SAN FRANCISCO — The Warfield served as a time capsule on Saturday night as a trio of hip-hop acts popular in the early ’90s shared the stage. The show’s headliners, East Coast trio Digable Planets, offered the most ambitious set, with an eight-member band including a drummer, bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, saxophonist and no obvious turntables, providing the music for very different-sounding hits from their 1993 album, Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space).

The group took the stage to indigo lights as saxophonist Carlos Overall coaxed otherworldly sounds from his instrument. The band launched into a jazzy groove, and the three rappers emerged from the side of the stage as they delivered their verses on “Good To Be Here,” the first song on Reachin’. Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler, who’s since recorded with Seattle band Shabazz Palaces, emerged first in jeans and a green shirt. Mariana “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira and Craig “Doodlebug” Irving joined him for the song’s second verse.

Vieira, dressed in a striped blouse and long skirt, and sporting sunglasses, played with her ponytail as she delivered extended verses on “Slowes’ Comb/The May 4th Movement” and “Jettin,” from 1994 album Blowout Comb.

The backing band, which melded sounds from 1970s-era Miles Davis funk to early bebop and more modern fusion by groups like Mild High Club, improvised a long instrumental section during “Escapism.” A series of virtuosic solos ensued, including an epic bass solo by Gerald Turner and a face-melting guitar solo from Thaddeus Turner during “Nickel Bags.”

The audience cheered as saxophonist Overall delivered the signature horn line from the band’s biggest hit, “Revirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” to close out the set.

West Coast rap legends The Pharcyde (minus original member Bootie Brown, who currently tours with The Gorillaz) took the stage to perform songs from their iconic albums, 1992’s Bizarre Ride II and 1995’s Labcabincalifornia. Just before their set, the band’s DJ performed a tribute to 50 years of hip-hop that had the crowd cheering and rapping along to snippets from hits including, Biz Markie, Eazy-E, DMX, Biggie Smalls, Tupac, The Beastie Boys and De La Soul.

The montage of classic songs gave a sense for the scale of time that hip-hop now occupies. The bands featured Saturday night had their heyday 32 years ago, in 1992. That amount of time is closer to the Beatles playing on “Ed Sullivan” in 1964 than to now. The gulf of time was felt most acutely during the Pharcyde’s set, when the group recreated its Bizarre Ride II skit “Quinton’s on the Way,” about a time before cannabis dispensaries when anxious stoners relied on entrepreneurial individuals with beepers to deliver their contraband. When it came time for the most controversial line of “4 Better 4 Worse,” rapper Fatlip said instead, “I don’t want to get canceled.”

But the intensity of the crowd reaction to hits like “Soul Flower” and “Passing Me By” served as evidence of the music’s enduring power. And the band’s legendary “Ya Mama” had the audience both laughing and dancing.

The evening began with Atlanta rap group Arrested Development, who like Digable Planets took the stage with an eight-member backing band including a drummer, bassist, guitarist and DJ.

“Tonight is special. Hip-hop’s finest united for social change!” Rapper Speech announced, explaining the evening’s significance to the audience.

The band offered up a number of songs from 1992 album 3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life Of…, including the spiritually pondering “Give a Man a Fish” and “Fishin’ 4 Religion.” Interspersed throughout the set were small tributes and allusions to Arrested development’s influences, including the anthemic chorus from Kriss Kross’ “Jump,” bass lines and vocal melodies sampled from Sly and the Family Stone, and the talking drum from Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man.”

The opening act’s stage show was the most physically intense of the evening with powerful singing and dancing on songs like “Ease My Mind.” The crowd roared as the band developed a complicated call and response during “Dawn of the Dreads.” One of the evening’s most intense reactions came when the octet played Arrested Development’s biggest hit, “Tennessee.”

After nearly four hours of hip-hop nostalgia, the crowd filtered out of the venue on the longest night of the year as a street musician played “Silent Night” on his saxophone.