Let’s get one thing straight right now – The Roots are the best band going today. No question. They can easily play circles around just about any other band out there right now. This was my third time seeing them this year (Well, fourth if you count the two sets they did that the Roots Picnic this summer) and the “small” surroundings of the 9:30 Club really kicked their show into overdrive.
The 9:30 Club was as packed as I can remember in recent memory. I literally had to fight my way from the front of the club to the back when our three songs were over. It was shoulder-to-shoulder everywhere on the lower level. Not even my usual spot behind the soundboard was open.
The band was SUPER tight, working their way through their robust catalog with ease and throwing in some covers when they needed to stretch their wings a bit. I was amazed at how they can make recorded hip hop hooks sound so alive. Black Thought paced the stage left and right, far and near, dropping rhymes so fast it was hard to keep up. And my man Tuba Gooding Jr. was doing his thing center stage.
The band took the stage at the early hour of 9 p.m., so I left about 10:15 in order to edit photos and get a decent night’s sleep. I missed the Wale appearance, which is a shame, but I’ll see him at the 9:30 on Friday for his homecoming show.
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