LP Music with Questlove 9/6/15 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue:
LP Music:
Eric Leeds – sax, keyboards Paul Peterson – bass Petar Janjic – drums Peter Schimke – keys Ricky Peterson – keys
Special Guest: Questlove – drums (entire set)
AUDIO: Schoeps MK5’s } Edirol R-05 by Perks Recordings
VIDEO: Canon XA20 by FunkItBlog
D’Angelo & The Vanguard 9/6/15 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
Betray My Heart (ending) > Spanish Joint, The Charade (2nd half):
D’Angelo & The Vanguard 9/5/15 Chicago, IL @ North Coast Music Festival
Ain’t That Easy > Vanguard Theme, Brown Sugar (ending clip), Sugah Daddy (2 clips):
The Roots – November 16, 2013
Live Oak, FL @ Big IV Stage – Bear Creek Music Festival
Introduction by Bee Getz
The Roots – November 16, 2013 (Part 1 of 3)
Live Oak, FL @ Big IV Stage – Bear Creek Music Festival
Hand Clapping Song [The Meters cover] > The Fire > Please Don’t Go > Get Busy > Jungle Boogie [Kool & The Gang cover] > Drums & Percussion > Jungle Boogie coda [Kool & The Gang cover], Table of Contents Part 1, Step Into The Realm > What They Do
The Roots – November 16, 2013 (Part 2 of 3)
Live Oak, FL @ Big IV Stage – Bear Creek Music Festival
Who Are You & Who is Your Crew? > Break You Off > You Got Me Intro > You Got Me > Captain Kirk Douglas guitar solo > Shame On You > Love To Love You Baby > Spottieottiedopaliscious > Shame On You > You Got Me > Sweet Child O’ Mine [Guns N Roses cover] > Bad To The Bone [Bo Diddley cover] > Who Do You Love > You Got Me > Immigrant Song [Led Zeppelin cover] > Welcome To Jamrock [Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley cover] > You Got Me
The Roots – November 16, 2013 (Part 3 of 3)
Live Oak, FL @ Big IV Stage – Bear Creek Music Festival
Thought @ Work > How I Got Over > Here I Come > The Seed 2.0 > Move On Up [Curtis Mayfield cover] > Men @ Work [Kool G Rap cover] > Outro
As a child, I would watch Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” video and wonder why people would be so overcome with emotion that they would cry hysterically, faint and be carried out of the crowd lifelessly. That mystery was solved, twenty-five years later; when the ‘Legendary Roots Krewe from Philly’ obliterated Bear Creek’s Amphitheater Stage. After living out a dream (thanks to festival curator Paul Levine, who arranged for me to bring my hometown heroes onstage), I assumed the position riding the rail directly in front of emcee Black Thought. The entire Amphitheater was packed to the gills, people were screaming the band’s name with a vehemence! Ahmir ?uestlove Thompson led ‘The Illa-Fifth Dynamite Foundation’ as they launched into a gargantuan run of classics; “Table of Contents” gave way to “Next Movement,” ‘Hot Hot Music’ filled the dank air. The following seventy-five minutes was a whirlwind of unparalleled hip-hop fury: Capt. Kirk, Kamal Gray, Knuckles, Tuba Gooding Jr., Ray Angry and Mark Kelley followed their leaders thru the swamp and beyond. Roots chestnuts like “Proceed,” “Step into a New Realm” and “Mellow My Man” were delivered with vigor, the songs and style fresh to def.
A cauldron of my personal favorites was set ablaze; “Thought@Work”(with the “Apache” breakbeat and Beatles “Hey Bulldog” lick taboot!), the iconic Kool G Rap tune “Men at Work,” a jungle-infused “You Got Me,” Jr. Gong‘s “Welcome to Jamrock” and a ‘Fantastic’ excursion through “How I Got Over,” “Here I Come” > “The Seed 2.0” > “Move On Up” > “The Seed 2.0.” Yet it was during the undeniable Game Theory banger “Get Busy” that Riq Gz, aka “Black General Two-Fi’teen” (that’s Name, Rank, & Serial) asserted himself as the greatest emcee in the game, while simultaneously breaking down ‘The Concept’ of The Legendary Roots Krewe with one severely ill opening verse:
Legendary as advertised. Indeed, this writer is from Philadelphia; but please don’t get it twisted, this was fucking nuclear! The Roots headlining set on Saturday night is immediately on the short-list for greatest in the festival’s storied history.
