The Legendary Roots Crew

Now this is why I moved to NYC. Ok ok, I moved to NYC for another reason but things like this are icing on the cake.

Last night, I saw the Roots with Gym Class Heroes and Estelle. I have been to a few concerts since I moved to New York, and all were good, but this is what I expected from a concert in New York.

When I got there, Estelle was already on. Now I hadn't heard much of her stuff, aside from her "American Boy" song, but I had heard a lot of good things about her, mostly from the folks over at okayplayer. She put on a good performance and served her purpose as an opening act: get the crowd warmed up. I'll definitely have to check out more of her stuff. Gym Class Heroes came on and got the crowd more hyped for the Roots to come on. I was a little more familiar with their stuff, like "Cupid's Chokehold" and "The Queen and I", than I was with Estelle's. They came out with a buncha energy, got the crowd growing, and were active on stage.

Finally the Roots came on and rocked a LIVE show. They did a good mix of old and new. Of course, ?uestlove worked his magic on the drums. At some point, they brought out Q-tip to spit a few verses (and hype his album set to drop next week). Kamal on the keys, Tuba Gooding Jr, and the bassist all did some sweet solo stuff. I don't know who the new bassist is, but as good as he was, I miss Hub on the bass. That guy was ridiculous. Then they started up with probably my favorite Roots track, "You Got Me". They started with Captain Kirk singing the hook, but to no surprise, Estelle came back out and took over. As the song was ending, she headed back stage and Captain Kirk proceeded to do his solo thing on the guitar. He started off with some usual guitar riffs, but then he went into a sick rendition of "Sweet Child O’ Mine". From there, he somehow smoothly transitioned into "Bad to the Bone". Eventually it all melted back into "You Got Me" with Captain Kirk singing again once again. They kept playing some more songs and soon got going with the title track off their latest album Rising Down. To the crowds delight, the mighty Mos Def came out and spit his verse on the song. He helped out with a couple other songs, including the "Next Movement", before heading back off stage. This exactly the type of stuff I expected/hoped for from a concert in NY: random people showing up and performing.

Another great Roots show. I wonder when they'll be back in NY.

Head over here for some live footage (not mine) of the show.

UPDATE: Read a review of the concert by the NY Times here.

hey nas

nas has always been one of my favorite mcs. at this point, he may be my favorite mc that i have not yet seen live. i tried seeing him perform a year or so ago, but that did not turn out too well. a couple days ago, a friend of mine told me about a free concert coming up with nas headlining. i signed up on the guestlist and thought i'd finally get my chance to see nas perform.

we got there relatively early and had a decent spot in line (it went around the block behind us). unfortunately the line did not remain a line for much longer. there was only one security guard managing the line, and even then he wasn't doing much. the line in front of us just started getting wider and wider. doors were supposed to open at 9 (website said 8), but you could sense the unrest when 9 rolled around and nothing happened. things got worse when two large luxury buses rolled up, filled with people who did not look like they belonged at a nas concert. the buses just sat there for awhile, but eventually they rolled up to the front, and all the passengers got off and walked straight into to venue. people started chanting, "tip - the - bus." eventually the line turned into a mob surrounding the club, spilling over into the street blocking a lane of traffic. around 10, they started letting people in, but even then, they were selectively picking people from the crowd. at that point we gave up and went to a nearby bar.

0 for 2 for nas concerts. third times a charm?

hip hop is dead

i was excited about the nas concert last night. he has always been one of my favorite mc's, and i've never seen him perform before. he has a long list of classic plus some new tracks that are pretty good.

the concert was at 4th and B, where i've seen j5, krs, and ozomatli. doors were set to open at 8, and i got there at 930. to my surprise, there was a long line out and around the building. i saw shawne merriman roll up while i was walking up, and of course, he gets to walk straight in.

after waiting a bit, i finally get in around 10 ... the place is packed. the venue is a relatively big place, and i've never seen this many people in it. i grab a gin and tonic and wait ...

unfortunately, after waiting for 45 minutes, the crowd starts getting restless. people start chanting "bravehearts." why would you do that!?!? ... no one wants them to come out. chant nas, shit ... even chant kelis ... but who wants to hear the bravehearts. a little bit later, someone comes on the mic ... "due to circumstances out of control, this concert will be postponed. you can receive refunds at point of sale." BOOO!

people are pissed and yelling "hip hop is dead" the whole way out. what a disappointment.

and of course, i lose out on my parking money and even if i do get a refund, i lose out on all the bullshit ticketmaster service fees.

