Last Saturday, the Roots came to Hopkins for the annual Spring Fair. The concert, held on the practice field adjacent to the Athletic Center, had generated a huge amount of buzz around campus, since the band's original and eclectic style appeals not only to fans of hip-hop but to music lovers in general.
The show was undoubtedly fantastic and managed to live up to the hype surrounding the event. Before the band actually stepped onto the stage, though, the weather ensured that everyone at the concert was subject to a pretty arduous experience.
Before the weather became an impediment, however, the audience witnessed an impressive set from a young band made up entirely of students. Somewhere, Anywhere Else, winner of this year's Battle of the Bands competition, opened for the Roots. The band typically performs music that falls within the alternative, power-pop genre, a far reach from the Roots' style.
As a result, much of the crowd wasn't exactly prepared for the poppy electronica that the opening band had to offer. Even so, the musicians performed very well and put on a good show. Funnily enough, the most popular song that they played was a cover of rapper T.I.'s "Whatever You Like," appeasing a crowd that came to the concert expecting a hip-hop show.
After the band finished their set, though, disaster struck. The skies flashed and within moments, torrential rain began. Initially, members of the audience thought they could outlast the rain. Soon, though, it became obvious that they couldn't brave the thunderstorm. Security and event staff ushered everyone off the field, and for half an hour the audience had to wait for the rain to abate. It seemed, for the moment, as if the concert had been ruined.
After 30 minutes, though, the storm leveled off and stopped. The crowd rushed back onto the field, and within 10 minutes, the band was playing. Daman Bryson, also known as "Tuba Gooding Jr.," entered the stage first, bearing his Sousaphone (a type of tuba). The crowd went wild, and the show had begun.
If the wait was brutal, the reward was well worth it. The Roots delivered a spirited performance that pulsated with rhythm and excitement. They played a continuous set for over 90 minutes, keeping themselves and the audience fully engaged. During the set, each song seemed to blend seamlessly into the next.
While in some instances this might be considered a bad thing, it created a natural sense of unity that tied the entire concert together. The set became less a collection of songs and more a showcase for the band and its individual members, playing songs one-by-one but tying them together without pause.
Songs were chosen from a variety of the Roots' many albums, from Things Fall Apart to The Tipping Point. Many of the songs featured dark and political overtones, but it was hard for the sinister nature of a few tracks to subtract from the elation of the night as a whole. The momentum created by the rocky start and the band's enigmatic, neo-soul personality carried over throughout the set, and the feeling was definitely one of excitement and fun.
An emphasis on individual band members is a trademark of the Roots, and Saturday's concert was no different. Almost every member of the band had their own solo, with Tariq Trotter (otherwise known as "Black Thought") introducing each musician. Kamal Gray gave a phenomenal keyboard solo, while Owen Biddle tore up the stage on his bass. Bryson was more than happy to show the crowd his impressive skills on the Sousaphone.
Perhaps the most impressive moment, though, occurred when Questlove and F. Knuckles, the two drummers, faced off. Both percussionists displayed exemplary ability, and the crowd was ecstatic to see the two drummers compete.
The show culminated in the performance of "You Got Me," a track that the Roots recorded with Eve and Erykah Badu, earning them a Grammy award. The vocals intended for women were performed by "Captain" Kirk Douglas, the guitarist. At this point, the audience was beginning to get tired, but after this track began to play, the crowd was reinvigorated for the last few minutes of the set. It was a fitting ending to a great show.
Looking around the crowd at Saturday's show, one wouldn't think that they would enjoy the hip-hop and jazz-influenced music that the Roots play so well. This testifies to two facts: first, at Hopkins, there is always more than meets the eye. A university full of engineers can contain a large number of music lovers. Second and more importantly, though, the eclectic crowd can attest the enormous appeal of the Roots' music. They are a unique band, and the show represented that well.
