Almost a decade after they changed the face of hip-hop with their groundbreaking debut, the Wu-Tang Clan continue to light up audiences throughout the country. On Sunday night, Shaolin's heralded swordsmen brought the ruckus to the State Theater in Detroit and thrilled the crowd with a blend of old and new material.

Their appearance came not a minute-too-soon after fans were forced to sit through two horrendous opening acts. First to bore the crowd was a quartet of local rappers, including a blonde-haired white male trying his best to imitate a certain other famous Motown star. Not to be outdone, a heavy metal group called Tri-Tek graced the stage with their nauseating brand of "music."

When the first two members of the Wu finally arrived, GZA and Ghostfacekillah, the energetic crowd exploded. Arguably, no other rap group has achieved such mass appeal as the Wu-Tang Clan. Since the release of Enter the 36 Chambers in 1993, their rambunctious brand of hip-hop has elevated them to an almost-mythical status.

As the concert ensued, different Clan members began to emerge to the delight of the audience. Third to make his appearance was Raekwon, followed by, perhaps the man most responsible for the success of the group, RZA. The four alternated between performing songs from their various solo albums and their joint LP's, including the spine-tingling "Cream."

One member missing-in-action was Russel Jones, a.k.a. Ol'Dirty Bastard, who remains locked up in a federal prison since his July arrest, following his conviction on cocaine possession conviction. Jones was sentenced last April to two to four years in prison. This did not stop the crowd from chanting the initials O.D.B several times throughout concert, most noticeably after the group performed his hit song, "Shimmy Shimmy Ya"

The evening's most electric moment came when Method Man burst onto the stage to the beat of his classic anthem "Release Yo Delf." The group's most charismatic star proceeded to rock the State Theatre with performances of "M.E.T.H.O.D Man," "Bring the Pain," and the Grammy award winning, "You're All I Need."

After treating the crowd to a few more classic numbers from their extensive catalog, including "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F'Wit" and "Reunited," the crew got down to some business, promoting their latest release, Iron Flag.

Unfortunately, this only served to illustrate that the Wu-Tang Clan have lost some of their edge in recent years. The selection of songs from their new album, highlighted by the current single "Uzi (Pinky Ring)" and "Rules" - a violent message to the perpetrators of September 11th - failed to move the audience in the same manner as their old material. RZA also performed his new single "Brooklyn Babies" from his latest release, "Digital Bullet."

Nevertheless, the presence of all the Clan's prominent members (minus O'l Dirty Bastard) together on stage were a welcomed sight for Wu-Tang fans amid all the rumors of dissension amongst the group in the past year and speculation of an impending break-up. While such rumors were already squelched by their appearance at the Source Awards and the release of a new album, this latest tour serves as further proof of their solidarity.

As the night drew to a close and the various group members thanked the audience, Raekwon remarked, "It's been 10 years and we're still here. Not many groups can say that." With the passion and energy they displayed at the State Theater, the Wu looks poised to continue on for another 10 years. Yet, they will be hard pressed to duplicate the remarkable success they have already enjoyed.