damn

*UPDATE*
well at least now i know it wasn't his fault ... idiots

push back the first five rows

after seeing another great ozomatli performance last night, i got to thinking about some of the best concerts i've seen. on first thought, my top three concerts would be:

1. okayplayer tour (2000)
the roots
talib kweli
guru
slum village
dead prez
jazzyfatnastees

went with terence, sriram, and shawn.

the roots band was on stage for a good four hours playing back up for the various artists. people came on and off the stage, performing their own hits ... capped off with the roots doing their thing with almost everyone joining them. the roots are incredible live, and since this was my first time seeing them, i didn't know what to expect. kweli also rocked the crowd, especially after getting pissed when two guys started fighting in the crowd. plus being able to see slum village (minus dilla though) and dead prez was pretty cool. GREAT show.

2. word of mouth tour (2000)
jurassic 5
dilated peoples
supernatural

went with terence and ankit

the day after seeing the okayplayer tour, i saw this one. yeah ... needless to say, one of the best weekends in my life. just like above, this was the first time i saw jurassic 5 live. they are also great performers. these guys really know how to put on a show and always come with lotsa energy. dilated people also knows how rock a crowd.

3. ozomatli (2004)

ozomatli
kinky
plastalino mosh

went with shawn

these guys are just a bunch of amazing musicians. they know how to work a crowd and perform with lotsa energy. it was the first time i saw them and once again, didn't know what to expect. all around good music and performance. they ended the show by hopping into the crowd with their instruments and performing in the middle of the audience, playing stuff like ole ole, the chicken dance, and other stuff. then the formed a conga line and ended the show by leading the line out the door. good shit!


anyway, my question to you guys:
what were the best concerts you've ever seen?

instead of flow for flow, let's go show for show

on friday, i saw the blastmaster krs-one live. kid capri and the grand wizard theodore also showed up. though krs is well passed his prime, he still came live with it. the guy was very energetic and animated on stage, yet still delivering crisp flows. he even had local b-boys and b-girls breaking on stage next to him while he flowed.

and for those of you that don't know, krs-one is one of THE most influential rappers EVER. it was a very good show. he went through some classics, such as south bronx, the bridge is over, mc's act like they don't know, and i'm still #1. i'm glad i was able to see this legend.

up next: the upstarts (group with some of the dynamite djs) on the 17th and the roots on feb 12.

get the jurassic 5 on the microphone ...

... and you know you're going to have a good show on your hands. i've seen j5 four times before last night (most recently a few months ago), but they never cease to amaze me. this group is the epitome of chemistry and harmony. the way the seamlessly pass lines back forth and pick up whether another member left off is very impressive.

for the most part, they put on the same set i've seen from them a few times before, except they switched out some old songs with some of their new ones. although now, the quirky cut chemist is no longer in the group. i'm not sure why, but my guess is confusion of having a group called jurassic five with six members finally took its toll, and they played rock, paper, scissors till cut chemist was left out.

they did their usual mix of new and old songs. nu mark did his whole mini-turntable/beat machine thing, as well as producing some dope beat (sounded like johnny cash on crack) using kiddie toys hooked up to a cross fader. they also did their school desk routine. in the past, all of em would sit down at a school desk. nu mark's would have a beat machine on top, and he'd do a clipse beat with the others pounding on their desks with their fists or palms. they switched it up on me this time, and it was beautiful. this time all five desks had a beat machine built into it. they started with the hyphy tell me where to go beat and then moved into a creation of their own. each member had his own set of sounds, and the fusion was awesome, especially seeing chali 2na go wild everytime he'd hit his funky sample.

at the end of the show, they all stuck around and signed autographs and stuff. as a fan, i really appreciate when the artists make time for us, and everytime i've seen j5 headline, they've always done that.

if you ever get a chance to see jurassic 5, DO IT! you will not be disappointed ... and if i'm nearby, i'll surely roll with you.

... and at the end of the night, not wanting to let a good night end quite yet, i stopped by dynamite for a bit and enjoyed the usual goodness there.

oh yeah ... go pick up their new album feedback. while i don't think it's as good as their ep or quality control, i still think it's pretty damn good ... especially 'gotta understand.'

my favorite mutiny

the coup played at the casbah down here in sd last night. despite having the j5 show to go to tonight, i went to this one as well. i saw the coup sometime back during my sophomore year at cal, but i didn't know who they were then. i picked up their newest album pick a bigger weapon, mostly because it was being hyped by okayplayer a lot. i really like the new album.

anyway, info said the concert started at 9. i didn't know if anyone was opening and decided to get there around 9. as i was walking up to the spot, i see boots (lead mc of the group ... i recognized his huge afro) hanging outside. a few minutes later, he gets in a van with some other guys (who i later find out are the band behind him) and drive off. the venue isn't even open yet despite doors supposed to be open at 830. i end up talking to some other guy in line.

