The sun was slowly going down on Prince’s Island Park on July 27 and the crowd was packed for the headlining act at the 45th Calgary Folk Music Festival. Almost 13000 people were waiting for the coolest faces in the hip-hop scene, The Roots. The people didn’t know it then, but they were about to witness history as the Roots played one of the most iconic sets on the ATB Main Stage.
The clock struck 9:30 pm and in the blink of a second, you were transported through time and place to Philadelphia, PA as the Roots opened their set. Anchored by Questlove’s rhythmic mastery of drums, The Roots brought a sense of life to the crowd and you could not stop moving.
Driving the group rhythmically with syncopated drums and powerful grooves, co-founder Questlove displayed nothing but excellence in the art of drumming. So much was happening on the stage that you didn’t know where to look, but once you focused on the drums you would notice the polyrhythms that Questlove had going on.
On the front, co-founder and MC, Black Thought was a sight to behold. He walked on stage hyping up the crowd into the opening tracks of the set and for the next two hours, the only breaks he took were when the rest of the band were having solos. Black Thought’s unique and powerful vocals served as the perfect cherry on top of the instrumental excellence that is The Roots. Tracks like “The Next Movement” and their live cover of “Looking at the Front Door” showcased his skill in rhythm and vocal delivery.
The highlights of the show were the eccentric stage presence of bassist Mark Kelly and tuba player Damon Bryson, or as his stage name goes Tuba Gooding Jr. Both were at the frontline with Black Thought and you could not keep you eyes away. All three were moving with the rhythm on stage and it was a wonderful sight. Gooding Jr’s tuba solos were nothing short of brilliant and his performance made it equally as visually pleasing.
For two hours, The Roots played a curated selection of tracks not only from their long and diverse discography but also performing covers highlighting hiphop lineage in their sound. Performing fan favourite and classic “The Seed” they moved the crowd with them. This set was a monument in hip hop history and The Roots proved why they are Philly’s finest. They are everything, from hip hop to funk to soul to RnB to soul… you get the gist.
This year’s folk festival lineup was packed with goodness but The Roots were a masterclass in performance, synergy and just pure brilliance. They made history on Folk Festival grounds this year and if you weren’t there, my humble apologies.
