[Roots Picnic '08]

Ok, so The Roots have always been one of my favorite hip hop groups and bands period. When we (CleverG and I) heard two months ago that they were organizing and hosting the first ever Roots Picnic in Phila, PA we were all over it. Believe me it wasn't a disappointment. There was a plethora of artists from all ends of the musical spectrum including J Davey, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, The Cool Kids, Gnarls Barkley, Diplo, and of course The Roots. It was an all day affair and started around 2pm. We didn't get there until around 4pm. We missed J Davey, but got there right in time to hear the last few numbers of The Cool Kids set. I must say their show game was pretty on point, even if their music was louder than they were. Of all the acts and distractions throughout the day I must say that Sharon Jones and her band were the standout act of the day. Absolutely amazing. If I had to make a comparison I would say she is the female version of James Brown.About 40 min. later they were followed by The Roots. It was their event so it was no surprise that they stole the show. They started with some classics like "Mellow My Man" and "You Got Me" and kept progressing. Leonard "Hub" Hubbard (who recently exited the group) made an appearance for some joints before Dice Raw came on stage to rip his verse on "Get Busy". The Roots' chemistry on stage is insane. Standing in a crowd of thousands, even though I was pretty close to the stage, I could see how much the band was enjoying themselves with one another. Black would look over at Kamal while he was ad libbing for songs and give him a little smile. Quest was in the background doing his thing- as always keeping the pace for the rest. The new additions to the band (bass, guitar, percussion, sausophone) fit right into place like they were always there. The camaraderie that exists in their band is evident and clear every time you see them perform live. The Roots haven't missed a step even with the lack of staple members. Their movement is one that many have followed and many more continue to jump on the bandwagon. They hosted their own festival, I wonder whats next, a label maybe?? If this is to be an annual event they definitely set it off right. The location was decent, right on the water which may have helped with the heat, because it was hot as hell. The alcohol and food were expensive. But at the end of the day hands down the best time I've had at a larger festival style show in quite some time. Do you want more? You know we do.
-MdotCoop