eventually, we get in ... and no one is there. some local sd group called the kneehighs performed. they were decent but nothing special; although, i suppose the fact that there were only 10-15 people inside at the time may have contributed to that. people are slowly starting to trickle in. group called big spiders played. i wasn't feeling them much. after a bit of a delay, iselyfe performs. he's been touring with the coup for the past few weeks. the place is still relatively empty, but he manages to get the crowd hyped. i'm thinking, this guy did a good job upping the energy for the coup.

it's too bad that the coup didn't get on stage for another hour or so, and the energy died. while waiting for the coup to show up, emilio (the guy i was talking to in line and for most of the night until now) decided to go outside. we end up sitting down outside next iselyfe and chatting with him a bit about ... music, politics, apathy in san diego, etc. as we're talking, we see boots and the band roll up. the band goes in and sets up their stuff. meanwhile, boots joins our conversation for a bit, then gets his game face on and starts preparing himself for the show. we end up following him in the side entrance, which is right next to the stage. he hops on stage and we move to the front. since we've been outside, the crowd has grown to a good size and they've all moved to the front of the stage.

these guys put on an awesome show. they did a good job managing the energy level of the crowd. they'd get things hyped, then bring it down a bit for one of their slower songs, then take up a few notches again. boots was rocking out on stage and the band was jamming. they did some of the older stuff, which i wasn't familiar with, and most of the tracks off their newest album.

after the show, i talked to boots a bit more. i decided to pick up one of their older albums party music. outside, i chatted with some of the band members before heading home. really good show ... and it's always nice when the artists are chill enough to hang out and talk with some fans.

next up tonight: j5 ... i know this show is going to be good. i've seen em four times already and they never disappoint. unfortunately, it looks like i'm going to be rolling solo to this show too.

rock shows with no rehearsal

i saw a j5 and common concert on monday. this concert was my april concert (i'm day late ... deal with it) in my quest for one a month. this show kinda crept up on me ... forgot about it for the most part till saturday night. then i started getting really excited about it. i saw common a few months ago at the HOB SD, but i hadn't seen jurassic 5 in a couple years. the last time i saw them perform was at the axis of justice concert in la where they got a short set amongst a bunch of rock performers. oddly though, j5 hasn't put out new music since before i saw them at cal at one of the spring superb concerts. i've seen both common and jurassic 5 at least three times, and both rock a good show. these two are some of my favorite artists ... i'm excited

like usual, i had planned on rolling solo to this concert. i almost convinced archana (and consequently, priyal) to come, but she passed because she thought i was going with sue ellen ... silly archana, i simply said that sueellen bought my ticket. however, i did have company. teresa's cousin dominic called me saying he had an extra ticket, not knowing i had already planned on going.

the ticket said the concert started at 8. i figured that meant doors opened at 8. the concert was at usd, which is a few minutes away from my place, so i hung around my place watching the clippers game. when i got there, it was around 815. dom, babe, and friends were parking, and i figured i'd just wait for them outside. unfortunately, when i got there, j5 was already on. forget waiting ... i decide to get in. now, i've been to a concert before at usd (maroon 5 back in the day ... okay, a year ago), and i wasn't too thrilled about the venue. the place is just not made for musical performances. also not too thrilled about the energy the usd kids would bring.

so i get to the floor of the arena, and there are a lot of people here (i should have showed up earlier, especially considering all i was doing instead was watching a measly clippers game). i look up and j5 is already rocking it ... but there were only five people on stage. no cut chemist. yes, you heard me ... j5 actually has six members, not five. there was a cute girl next to me who was getting down. i even heard her say "this is my favorite song" when 'quality control' came on. cute girl who knows j5 ... what's not to like (notice a theme). i decide to try talking to her. i asked her if she knew why cut chemist wasn't on stage. she stared back blankly. okay, maybe she doesn't know j5 as well as i would like, but hey, no one's perfect. then this guy steps up to her from behind ... my cue to back off. *sigh* oh well ... j5 continued to rock it. their new album is dropping soon, and they performed a few new tracks. the one that caught my ear had (i believe) an old prince sample. definitely feeling that one. i was still missing the quirky cut chemist though. despite his absence, jurassic 5 rocked a great show.

