Where to start? So much to say, so few superlatives. Starting the year with A+ level artists is a treat, let alone being able to witness The Roots and Talib Kweli together – both hip-hop royalty in their own right. While The Roots are the obvious headliners, the addition of Kweli (promoted as guest) creates a top-shelf double bill for many fans. After a sudden afternoon downpour clears the Brisbane humidity, fans slowly fill the venue. Thanks to the power of music, artists such as this bring a beautiful variety of humans together. To my left is a teenager with his graying Dad in a J5 t-shirt, while to my right are two young couples of Pacific Island heritage sipping a cool beverage. Vibe-setting funk and R&B over the PA preps everyone for what is to come.
Nai Palm takes the stage first. Her blue/green hair is complimented by a glittery Flying-V guitar. Known as lead vocalist in Haitus Kaiyote, her soulful sounds immediately invite people closer. Her solo work in interesting with abstract flows and seemingly experimental guitar harmonics. Whatever ingredients she mixes, it’s definitely a tasty combo to sample.
The room quickly fills in anticipation of Talib Kweli. He takes the stage a little later than expected, greeted by an excited 2000+ audience. Talib Kweli’s involvement and influence on late ‘90s and ‘00s hip-hop is under celebrated. Early work with Mos Def and other heavyweights such as Madlib and Hi-Tek, and various appearances with Dave Chappelle, puts him in a heroic category. He whips the crowd up with classic ‘make some noooyyyyz’ requests while digging into his catalogue. The crowd is treated to lively deliveries of ‘Never Been In Love’, ‘Get By’, ‘Beautiful Struggle’ alongside a handful of Black Star tracks, plus Jaylib and Dangerdoom covers. A young(ish) fan in the front row mouths every word to each track. He explains that Talib’s albums were the only CDs in his car back in ‘the day’. A music education gleaned in the pre-streaming, pre-vinyl rebirth era. He understands the importance of headliners, but he was there for the guest artist.
And just like that, the main act glide onto stage with an undeniable air of ‘cool’. While Amir ‘Questlove’ Thompson and Tariq ‘Black Thought’ Trotter might be the faces of group, the entire Roots Crew each hold their own. The amped crowd bob their heads as the band breaks into ‘The Pros’ from the ‘Home Grown!’ album. The connection between each musician is beyond watertight. The funk ebbs with Black Thought’s flows as each track seamlessly melt from one to the next. It feels like magic – an aural slight of hand as you suddenly realise you’re in a different place. We morph from ‘Got My Mind Made Up’ by Instant Funk into Kool & the Gang’s ‘Jungle Boogie’.
Before we know it we land back into the land of The Roots with ‘Proceed’, ‘What They Do’ and ‘The Next Movement’. Every track is a masterclass of fun, funk and “how the f***?”. Bassist Mark Kelley is at one with Questlove’s time keeping, creating a rock-solid foundation for lead guitarist ‘Captain’ Kirk Douglas and Sousaphonist ‘Tuba’ Gooding Jr (what other band can claim that?) to build on. With seven instrumentalists on stage, it’s possibly the eighth wonder of the world how the band syncs one track to the next.
Tributes to past funk and hip-hop greats are slotted in with a The Blackbyrds/Herbie Hancock medley, and a smooth mixing of Curtis Mayfield and The Sugarhill Gang appears later in the set. 2000s Grammy winner ‘You Got Me’ sees ‘Captain’ Kirk provide a convincing replacement of the original Erykah Badu vocals. It’s a beautifully written and produced track that still connects with audiences.
‘Captain’ Kirk comes forward to show his guitar prowess, followed by ‘Tuba’ Gooding Jr taking funk Sousaphony to new heights. Enter percussion extraordinaire, Stro Elliot. Jaws drop as his electro-bongo and finger drumming wizardry carves seven minutes of full-flight, up-tempo disco funk with vocal samples and effects. The jam draws Talib Kweli back to the side of stage to capture the event while a grinning Questlove films from his drum kit.
Led Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song’ is then somehow bridged between a snippet of Marley’s ‘Get Up, Stand Up’ and The Root’s own ‘How I Got Over’. One would think the audience would have adapted to such surprises, but alas…no. Rock energy raises the hip-hop roof, leaving us breathless for more. An uptempo’d ‘The Seed 2.0’ is delivered with borderline punk attitude and it’s ah-may-zing. As the night closes out and the room empties, an electric pulse hovers. The connection between this beautiful variety of humans is clear, made stronger by the power from the stage. If there was a grade beyond A+, the power of music is the only way to find it.
As it says in ‘The Next Movement’…
… And yes y’all
You are now in tune to the sounds
of the legendary, foundation, check it out, uh…
With thanks to Frontier Tour for the media access.
Photos by Chris Searles
GALLERY
