Roots headline Spring Fair
Perhaps the most telling moment of The Roots concert this Saturday took place three-quarters of the way through their set. Having led the less-than-packed house through a number of their frenetic rap-rock numbers, they launched into an extended jam, which segued into the chords from Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water." Suddenly people were cheering louder than they had all night, or at least more of them were. Audience members started head-banging, some were even moshing. Others stopped and, I am sure, blinked. The riff became a medley leading into "Smells Like Teen Spirit," moved through a couple other familiar rock staples and culminated in a rendition of "Welcome To The Jungle." By this time the audience was almost in a frenzy. Two or three people were crowd surfing, and one was dropped.