The Roots Pre-Picnic Jam Session @ TLA
June 10th, 2008 - by Abdullah
I’ve gotten to see the Roots live several times, often for free, since I moved to Philadelphia. That was four albums ago, when the posters for Phrenology
I picked up tickets for the Roots Pre-Picnic show, for which the line-up boasted about a quarter of what the actual picnic was holding other than the headliner. Though I try to avoid paying 35 bucks for a show at TLA, I wanted to see what kind of heat new names like Santogold would bring. She was about to go on as we rolled in six deep.
Appearing as a less physically attractive and tiredly formulaic copy of MIA, Santogold took the stage flanked by two dancers dressed as PE-style Black Panthers, whose occasional choreographed break from ‘statue’ to ‘spaz-dance’ was about the only interesting thing about the set. Santi herself lip-synched most of the set, one clearly crafted for ready-made fans by producers in place for this former label exec to live a rockstar dream. The absolutely garbage set confirmed my suspicion that the former A&R for Epic Records would put out something sugary and contrived, taking up valuable airtime that would have been better deserved by a an original and talented discovery.
I spilled my Yuengling. All over the floor of the upstairs bar. I forked over another $5.75 for a new one and resumed my spot next to my head-shaking boys. Somehow, the next act was even worse. Janelle Monae, a fledgling on Diddy’s Bad Boy label (yes, you can smell the shit already) was fan-fared by pre-made signs, obviously handed to concertgoers who had never heard of her, which bore her name and ridiculous haircut. The patronizing effect of obviously pre-produced beats with the façade of a real band not even playing their instruments had one of my boys laughing and comparing it to a show by the robot animal band at Chuck E. Cheese. Every song was at best a weak take on Southern style pop coined by Andre 3000. She was a pretty bad performer to boot.
Finally (finally!) the Roots took the stage and murdered shit. No surprise there. Not many of my favorite old tracks were played, but we got an extra-fast version of “The Seed”, a pretty standard version of “Don’t Feel Right” and, most notably, a dub version of “You Got Me” that had my drunk ass smiling hard. The sousaphone player kicked it on stage the whole time, supplementing the bass lines in a unique way. Extra long jams on “Jungle Boogie” and “Super Bad” rang for ages, and a nice mid-set break for Black Thought gave singer Bilal a chance to tear it up for a second. A great set with well-placed surprises.
In brief, it looks like the Roots are partially surrounded by trash, even though they themselves are still holding it down. And not all of their new affiliates are worthless; Wale’s new ‘Mixtape About Nothing’ is one of the best thematic hip hop works since the Automator/Prince Paul days. But I will be weary of who the crew endorses from here on out.
The last crowd-level incident that occurred that night had us laughing; ?uestlove, as usual, tossed his sticks into the crowd, one of which my boys Brian O dove for, battled a 350 pound dude over, got it loose and fell back knocking over the guy’s girlfriend. Brian bolted into the crowd while the gigantor kept his girl from hitting the ground. It all happened fast, right in front of us and we were all losing it for a minute.
June 10th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Love Santo, Love Janelle Monáe…
It disappoints me to see something so critical of something so special. Let these two grow. They’re making a space for Black women, (like me) who want something extra-terrestrial.
You can try to reduce the experience to something else, but I’m sure other people’s hearts were moved that night. I was one of them.
Thanks.
P.S. I guess I shouldn’t have given this post any energy, but I figured that for any fans you may have, It’d be in their best interest to hear a different perspective. Props to the Roots for putting the show on.
June 10th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Sabrina,
I appreciate both the energy and the perspective.
I’m sure there are plenty of people who dig both acts I’ve criticized. They, like you and I, probably heard about them by way of the marketing campaigns currently surrounding both artists.
Now read this
http://www.52shows.com/2008/04/15/abdullah-an-avid-collector/
I’m a believer in the philosophy that the live show is where the artist’s true colors shine, whatever they may be. There’s no hiding on stage. What I saw Santogold and Janelle do last Friday was absolutely nothing. Lip synching is not performing.
Read the liner notes of their CDs. You’re loving these two characters but perhaps you should reserve that love for the army of producers and writers crafting these albums. These are what we call manufactured artists, Sabrina. No better than Brittany Spears, except that their marketing is targetting you.
June 10th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Wow. The writer’s a loser. No news here… move along.
June 10th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
What about an artist’s voice as an instrument? Britney’s duck vocals might not be music to your ears. Ok. Bad example. I believe Sinatra also had an army of producers and writers craft his recordings as well. Were it not for his voice, the same recordings would not have had the same impact.
There are many recordings out there that simply cannot be reproduced in a live setting. If Jessica Simpson can belt out a flawless national anthem in front of thousands, is she the better artist than say, Kieran Hebden or Amon Tobin?
There are many philosophies regarding what constitutes merit in the world of music and they are just as valid as yours, and perhaps, formulated with a broader mindset.
June 10th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
I agree with the reviewer, lip-syncing is a terrible way for a singer to display his/her talents.
June 10th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
donkey!!!,
I’ll let my agreement with this guy’s taint stand as my response to your question. Any defense for lip synching?
June 10th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
I have a defense for lip syching. Its impossible to dance like they do and sing at the same time. Lip syching has its place in live music and thats in conjunction with dancing. And this dancing is all part of their act which is just as important as the music to their audience.