Black Thought – MC Questlove – drums Frank Knuckles – percussion Captain Kirk Douglas – guitar, vocals Damon “Tuba Gooding Jr.” Bryson – sousaphone Mark Kelley – bass Kamal Gray – keys Ray Angry – keys
AUDIO: Schoeps mk21/cmc6 > Sound Devices 788 by Steve Bazley
VIDEO 1: Canon G20 by FunkItBlog
VIDEO 2: Canon Vixia HF21 by FunkItBlog
VIDEO 3: Canon HF100 by Michael Allen
FULL AUDIO DOWNLOAD IN FLAC FORMAT: TORRENT or MEGA
When The Roots embarked on the world tour for their 5th album, Phrenology, in early 2003, they had entered one of their most experimental stages (just as Common had recently done with his Electric Circus album, released only 2 weeks after Phrenology.) The Roots had fully embraced the jam band aesthetic; with guitar now an integral part of their live sound each band member took time on stage for extended solos and improvisations every night. At the same time, their sound was as tight and hard hitting as any funk/soul revue you can remember. At the top of their game, they consistently rocked crowds and impressed critics.
With 10 years of hindsight, we can look back and see just how on point this group was as they paved the way for the next generation of hip hop and soul musicians. On the 10 year anniversary of the Phrenology tour I present four broadcast videos of The Roots from 2003, each with different lineups and guitarists.
First up is their homecoming show at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom near the end of the tour. This show featured a slew of surprise guests, including Nice & Smooth, Brand Nubian, and Special Ed. Watch the full video below in 2 parts, download the DVD, or download the full audience audio recording.
The Roots
March 14th, 2003
NYC, NY @ Roseland Ballroom
TV broadcast (pro-shot) > VHS (very low generation) > DVDR
01. Rock You
02. Thought At Work
03. Swept Away
04. The Next Movement
05. Quills
06. Proceed
07. Act Too… Love of My Life
08. Panic!!!!!
09. What You Want
10. Water
11. The Seed (w/ Cody ChesnuTT)
12. Silent Treatment (reggae version)
13. You Got Me
14. Drum & percussion duet
15. Peter Piper [Run DMC cover]
49min04sec
Black Thought – MC Questlove – drums HUB – bass Kamal – keys Scratch – human beatbox F. Knuckles – percussion Ben Kenney – guitar
Next up is a video from their European Tour just a few weeks later. By this point, guitarist Ben Kenney had left to join Incubus on bass. Having been with The Roots since the summer of 2001 when he filled in on bass while HUB was out, he switched to guitar in mid-August of 2001, then departed in mid-March of 2003.
For this short European tour, Vernon Reid & Martin Luther both held down guitar duties. By May of 2003, Captain Kirk Douglas stepped in on guitar and has been in the band ever since. Presented for the first time with upgraded audio, you can watch this video on youtube, download the DVD, or download the broadcast audio.
The Roots
March 23rd, 2003
Koln, Germany @ E-Werk
TV broadcast (pro-shot) > PAL VHS (low generation) > DVDR (Panasonic in flexible record mode) > Sony Vegas Video 10.0 (audio upgrade) > DVDR
01. Rock You
02. Thought @ Work
03. Swept Away
04. The Next Movement
05. Quills
06. Bass solo
07. Sacrifice
08. Double Trouble
09. Improv Jam (w/ Roy Hargrove & Vernon Reid)
10. Fuck All My Enemies interlude > You Got Me
11. Drums & percussion duet
12. Keyboard solo
13. Hip Hop 101
14. Human beatbox solo > Hip Hop 101
73min46sec
Black Thought – MC Questlove – drums HUB – bass Kamal – keys Scratch – human beatbox F. Knuckles – percussion Vernon Reid – guitar Martin Luther – guitar, vocals
Next up is a broadcast video from the North Sea Jazz Festival during the summer of 2003. This video features both Martin Luther and Captain Kirk Douglas on guitars. And by this point, Scratch had departed from the group.
The Roots
July 11, 2003
The Hague, Netherlands @ North Sea Jazz Festival
01. Swept Away
02. The Next Movement
03. Quills
04. Love of My Life
05. Interlude I
06. Water
07. Interlude II
08. Break You Off
09. Bass solo
10. Guitar solo
11. Interlude III
12. You Got Me
13. Drum & percussion duet
14. Keyboard solo
15. Hip Hop 101
57min43sec
Part 2 of 3:
Black Thought – MC Questlove – drums HUB – bass Kamal – keys F. Knuckles – percussion Martin Luther – guitar, vocals Captain Kirk Douglas – guitar, vocals
Finally, I have a short broadcast video from the Hurricane Festival in Germany on June 21, 2003. This video features Captain Kirk Douglas on guitar.
The Roots
June 21, 2003
Scheessel, Germany @ Hurricane Festival
01. Thought @ Work
02. Questlove interview
03. Thought @ Work (continued)
04. The Next Movement
05. Questlove interview
06. The Next Movement (continued)
07. Quills
08. Questlove interview
30min35sec
Black Thought – MC Questlove – drums HUB – bass Kamal – keys F. Knuckles – percussion Captain Kirk Douglas – guitar, vocals
P.S. I also recently uploaded 4 audio recordings of Cody ChesnuTT from his 2003/4 Headphone Masterpiece tour when he opened for The Roots. Download them here.
