Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA Celebrated His 56th Birthday Jamming Out to Phish

Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA could have gone anywhere in the world to celebrate his 56th birthday. But the musical polymath decided that the best place to be was a Phish show at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday night (July 5).

The hip-hop legend even got a shout-out from Phish drummer Jon Fishman during the band’s epic half-hour cover of one of their favorites, the Talking Heads’ 1980 track “Crosseyed and Painless,” when, around the 4:15 mark, Fishman yelled, “Happy Birthday Rizz!” Lead singer/guitarist Trey Anastasio then got in on the action, weaving in a bit of the “Happy Birthday” song before shouting “Wu-Tang Forever.”

RZA also got some additional love backstage, where he hung out with the band and got his hands on one of Anastasio’s custom Paul Languedoc guitars. In a series of pics, the rapper and director grabs a hold of the instrument and then appears to give it a few strums before holding it up like a sword while posing with the whole band.

In the photo post of the special summit, the band had some fun, quoting the Wu-Tang’s “7th Chamber Pt. II” in the caption, which read: “Ruler Zig-Zag-Zig Allah jam is fatal
Quick to stick my Wu-Tang Jedi guitar right through your navel. Happy birthday Bobby Diggs!
#WuTang4ever,” replacing the original lyric’s sword with a more rocking six-string reference. RZA reposted the Phish-y images on his Insta feed, along with some other highlights from his b-day celebration, including a snap of a giant sheet cake emblazoned with the Wu-Tang logo.

The Wu-Tang’s Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber farewell run will hit Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night (July 8), while Phish’s summer tour rolls on Wednesday night (July 9) with a show in Columbus, OH at the Schottenstein Center.