The Roots at Constitution Hall on March 9 proved once again why they are one of the best live acts out there. They reinvented their show once more by putting their own music on the backburner and performing excellent tributes and cover songs.I got there late and missed opener Lupe Fiasco, but did get to see DC legend Chuck Brown warm up the crowd with his call and response set. I don't know much of Brown's music, but it was and entertaining and lively show he put on.
After Brown was finished The Roots took the stage by marching through the crowd with a brass band performing their song "Duck Down". After taking the stage they wasted no time jumping into a few tracks off their recently released album Game Theory plus some older songs.
The real highlight though when they did their take on other artists' music. They did a tribute to the late hip hop producer Jay Dee and a funk jam session that featured several James Brown songs that really threw the crowd into a frenzy. They did a new and improved Hip Hop 101 where they do short covers of popular hip hop songs old and new. The best part of the evening though came towards the end when they expressed their displeasure with the war in Iraq by doing an eight minute version of Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" with guitarist Captain Kirk singing the lyrics and looking a lot like Jimi Hendrix playing the guitar. Seeing them perform the song was one of the best performances I have ever seen.
This show was one of the better Roots shows I have seen and I liked the fresh take on their performance and the fact that they shortened their solos, which had been tedious at other shows I have been to, was a welcome fix. Next time they are in town do yourself a favor and go see one of the best live musical acts any genre has to offer.
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