in between their set and common's, i decided to track down dominic. i soon found them upstairs ... dom, babe, quinn, rommel, one of angela's friends, her bf, and another couple. common came on and rocked it like usual. it's too bad that i saw common a few months ago because he did almost the exact same show as when i saw him with angelo. he came out with a dj, a drummer, and a guy on the keys. not much to say here because it was almost word for word the same show as before. at one point, he started singing, and dom's friend says, "com's beening hanging around mos too much." hahah ... funny shit. during one of his songs, he pulls some girl on stage. he did this last time i saw him too, but this time, he and the girl start getting freaky on stage ... not just freak, but freak DEAKY. soon after that, he asks for a usd mc to come and spit with him. when he performed at cal, my friend kevin got on and spit some rhymes with him. this time, some guy gets on, let's off some wack verses, and then common takes over and rips the guy a new one ... made me reminisce of the "bitch in you" days. i felt bad for the guy. common then did a tribute to j. dilla. his dj, dj dummy, did an awesome set scratching rob base and dj ez rock's 'it takes two.' dom, rommel, and his friend are dj's and getting into to it at this point. he spits some stuff from his upcoming album, which was a little rough but good. i can't wait for these new albums to drop. common does on encore with the dilla produced 'the light,' and i went home a happy man.

like i've sad before, it's something magical being in a crowd just feeling the music. even more, when the artist is rocking 'i used to love h.e.r.' which may be my favorite song of all time. i spent the whole common set up in the seats of the arena, and it was cool seeing the crown below move in unison to the music.

unfortunately, despite the high likelyhood of a cute catholic hip hop head, i went home alone and with no new numbers in my new phone ... always next time, i suppose. that's quite alright, i was there with the love of my life, and that's all i ever need.

... common said i used to love her, but i love her still ...

up next for my may concert:
Soul Position on 5.9
Lyrics Born on 5.27 or
Aceyalone, Ugly Duckling, and The Procussions on 5.30
... like always, i'd love company to one or all of these ... but i'm not counting on it.

music makes me HIGH!!!!

it's 1am on a tuesday (wednesday morning), and i should be sleeping by now ... but i can't. i just got back from seeing dilated peoples, little brother, and defari perform at the belly up ... and i must say, it lived up to, and surpassed, all expectations i had for the show. i've been a fan of defari since 'focused daily' (and i just have to support my fellow golden bear). you could tell not many other people in the crowd knew much of his stuff, but i was definitely feeling his performance. he got into some of his 'likwit junkie' stuff, some new tracks, and some old classic ones.

i wasn't too sure how little brother would be. i've been feeling their music since 'the listening,' even though some of my friends (*coughjaycough*) weren't. their new stuff has been just as good, if not better than that album. still, i've never heard about their performances, so i didn't know what to expect. i was much more than pleasantly surprised. they came LIVE with it ... they were on stage, HYPED, performing all their good stuff (new and old). and it probably doesn't hurt that there were three cute girls next to me, one of which was rapping along with most of the little brother lyrics. seriously ... what's hotter/more attractive/more enticing than a girl who gets down with hip hop like that (maybe the girl i sat next to at church the other day who i CANNOT get out of my head).

in the back of my mind, i was worried dilated peoples wouldn't be able to match the energy little brother was leaving out on the stage. they seriously raised the bar. but dilated went ABOVE AND BEYOND. i've seen these guys twice before (okay ... one and a half since summer jam 2000 doesn't really count as a whole show). evidence, iriscience, and babu came out with some serious energy and rocked the crowd. we'll see how well my voice is doing tomorrow from yelling, 'C-AAAA ... ALL DAAAAAY' and 'BABUUUUUU' all night. i've been following this group since their beginnings, and i couldn't have asked for more. they did a good mix of new and old stuff. the crowd went wild (me, in particular) when they broke out with 'work the angles' from back in the day. i was going nuts at this point ... to the point where i barely realized that evidence was jumping into the crowd ... RIGHT where i was standing. luckily i got my hands up in time to catch some of him. and to top the night off, the second to last song they performed was 'worst comes to worst,' which is one of my favorite dilated tracks. in the end, good damn show.

all i gotta say is at shows like this, nothing else matters. i'm fucking happy ... forget happy, actually ... i'm in fucking bliss. nothing else matters at all. there's nothing like the feeling of being in a crowd, seeing everyone in front of you move their hands up down, side to side in unison. at that moment, i probably have the biggest smile on my face, and it'll be rare to find me happier. in the words of the lost boyz, music makes me HIGH!!! that reason alone is why i'm on a quest for one concert a month in the two double oh six. i know that most likely i'll be hitting up these shows by myself, but really ... does it matter. sure, it'd be nice to have some company. but as long as i'm with HER, all is good. and that's why she is the LOVE OF MY LIFE.