Roots Picnic 2009

Having attended the first annual Roots Picnic last year, I knew this year’s line up wouldn’t disappoint. Tickets were sold out on the day of with 6,500+ in attendance.  The picnic held at the hometown of The Roots, went from noon to 11pm with food and drinks served all day and shows going on in the main stage and tent area. From acts of old school legends to contemporary, it was a concert for everyone.

The Set List

The crowd at 3pm.

Antibalas, a Brooklyn based Afro-beat group, who are much respected by Questlove after he witnessed their FELA! musical last year.

Black Keys, a pretty rocking band comprised only of two guys. Dan Auerbach, vocalist/guitarist of Black Keys blew his amplifier out in the between sets and the crowd called for a drum solo drummer/producer, Patrick Carney, but he didn’t. Perhaps next time.

Santigold did her thing with a live band, flanked by two sidekicks and brought on Spank Rock as a special guest.

Girls going wild for Asher Roth.

Public Enemy, backed up by The Roots band and Antibalas horns, came out and blew everyone away. Their songs never get old and the crowd never gets less hyped and Flavor Flav who’s practically 50yrs old is still jumping around like there’s no tomorrow.

Brooklyn based, Tv On The Radio, performed last right before The Roots. Starting off with Young Liars, they performed crowd favorites like Wolf Like Me, Staring at the Sun and more.

The Roots closed out the show with a bang, including a 10-minute rendition of You Got Me. They are no doubt one of the greatest bands of our time, consistently pushing the boundaries of music with improvisation and appreciation of different genres.