The U.K.’s Bestival music fest was a bittersweet experience for fans of A Tribe Called Quest, who confirmed their performance on Saturday would be the group’s last ever.
“A Tribe Called Quest, we suffered a blow,” said group-member Q-Tip midway through the performance in Dorset, England. “We lost our boy Phife Dawg. This is gonna be our last show as A Tribe Called Quest, ever.”
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Phife Dawg (born Malik Isaac Taylor) passed away in March 2016 after a series of health problems, with the group deciding to call it quits without him.
“Our hearts are heavy,” the iconic hip-hop group declared in a statement shortly after Phife Dawg’s death. “We are devastated. This is something we weren’t prepared for although we all know that life is fleeting.”
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According to a review in The Telegraph, Phife Dawg’s absence was noticeable. “His verses were substituted with old recordings,” notes the review, “his bandmates treated his absence with sombre reverence.”
The plans of the remaining members of A Tribe Called Quest — Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White — aren’t immediately known; in the meantime, fans can linger over these fan-shot videos from the group’s final performance:
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