311, The Roots - Long Beach
Location: Long Beach Arena - Long Beach CA
Author: Arturo Perez
Photography: Mike Martner
Two pros of the game get together for a very special tour celebrating their new releases and not disappointing the crowd one bit.
First up at the bat is The Roots, the best hip hop band ever, whose new album The Tipping Point is due out in stores on July 13th. Largely known for their fusion of jazz, rock, soul and hip hop, the Roots give it to the crowd strong. While playing classics like "The Next Movement" and newer tracks like "Seed 2.0," the band steps away from all conventionality. That's right, instead of playing booty shaking tracks, they rip blue notes for over two minutes and improvise several jazz interludes, making their show an instrumental orgasm. The highlight of the night comes in the way of percussion, as ?uestlove teams up with the man behind the conga drums for over ten minutes of experimental craziness.
I've seen lots of percussion tricks done on live shows but none could ever get close to the mastery of the Roots. They not only synchronize the sound, but use each other as complementary layers, creating an eclectic IDM mix, lowering and raising tones, creating a cascade of rhythms that pleasure all ears. The predominantly 311 crowd loves it, clapping and cheering.
The only problem is that the Roots get too experimental after this success, and while everyone in the crowd is waiting to explode if they only bust out some hip hop, the Roots keep hammering you with insane experiments. But then, the pay off, the group continues to show off their musical mastery while playing snippet covers of artists ranging from Beyonce to Talib Kweli to 80's rock n' roll.
This group is clearly on a whole other level. Fans of Aphex Twin, Sigur Rós and Radiohead will clearly be dazzled at a Roots show. But it would have been nice if they'd mixed it up more evenly with some more hip hop in between.
A few beer lines later everyone is geared to see the boys from 311. This band has been around for 14 years, and while not as commercially successful as they once were, they are happy. They have and will always have a hardcore crowd following them. It is actually very surprising to see how many young kids there really are at a 311 show (it’s those singles man!) And then there's always the mix of those who have seen them over ten times.
Why see this band ten times? Because their energy is insane. The positive vibes of 311 will rejuvenate even the most depressed, as the band starts bumping it right off the bat with, "Freak Out," getting the crowd to jump up and down incessantly. And while the band has seven studio albums and plenty of underground releases, they still keep it to the basics, playing classics like "Homebrew," "Feels So Good, and "Do You Right." They mix it up nicely with several songs from Transistor, including the rocking "Beautiful Disaster." Of course they play the major hits from 311, including "All Mixed Up," and the closer of the night, dedicated (for some reason) to all the hardcore fans, "Down."
The band really keeps it old school, only playing a few tracks from their latest three albums, choosing only "Reconsider Everything" from Evolver, though they did play two new ones from their recently released Greatest Hits 93-03, including their Cure cover song.
It is really good to know that 311 has managed to keep such a positive vibe for so long, even when they felt the need to come off way more melancholic and reflective in Evolver.
Shows like these are what make live music special. Unity, experimentation, connection and positive vibes.
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