What is unforgibable are many of the live rap shows ive seen; Wu tang, red man, many acts of the Boot Camp Clik and others. They always show up drunk as hell and all they do is yell into the mic in unison. There is no flow and is doesnt sound anything like the albums. That shit is terrible.
June 10th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I can’t believe people would support such crappy showmanship. I don’t think anyone who pays to see a show should be subjected a pre recorded performance. I might as well watch the you tube video on a high def tv.
During Santogold’s performance I kept thinking, Robocop must have choreographed the dance routine. She was just weak. Janelle Monáe was embarrassing to watch, her band was a modern day Monkeys. Her entourage of posters and campaign signs, were a pathetic attempt at creating an image for herself and gathering fans. Save that for Nickelodeon’s Kid’s Choice Awards.
The Root’s killed it, and I didn’t see any lip syncing go on there. Void of goofy costumes, campaign posters and robotic dance moves, they were awesome. Even though Black Thought didn’t “spaz-dance”.
June 10th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Sure its tough to sing and dance at the same time, but there are real performers that work very hard to perfect such a talent. I would hardly say Santogold was dancing, I move more when I have to go to the bathroom
June 10th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
One last thing…
I don’t know which of you went to the show, but neither of the artists lip synced. That’s just the truth.
Perhaps if more people were buying music, everyone could afford a full band.
But even Outkast uses backing tracks. (Their live band supplements the sound).
As for reading the liner notes of their CDs — both artists are listed as producers on their albums…
So that army of producers isn’t really that big, and the generals were on stage.
Janelle Monae sung a ballad that I’m sure was no where near lip syncing — and Andre 3k would have a really hard time getting that one together.
Bottom line is this though: picking on the new kids at school cause they wear different clothes is just…
well, you know what it is.
June 10th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Dude, you are a pure jerk. Honestly. I was at the show, matter of fact I was backstage. They both sang, and sang well. The best indication of an artist at a live show to me is their ability to sound like the artist inside of the cd. Which both Santogold and Janelle Monáe did. You really think she lip synced SMILE. The ballad with just her and the guitarist playing. Maybe you should have spilled the other beer too. Next time spend your five dollars on a pack of q tips.
Man, I hope I am around when you wake up and realize your head was in your ass.
June 10th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
New clothes? Her entire set was based on the “Hey Ya” video. Outkast blew everyone away the first time around, they were so innovative. Janelle was just a bad sequel.
June 10th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
http://www.discogs.com/release/1321687
Sabrina,
Look at all those credits. I think them being listed as producers on their records is just a formality.
And I’m picking on the technique more than these guys in particular. I consider an honest expression to be something put together by a band or artist specifically for the live show rather than using studio musicians and gimmicks to pretty things up.
Human Weapon,
I totally agree with your claim about hip hop shows these days. It’s sad to say, the effort just isn’t there. Good thing there are acts like the Roots around.
Brian,
Yeah, you know what I’m saying.
June 11th, 2008 at 11:20 am
If something is shit, don’t hesitate to call it shit. It is amusing that all these people jump on a reviewer for expressing their opinion about a live show.
For our sake, I would hope that what Reality Check said (”The best indication of an artist at a live show to me is their ability to sound like the artist inside of the cd”) is pure internet nonsense, because if you think that through, its probably the most inane criteria for judging a performance. I guess that Miles Davis probably would have sucked. I guess that anyone who does an improvisation, changes the tempo or feel of a song, or deviates at all from the playlist of length of a song is not that good.
Nah, I don’t buy that nonsense. But, who am I to disagree with the guy backstage…he must be important.
June 11th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
There are backing vocals on the hooks of her tracks, but the rest is all her. Having been on the road in Europe for more than a month earlier she’s been struggling w/ her throat/voice w/ her hectic road schedule.
Santi’s the truth.
June 12th, 2008 at 11:14 am
“The Imagination Campaign embraces the idea of using Imaginations from every corner of the globe to form a collective that is conscious of its power and responsibility for future generations. In as much as The Imagination Campaign has everything to do with Janelle Monáe’s musical odyssey, it also highlights the individual activity of her supporters in a way that introduces them to peers in their surrounding area and encourages them to be fearless in pursuing their dreams.”
What does that mean 2.0?
Well, what it means is that the Imagination Campaign is about YOU! Yes, JM is the pioneer and archetype individual for the campaign. But the first thing even she would tell you is that her intrepid use of Imagination is meant to be inspiration for you to follow YOUR dreams. She always says, “Success is best shared with others.”
We desire:
To encourage fearlessness
To seek freedom through innovation & productivity
To plant revolutions with the seeds of hope and knowledge
…and none of this is possible without you. So the next time you are at a show and you see people waving their picket signs like crazy, know that they are acting up as a way of thanking Janelle Monáe and the Wondaland Arts Society for reminding them that it is okay to be yourself, without fear, and with the support of others. And if you don’t have a sign in your hand or a button on your chest, find one, free yourself, and encourage others.
It feels really good.
Campaign Manager,
2.0bama!
*got this from Janelle’s Blog and I think this could help you become a bit more free in your mind… You seem very boxed in. Be like your favorite band, The Roots and move forward and stop living in the past. People are expressing themselves LIVE in A-Typical ways. By the way, Janelle Monae has never lip-synched so please don’t lie to sway people to your own beliefs. Are you black? Do you understand what’s going on in black music? You should be proud there is more diversity. Barack Obama is about to be our president, act accordingly.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:44 am
above is a stupid ass comment, so “act accordingly”