Live Notes: The Roots (DAR Constitution Hall, Washington D.C.)

So I made the trip (to be documented in a later post) to D.C. to see the Roots with my good friend Posh. When I found the concert it was a lovely excuse to see her. Plus I got to miss work the following Sunday.

But anyway back to the music. This would be my first concert after the official release of Game Theory. At the August show, they previewed the material off the album but now I was armed with more knowledge of the music. But before we got to the main course there were a couple of appetizers that we had to get through.

First up was Lupe Fiasco, the man with the most critically acclaimed hip-hop album of last year with some of the highest sales, though still kind of anemic by the old standards. I finally got to listen to the whole album on the ride down and was amazed at the musical vision the kid possesses. And he's conscious. But due to the open bar we visited before the concert, well we missed him. Eh, I don't think it would have been too different than the Central Park set I saw him do.

Next was local superstar Chuck Brown. Armed with a many-piece band, they did a medley of their go-go hits. For those who don't know, go-go is a style very popular amongst the D.C. area heads. It is very focused on the percussion. Sometimes it sounds like the drums on Amerie's "1 Thing." But he rocked the place. Even me. I think it was the ebullience of my neighbor that got me so amped.

So after a well-timed trip to the facilities, The Roots were up next. They quickly dove into some of their more recent material and never really slowed down. The night was like a non-stop party. It's hard to distinguish where one song ended and where another began because it was just that fluid. And I was dancing my ass off. (Kudos to Posh). Whipping through hits like "Long Time" and "Love of My Life (Ode to Hip-Hop", they also found time for extended jam sessions including one with a brass setion led by expert trombonist Jeff Bradshaw.

I'm almost at the point where I won't blog any more about Roots concerts. Not that they're bad or anything. On the contrary, they continue to get better. So every time I feel like I write the same thing. Awesome show, amazing musicality, fun fun fun. Oh I'll probably still keep writing. I think The Roots have become my favorite group.