The Roots, Urthboy @ Festival Hall, Melbourne (28/12/2013)
A band so pinnacle to the hip-hop movement, when taking to the Festival Hall stage, The Roots were as fresh as the moment they stepped out into the world over twenty five years ago.
Opening for the night was hip hop artist Urthboy, who turned the stage into a burning mix of light and sound. The Aussie bred MC and his ragtag collective bounded across the stage, spitting out rhymes of much more significance than the usual party all the time attitude the genre has taken of late.
Together, with female vocalist Jane Tyyrell and he churned out fan favourite after fan favourite, though the true highlight has to go to the acapella verse in honour of the men of the hour, the legendary Roots.
When the Roots eventually took the stage, the floor was a sea of writhing people, struggling to make way to the barrier before them. But as soon as the first words left vocalist and front man Black Thought’s mouth, everyone in the hall had come to a complete standstill, watching in awe as he spat his introduction to echo through the hall. And with an explosion of sound, The Roots made it very clear just why they were legendary in just one song.
From the blaring sousaphone of Tuba Gooding Junior to Kamal Gray’s faint keyboard padding, the band assaulted the listeners from every side in every way possible. Over the course of two hours, the band performed a set which felt like the most intense jam session. Throughout the night, every element of the band was highlighted, from the call and repeat of Questlove and percussionist F. Knuckles to the hip-hop cover of Guns and Roses Sweet Child Of Mine. Everyone seemed to have their time in the (very literal) spotlight.
Perhaps the most entertaining part of the show went not to the music itself, but to the stage act that is the Roots. Watching the trio of Captain Kirk Douglas (guitar), Mark Kelley (bass), and Tuba Gooding prancing synchronised across the stage backwards in sync could be made a show of its own, and I would follow it all across the world if it were. Which is why it's incredible that it didn't even compare to the joyous prancing of finale, with only Questlove and Gray sitting out from the impromptu can-can that erupted upon the stage. Most amazing of all though, was the fact that not a note was missed, or felt out of place. Truly, they’ve earned the title of legendary with this performance alone.
The Roots have been hailed as brilliant from the get go, and age has not whittled this status away. And as the final show of this year, I have to say, it has put nearly every other performance to shame. Even if you aren’t a fan of the genre, the Roots present themselves in such a way that it’s impossible not to get caught up in the spirit of the show, something that a fair few current acts are lacking. And if you are a fan, well, perhaps it’s time you got back to your roots...
Ben Spencer
Opening for the night was hip hop artist Urthboy, who turned the stage into a burning mix of light and sound. The Aussie bred MC and his ragtag collective bounded across the stage, spitting out rhymes of much more significance than the usual party all the time attitude the genre has taken of late.
Together, with female vocalist Jane Tyyrell and he churned out fan favourite after fan favourite, though the true highlight has to go to the acapella verse in honour of the men of the hour, the legendary Roots.
When the Roots eventually took the stage, the floor was a sea of writhing people, struggling to make way to the barrier before them. But as soon as the first words left vocalist and front man Black Thought’s mouth, everyone in the hall had come to a complete standstill, watching in awe as he spat his introduction to echo through the hall. And with an explosion of sound, The Roots made it very clear just why they were legendary in just one song.
From the blaring sousaphone of Tuba Gooding Junior to Kamal Gray’s faint keyboard padding, the band assaulted the listeners from every side in every way possible. Over the course of two hours, the band performed a set which felt like the most intense jam session. Throughout the night, every element of the band was highlighted, from the call and repeat of Questlove and percussionist F. Knuckles to the hip-hop cover of Guns and Roses Sweet Child Of Mine. Everyone seemed to have their time in the (very literal) spotlight.
Perhaps the most entertaining part of the show went not to the music itself, but to the stage act that is the Roots. Watching the trio of Captain Kirk Douglas (guitar), Mark Kelley (bass), and Tuba Gooding prancing synchronised across the stage backwards in sync could be made a show of its own, and I would follow it all across the world if it were. Which is why it's incredible that it didn't even compare to the joyous prancing of finale, with only Questlove and Gray sitting out from the impromptu can-can that erupted upon the stage. Most amazing of all though, was the fact that not a note was missed, or felt out of place. Truly, they’ve earned the title of legendary with this performance alone.
The Roots have been hailed as brilliant from the get go, and age has not whittled this status away. And as the final show of this year, I have to say, it has put nearly every other performance to shame. Even if you aren’t a fan of the genre, the Roots present themselves in such a way that it’s impossible not to get caught up in the spirit of the show, something that a fair few current acts are lacking. And if you are a fan, well, perhaps it’s time you got back to your roots...
Ben Spencer