photos by Colin Kerrigan

Earth, Wind & Fire help Philly celebrate Independence Day

A little after 1 p.m., the Parkway was already jammed with people who had come from near and far for the Fourth of July celebration in Philadelphia - and it stayed that way well into the night as the Roots repeatedly rocked the stage, and Earth, Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey hit some stratospheric high notes.

Many came in red, white, and blue attire, with their children, their spouses, and their dogs.

Courtney Beckett, 22, a medical assistant from West Chester, even brought her six-foot boa constrictor, Sampson.

"They're cold-blooded, so they need heat," she explained as her cousin, Zhabree Jacobs, 8, let the reptile curl around her shoulders.

And, boy, did that snake get grilled.

Temperatures pushed 90 most of the day at the Wawa Welcome America celebration Monday, as people ate gyros and cheesesteaks, swayed to music, and reunited with friends and family to party Philadelphia-style.

Organizers had no official crowd count, although Mayor Nutter said, "This might be the largest Fourth of July event ever." The event has been known to draw a million or more people.

With a pink-and-orange sunset in the background and Sara Bareilles and the Roots performing. [Philly.com]

The Roots hosted and performed at their Fourth of July Jam in Philly with Earth Wind and Fire, Michael McDonald, Estelle, Sara Bareilles, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Boyz II Men and others. The concert, which was billed as "the largest free concert in America," lived up to its title, though as expected at a concert that big, not everyone has a positive experience. According to Anthony Sbarro, "Way too many people at the Roots Fourth Of July on the Parkway concert. Good luck to whomever is going! I'd recommend against it." Tamika Chandler posted a video to her YouTube account of what she dubbed the "4th of July Jam Fiasco." The video description and tags read:

People arguing & fighting. I wanted to enjoy the concert but because so many people were trying to budge in front of those who were smart enough to be early and sitting down in their own seats, I ended up filming the entertaining arguments/fights that arose from this.

Parkway, Philadelphia, Philly, Jam, Concert, Fourth, 4th, of, July, Fireworks, Fights, Beer, Drunk, Arguing, Arguments, yelling, crowded, crowds, kids, pot, marijuana, smoking, wild, fiasco, rude, the roots, earth, wind, fire, &, and, PA, pennsylvania, city, mayor, nutter, police, popo, smh, penn's landing, downtown, city, delaware river, wawa, michael mcdonald, sarah bareilles

Check out her video work, and a video of Estelle and Michael McDonald performing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" together, below.

In other Roots news, Black Thought plays Brooklyn Bowl tonight (7/5) with J. Period, Mr. Mecca, Skotch Davis, Boogie Blind and DJ Suga Ray. Questlove DJs the same venue every Thursday. This Thursday is a "special free edition".

More pictures and videos from the 4th of July Jam below...

Continue reading "The Roots celebrated 4th of July in Philly w/ Earth, Wind & Fire, Estelle, Michael McDonald & more (pics & video)"

The Roots at Prospect Park in 2010 (more by David Andrako)

Although musical options in NYC are limited on the 4th of July, you could head to Philly for the Philly Fourth of July Jam. This year's show, which is being billed as the "largest free concert in America," will feature The Roots and special guests including Earth, Wind and Fire, Michael McDonald, Estelle, Sara Bareilles, and DJ Jazzy Jeff. It runs from 7-10pm at Benjamin Franklin Parkway and will be followed by fireworks (naturally).

Meanwhile you can catch Earth, Wind and Fire in NYC tonight tonight (6/28) and Wednesday (6/29) at Beacon Theatre. It's been forty years since Earth, Wind and Fire first hit the scene, and...

Forty years later, Bailey says Earth, Wind & Fire is still in pursuit of being the best band in the world.

"We're just being the best we can be and seizing the moment we've been given," he says.

"We still practice and we still hone our craft, though we've been playing these songs thousands and thousands of times. We make sure we go back and pay attention to the little details, and our audience appreciates the attention we put into stuff."

Throughout its storied career, Earth, Wind & Fire mixed funk-seared dance jams such as "September," "Boogie Wonderland" and "Serpentine Fire" with Quiet Storm classics such as "Devotion," "Can't Hide Love" and "Keep Your Head to the Sky." Often, the Grammy-winning band stoked its sound with African and Brazilian rhythms on its way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. [Calgary Herald]

Earth, Wind and Fire also have shows scheduled in Atlantic City and CT before Philly on the 4th. All dates are listed below.

The Roots have been keeping super busy as usual. In addition to planning the biggest concert in America and collaborating with countless musicians, partially related to then playing Fallon on a daily basis, they played a series of interesting shows in NYC last week. At least Questlove is taking a day off from Brooklyn Bowl.

Most of those shows were part of the ongoing Blue Note Jazz Fest. Two of them, at the Blue Note, were The Roots and Rakim performing Paid in Full in its entirety...

"With an early show and a late show, the band ran through the 10 track of the classic album with funky flawlessness. During the first show, Nelson George asked Rakim and Black Thought questions about the album's legacy and Rakim's career at the beginning and half way points. The second show featured questions from Toure, and both Dave Chappelle and Talib Kweli were in the house who had their turn posing questions as well. Very dope stuff indeed." [Okayplayer]

Check out a video from this performance below. Estelle, also on the 4th of July show, played two shows at the Blue Note last week too.

The Roots also performed at the launch of Rebuild the Dream at Town Hall on Thursday (6/23). Rebuild the Dream is a new movement to bring back the American Dream and help Americans find jobs, go to college, etc. The Town Hall event consisted of a long motivational speech and call to action interspersed with a couple performances by The Roots. Learn more at the movement's website. Video of the entire event, and the other stuff, below.

Continue reading "The Roots played w/ Rakim, hosting giant 4th of July show in Philly w/ Estelle & Earth, Wind & Fire (who are on tour now)"

photos by Graeme Flegenheimer

"From the moment you set foot inside the main gate at the Fair Grounds Race Course, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is like a music and food lover's "Choose Your Own Adventure" novel, with nearly every option inciting pure sonic and culinary bliss. A morning beignet in the Gospel Tent with Arthur Clayton & Purposely Anointed? A lazy afternoon perked up by some Crawfish Monica and the Drive-By Truckers joined by Booker T? How about a stroll to the Gentilly Stage for the sounds of Spoon and the Dirty Dozen horns, stopping for a quick bowl of gumbo along the way? Etta James and a Soft Shell Crab Po-Boy, anyone? All signs point to yes...

...Now in its 40th year, the 2009 edition of Jazz Fest continues to ramp up post-Hurricane Katrina, expanding to its full complement of 12 stages, up from nine last year, and seven days, up from six in recent years. The event's first of two weekends boasted music from nearly 200 acts, including the likes of Dave Matthews Band, Crescent City native Wynton Marsalis and his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Joe Cocker, Erykah Badu, James Taylor, Earth Wind and Fire, Pete Seeger, Hugh Masekela, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Etta James and many more." [All About Jazz]

Jazz Fest ran from April 24-26 & April 30-May 3 at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, LA. More pictures from the first weekend of the festival below...

Continue reading "a set of pictures from New Orleans Jazz Fest 2009 "