Concert Review: The Roots Picnic (6/6/09)

This past Saturday I got a chance to drive down about two hours to Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia to see the 2nd Annual Roots Picnic. Of course, with any Roots spectacular, you go in expecting nothing but great music and a fun time. With just a few speed bumps, that expectation held true for the most part. The diversity and caliber that came along with the day’s artists were something that is almost unmatched in concerts these days. There were definitely some let-downs, I am not afraid to say it, but there were also some great surprises that caught me off-guard.

The day started off at noon at the second stage, but I decided to skip all that and get my front-and-center spot on the main stage, so you are going to have to bear with me on that. I am aware I missed some great acts like local group Writtenhouse and Bajah and Dry Eye Crew, but fortunately I also was able to avoid less memorable acts like Kid Cudi and Asher Roth. Nothing against them, but being up front to see The Roots is bar-none.

Hit the skip for full review and pictures…

The Roots (1st Set)
With that said, the main stage festivities kicked off at 2 p.m. sharp, as The Roots did a relatively brief set with some pretty wacky guests. At first I didn’t recognize, but up close it became clear that New Kids On the Block emerged to spit a quick few bars backed by The Legendary. Now that was one curve ball that I was not ready for, but to top that off, The JabbaWockeeZ came out and kicked a few b-boy maneuvers to some ?uestlove break-beats. It was a short set, but not much to complain about considering there were several more acts to follow.

Elevator Fight
Up next on the main stage was a band I had never heard of called Elevator Fight. They were one weird looking group of musicians, but don’t put that against them. They were actually quite a surprise, lead by a female hipster-esque vocalist, going through a bunch of tough jams and tracks you could bust a move to. I am interested to see what these guys do as they build their music careers. I definitely will be watching after that performance.

Busdriver
As the day continued to run smoothly, Busdriver and his two-man crew came up to rock the stage. Now I must warn you, I am not exactly the biggest fan of Busdriver. But I will say this, after this performance, I am looking to change that statement. I know that he isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, live or on record, but he should certainly be respected and given a shot. As the set commenced, bass and synth filled the venue as Bus delivered with some of the most intricate flows I have ever seen. It’s tough to decipher exactly what he is saying, but that obviously comes with performing songs like that live. I am not too familiar with his catalogue, so none of the tracks really rung a bell with me.

Antibalas
Once Busdriver left the stage, it seems like things went downhill as far as the technical aspect and getting the sound figured out. The legendary Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra was up next, but it took much longer than originally announced to get them set up and going. But once everything was sorted out, the Brooklyn-based band rocked it just as expected. The horns section is what always impresses me the most with these guys, day-in and day-out they come with the utmost energy and chemistry, perfect for getting my groove on. Amayo and his tribal face paint came in full-effect, as he lead the crowd through some spiritually and politically charged chants, getting everyone involved.

Santigold
Up next was the lovely Santigold and her band uniformed individuals. I had never seen Santi live, but I had heard mixed reviews. Put all the hate aside people, she absolutely stunned me as she delivered on every track over the high-energy electronic beats. You already know that her production is fantastic, but I was a bit skeptical as to how she would deliver live. Not only was she great, but I would also put her as one of the top sets of the day! She was energetic and charismatic as she ran through several recognizable tracks from her most recent album, and even one song from her mixtape with Diplo. Also was a notable appearance from emcee Spank Rock, as he came out and spit a verse over one of Santi’s tracks.

The Black Keys
After Santi’s set, it seemed like the stage crew ran into even more trouble as each set slipped more and more off schedule. After another long wait, the Akron natives, The Black Keys ran on to the stage. I had huge expectations for these guys, they put out one of my favorite albums last year, Attack & Release, which I still bump on the regular. Meeting my expectations, the crew of two started off with extremely high energy, as drummer Patrick Carney went on a complete tear. Just as I was really starting to feel the set, guitarist-singer Dan Auerbach’s amp blew out, leading to even more technical difficulties. You could tell from then on, he just wasn’t feeling it, and the energy was absent. He continued on a few more songs, but the set was definitely cut short, probably due to lack of time and the audio issues.

Public Enemy & The Roots
With even more sound and set-up issues it seemed like almost an eternity for the next set to be prepped. But in the end, it was totally worth it. Let me start off by saying that as a fan of hip-hop this had to be on of the most legendary experiences in my short-lived life. I have seen some pretty cool things at hip-hop shows in my day, but this takes the cake. I can’t claim to be the biggest Public Enemy fan, it just isn’t my era, but I have the utmost respect for them and their impact on hip-hop as a whole. And to see them perform with The Roots is just something out of this world. This was a huge improvement from P.E.’s performance two years ago at Rock the Bells. No offense, but that was just embarrassing. The set covered, to my knowledge, every song from It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, including some interesting recorded interludes. Flava Flav came with unbelievable energy for his age, as he jumped off the stage several times, and Chuck D rocked the mic like it was ’88 again. And of course, ?uesto killed it as he directed members of The Roots and the miraculous horns section of Antibalas to the revolutionary compositions.

TV on the Radio
This band right here is one of the most hyped up acts that I have seen in a long time (thank you Pitchfork), but rightfully so. I am a big fan of their most recent album Dear Science, but even bigger of Return to Cookie Mountain, both are huge contributions to the indie rock community.  As a first time viewer of TVOTR’s live performance, I came in expecting some very good things. Indeed they did come through, unfortunately the audio was just terrible for their set, as lead vocalist Tunde Adebimpe could not be heard at all. The energy was definitely there, but sonically it was lackluster, and I won’t hold that against them. It should also be noted that the horns crew of Antibalas took the stage once again with TVOTR, adding a very dope element to their sound. I look forward to seeing them again later this summer in Brooklyn, their hometown.

The Roots (2nd Set)
Running extremely behind schedule, The Roots came back on stage to run their second solo set to close the evening. Starting the set off with the classic, “You Got Me”, Amanda Diva ran frantically across the stage to grab a mic and sing the Badu hook. She had just made it to the stage after hosting the 2nd stage’s festivities. (Note: I never thought I would say this, but a thanks goes out to Asher Roth for having the kids in front of me leave to go check you out on the 2nd stage, allowing me to move to the front row.) After “You Got Me”, it seemed like Rock was the theme of the night, as they played a bunch of clips from some notable classic rock songs. If I am not mistake, after that they ran into “The Seed 2.0″ and then closed with “Men @ Work”, a song that amazes me time and time again. From seeing The Roots several times, this had to have been one of the most disappointing. Not that they had any slip-ups, but it was very abbreviated and they only got to about three tracks. It was certainly a very good performance musically, but it just lacked that thoroughness that you come to expect from one of their sets. I understand they were running behind schedule, and possible curfew was an issue, but I just wish they could have played a few more tracks instead of extending on “You Got Me” for five extra minutes.

I missed last year’s Picnic, so being my first experience at the Philly Festival, I can probably say the two-hour drive was worth it. Despite the technical blips, the music and the people were great. The venue was quaint, the staff was laidback, and the commute was relatively easy (besides the $20 parking fee). Forgive me for the lackluster pictures towards the end, my camera started to bug out a bit. Also shoot a major props to DJ Cash Money for rocking the crowd for what seemed like hours between sets. I look forward to seeing this Festival progress and grow in the future, I think it has potential to grow into something very positive for hip-hop and music as a whole.

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