to 5,000 physical copies for Record Store Day 2025, and will feature "one-of-one cover art." Fret not, though, as a digital release is also planned (sans the vinyl-exclusive track "Charleston Blue, Legend of a Fighter").
No word yet on how many members of Wu-Tang will join the final tour. Or, if the tour also means the end of Wu-Tang Clan at large. We'll update all you Wu heads as soon as we know more.

In the meantime, tickets go on sale Friday, Feb. 28 at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster. The full list of North American tour dates is below. And for more local concert information, visit the Phoenix New Times concert calendar.

June 6, Baltimore, Md., CFG Bank Arena
June 7, Raleigh, N.C., Lenovo Center
June 10, Tampa, Fla., Amalie Arena
June 11, Atlanta, Ga., State Farm Arena
June 13, Fort Worth, Texas, Dickies Arena
June 14, Houston, Texas, Toyota Center
June 15, Austin, Texas, Moody Center
June 16, Tulsa, Okla., BOK Center
June 18, Phoenix, PHX Arena (f/k/a Footprint Center)
June 20, Ontario, Toyota Arena
June 21, San Diego, Calif., Pechanga Arena San Diego
June 22, Los Angeles, Calif., Crypto.com Arena
June 24, San Francisco,Calif., Chase Center
June 26, Sacramento, Calif., Golden 1 Center
June 28, Seattle, Climate Pledge Arena
June 30, Vancouver, Rogers Arena
July 1, Portland, Ore., Moda Center
July 4, Greenwood Village, Colo., Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
July 7, Chicago, Ill., United Center
July 8, Detroit, Mich., Little Caesars Arena
July 9, Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Arena
July 11, Boston, Mass., TD Garden
July 13, Laval, Quebec, Place Bell
July 14, Toronto, Scotiabank Arena
July 16, New York, N.Y., Madison Square Garden
July 17, Newark, N.J., Prudential Center
July 18, Philadelphia, Wells Fargo Center