The Roots Tickets

Although Common was amazing, we were very disappointed that The Roots was a no show and we weren’t informed until we got to the entrance.

The Lytics as the opening guest was awesome and then the Roots really delivered! I don't know how anyone could not be dancing the whole time!

This is the second time that I've seen the Legendary Roots Crew perform live! It was an honor and a privilege to watch these wizards of Hip Hop and music do there thing. I recommend anyone & everyone to check out this legendary band who has been around for 25 years. I'm hoping they come back to the Jazz Festival as soon as possible and entertain and rock the house once again! Much love to the Legendary Roots Crew. Thank-You for your dedication and inspirational messages that you do through your music.

I got these tickets as a birthday gift to my boyfriend. He is a huge fan, at the time I liked a few songs only. But after seeing them live...hearing everything from funk, to hip hop, to rock, I have been converted to a huge fan. Unbelievable how talented these guys are. Loved every minute of it.

I can comfortably say that I am a big fan of the Roots’ music. Their albums have the type of artistic ambition, beats, movement and cohesiveness that I always look for. They have been on a role for a long time (pretty much since Things Fall Apart) and Undun was no exception! Loved it! Undun particularity has a big relation to Winnipeg (with the name coming from the popular Guess Who Song) and this coupled with it being their latest album I was hoping to get a few songs in their set list from that album (or their rumoured upcoming album!). However this would not be. They came out super strong starting things off with The Next Movement. Songs blended into one another seamlessly and I could barely contain my excitement. It was soooo good! They slowed things down with an impressive piano solo (complete with a J Dilla reference) and a cool tuba Jam. Then it was Captain Kirks turn to show off. He started off with some impressive vocal layering with petals (bringing some references to the Dirty Projector’s Jazz vocals on How I got Over) and some impressive jazz guitar solos. However midway through his showcase things took a turn for the worse…and for me a big turn. They all of a sudden out of nowhere went into a “covers jam” and not even a good one. I have no problem with someone interpolating elements from other songs and mixing them up into one’s own material (much like they did earlier in the set with Jungle Boogie) but I am definitely not a fan of when you take around 10 min of a hip hop concert to play songs like Gun’s and Roses’ Sweet Child on Mine. The reference didn’t even make sense AND this is The Roots we are talking about. They have something like 15 studio albums! Covers (in my opinion) are the stuff of local Bar Bands…not headlines like the Roots with such an impressive back catalogue that could support hours of music. This killed the vibe (for me) and it took a few songs back into Roots territory for me to shake it off. The covers replacing the potential for new Roots music to play definitely tainted this concert for me. There is no denying that the Roots are amazing musicians and composers of music. I absolutely love many of their albums. However as a fan of their music I must say I was considerably disappointed with the concert. I had beg expectations going into this (and with it being the Roots that should not be too much) and I came out disappointed. When they played their own music they Killed it! But the concert was killed when they were not.

This was my first time in Philly and I thought the Picnic was a good reason to visit. I went with 3 friends for 2 days. We checked out the "Rocky steps", the party district, had a cheese steak, and obviously went to the concert. All four of us had a blast and really liked the city. The overall lineup for the festival was average but the headline show was incredible. Some of the highlights for me were Esparanza Spalding backed by the Roots, Black Thought and J.Period, and of course the headline The Roots with Nas! WOW! They blew my brain with that one. It seemed like the younger audience was there more for Wiz Khalifa, Yelawolf, and the rest of the new comers, but the audience overall was a blend of young and older fans. You can't go wrong with a show by the LEGENDARY Roots crew, they are true musicians and true performers. I strongly recommend that you go!

I have never seen such a dynamic performance, and I have seen quite a few showstoppers! From the opening to the closing, The Roots didn't miss a beat. Kamal on keys was perfect, especially when he had to sing, he still maintained his ability. Captain Kirk was a true performer, and his guitar solo was RockStar quality. ?uestlove on drums failed to disappoint, doing what he did best, even during his 10 minute solo. He kept the tempo, even threw in some tricks and treats for our listening pleasure. Tuba Gooding Jr and his big brass were all over the stage. It was amazing he could move around so much with that thing on his shoulder, even jumping into the crowd with it at one point. Even with his cheeks looking like they were full of acorns, he managed to impress the crowd. Owen Biddle on bass was far from the token white guy. He even joined in the choreo and foolery that occurred throughout the performance. A former bass player myself, I was very jealous, and had no choice but to admire. F. Knuckles seemed to be having the most fun on stage, always having the biggest smile and putting his sticks in the air to get the crowd live. He even came to the front a couple times to make sure we were still enjoying his ability to keep the tempo alongside Quest. And last but not least, Black Thought, never missing a beat. He needed no hype man, no rest, didn't even need to make the audience sing part while he caught his breath. I was so amazed by his stamina and his ability to switch between singing and rapping at the drop of a dime. He also took the time to learn the parts that weren't his for the songs that had feature artists. I was so impressed, and needless to say, although I didn't catch any of the goodies being thrown into the crowd by the band (t-shirts, drumsticks, even a snare lid), it was money well spent.

You haven't heard the roots, until you've heard them live! Their cds don't do them justice, because they sound incredible live. There was more talent and more energy on that stage than I have seen at any other concert... and I'm not even a die hard fan... They officially sold me!

it was like always the roots are the roots no one cant change that all i have to say i rock with one of the best again and i dont mind doing again

fantastic show from start to finish..... excellent musicians..what more can I say!!!!?