The Roots in concert

I showed up about 20 minutes late to this show unfortunately, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it! The Roots is an absolutely legendary band both in the hip-hop scene and the broader musical world, so it was a joy to see them perform live.

What was unique about this show is that the whole set felt like one giant song. They are masters of sequencing (putting the songs in "the right order"), and transitioning between them to make it one cohesive experience.

Each band member also got a little time in the spotlight for a solo, and the guitarist's jaunt was particularly memorable. The crowd fell silent when he started making his guitar sing so delicately, you could hear a pin drop. And then everyone erupted back into a wild applause when he ramped up the speed and did a little bit of Led Zepplin's "Immigrant Song".

Black Thought on the mic with Questlove on the drums, it was bound to be a fantastic show, and they met and then far exceeded my expectations! Both in hip-hop and in music in general, these guys managed to carve out a very specific niche. They're obviously very comfortable there but aren't scared to push the boundaries of what's possible or what people expect of them. I loved this show.