October 6, 2000

Boston Avalon

This is more of a [b]Roots[/b] 'experience' than a [b]Roots[/b] concert...

Lyrically and musically The Roots are a band that are nothing else if not tight. The bang-on band part of The Roots - bassist Hub, keyboardist Kamal and the impressively Afro-ed funky drummer - get loose and most definitely down live, banging out jaw-dropping beats and elastic grooves for MCs to bounce their rhymes off.

The odd thing is, The Roots are onstage for almost the whole show tonight, playing house band to the rotation of MCs, but their songs are surprisingly absent. This is more of a Roots 'experience' than a Roots concert. Beware a band on tour supporting nothing.

That's not to say that what you get isn't good. Husky-voiced Bahamadia bobs and weaves through Roni Size resurrection 'New Forms', breathing life and hope into what could so very soon be a played-out, not-so-new form. Then we have fire-alarm-voiced nu-school diva Jaguar and her crowd-rallying belt through a 'Can't live with 'em, can't live without them' manifesto on men.

Black Thought's new solo stuff might as well be The Roots as he is ripping rhymes for the non-touring Malik B tonight anyway.

Why Jaguar is passed over for female foil on 'I Got You' is a mystery. The other mystery is why the song, instead of going all skittery drum'n'bass at the end, goes hillbilly, Scratch and Black Thought in a lock-armed, square-dancing swing.

The band is still blazing, though. 'The Godfather Of Noyze' Rahzel, also MIA, is more than made up for by Scratch's 'make the music with his mouth' trickery, cutting up beats and pieces of rap classics like he ate Coldcut's turntables for lunch. A live band version of 'Name That Tune' (bonus nostalgia points go to Salt 'N' Pepa's 'Push It' and Boogie Down Productions' 'The Bridge Is Over') shows The Roots can do just about anyone, and most likely do them better. So when do The Roots really come on and rip, then? When do they finally blow up what is already on fire? They don't - show's over.

Do we want more?! Yes. We want more albums, more songs, and more of The Roots. Until then, I guess this will suffice.