RZA Takes the Stage Late, Then Mumbles

As a producer and artist, RZA has exhibited vision and a clear understanding of what the people want. And though his rhymes lack the fluidity of, say, fellow Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man’s, they are certainly above average.

That he has all of this talent only made his show at the El Rey Theatre on Wednesday that much more frustrating. A triple bill with Wu-Tang in the house all night, the show ended up being a disorganized vehicle for promoting Wu-Tang proteges Black Nights and Killarmy.

Scheduled to hit the stage at 10:30 p.m. RZA actually went on at 11:30. That’s a problem when the venue has a midnight curfew. When the hour arrived, RZA declared, “I’m not getting paid for this anymore. I’m doing this for love.” If that was indeed the case, then he should have stayed in control of the mic rather than letting everyone on the bill come up for what he called an “official Wu-Tang gangbang.”

In his half-hour set, RZA covered a lot of ground, including the catchy “Glock a Pop” and “Must Be Bobby” from his forthcoming “Digital Bullet” album, as well as material from the Wu-Tang and the side-project Gravediggaz. He mumbled his rhymes all night, and though the beats were infectious enough to get the crowd energized, that was only a small part of what they paid to see. At this show, though, you had to take whatever little bit you could get.

* RZA, Black Nights and Killarmy play Saturday at the House of Blues Anaheim, 1530 S. Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, 7 p.m. $22.50. (714) 778-2583.