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Back on the University of Texas campus for the first time since their Gregory Gym show in 2002, Philadelphia hip hop band, The Roots has seen a lot of changes in the intervening 5+ years. Multiple personnel changes have occurred, inevitably changing the sound. The rap-rock tangent that marked their 2002 release, Phrenology, as a left turn from the more straight-ahead Things Fall Apart is long gone. In its place on their studio albums is a meticulous and detailed, if more subdued, sound. The Roots have proven nothing if not dynamic, however, in a career spanning well over a decade. In some ways, that has proven an asset, as they have never stagnated creatively, or fallen into the same ruts as many of their peers have. One constant, however, was always the live show. While the songs and the people playing them changed over the years, the same energy and skill always made them worth seeing. When the intro was over and they settled into their set, however, it was clear that something was different this time.

For this tour in support of their album Rising Down, out later this month, the lineup consists of five mainstays of the Roots over the years: Drummer ?uestlove, MC Black Thought, Keyboardist Kamal Gray, Guitarist “Captain” Kirk Douglas, and Percussionist Frank Knuckles. Notably absent since the last time I’d seen them were virtuoso bassist Leonard Hubbard, who split with the group last year, and vocalist Martin Luther. New add-ons were bassist Owen Biddle and Tuba player Damon Bryson. The set opened with decent energy in an intro that was restrained, but created a good tension. Going directly into a set that included a lot of low-energy, jazzy tracks a la “Mellow My Man” and “Everybody Is A Star” let all the air out of the crowd though. Even when they tried to kick it up a notch by playing the grimier “Quills,” the overall softer sound simply did not inspire much excitement. This was a stark contrast to their high energy shows of years past that got crowds energized and involved. Songs that have traditionally been their cool-down songs, e.g. “Love of My Life” became the high-energy points.

By the time ?uest, Kirk, and “Tuba Gooding Junior” got done with a rather self-indulgent 25-minute rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War” that served as the intermission, I was about ready to pack it in and hope the after-party was going to be an improvement. Things stayed jazzy and low-key for one more song, their Grammy-winning single, “You Got Me,” with vocal warbling courtesy of Captain Kirk. Suddenly, however, it was as if someone gave them a dose of smelling salts, as the last three songs finally had some energy. I couldn’t help but think it was too little too late as they walked offstage an hour and a half after going on, but thankfully, they came back out for an encore with more of the same: “The Seed 2.0″ and a cover of Kool G Rap’s “Men at Work.” Overall, the set list was not very effective, and while the musicianship was great, it was not as effective as it has been in years past because of the low energy level. They pulled it out at the end though, and made it worth seeing.

And after the party is…

The afterparty: DJ ?uestlove spun at Whisky Bar on 5th St., and put together a nice set of hip hop, soul, and pop jams. The crowd was similar to the usual weekend crowds at Whisky Bar, who come to see DJ’s like Tats spin fairly similar material. Because of this, they were receptive to the set, and seemed to be having a good time with ?uest on the tables and Texas rappers Bavu Blakes and Pikahsso on the mics. ?uest hit all the bases…Nas, Tribe, Geto Boys. There were no major surprises, but it was definitely well-constructed and drew a quality crowd. Despite some imperfections early in the night, I suppose all’s well that ends well, and I look forward to their next trip to Austin.

Links
Okayplayer.com
TheRoots.com
Bavu Blakes
Pikahsso

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