I have attended many concerts, which I thoroughly enjoyed; however, The Roots concert on Fri 5/20 most certainly stands out. From the moment that you entered into the venue the atmosphere was that of a funktified house party, which just happened to be at the House of Blues. The crowd was prepped for the concert by a DJ who spun old school hits from artists like The Gap Band, Mary J. Blige, Prince and Michael Jackson (with his original nose). Then an MC walked through the crowd inviting the standing room only crowd to get their groove on and sing along. We danced and boldly sang the lyrics of these old school favorites with complete abandon and sheer disregard for our, well my, lack of singing ability. The entire crowd pointed in the air in rhythm and chanted the words to Slick Rick's "La Di Da Di," as if it were still 1985.

There was also the feel of a street carnival as individual booths were set up showcasing artisans who shared their inspiration and creativity with the crowd sans charge. Tracey Beale, a jewelry designer whose work has been featured on MTV & BET crafted hand-made jewelry pieces for individual guests while they waited. Photographer, Robert Taylor was taking gorgeous black & white prints of concertgoers that were ready in minutes. Other artists that lent to the celebration of originality included a body painter who was on hand to embellish the bodies of concertgoers who were so inclined and an artist who painted a canvas that paid homage to C-Town with symbols of our city and state during the concert.

Then, of course, there was the concert. Reggae artist, Mishka, was not on the bill, but was a pleasant surprise. Accompanied by a drummer and fellow guitarist, he kicked the concert off with a positive energy and mellow vibe that had the audience bobbing their heads and swaying. Then Grammy-winning artists, The Roots, an impressive full band that also happens to be a hip-hop group, came onstage and the crowd went wild. MC, Black Thought, poet and philosophizer, flowed in his signature style, quickly engaging the crowd whose fist were pumping the air as they danced and sang along. This group's style is about the art and the music and they feature live instrumentation that reaches out and grabs the audience.

It was obvious that the entire crowd, a well-blended mixture or races and ages, was totally feeling their vibe and by the end of the first set (yes, I said FIRST) we were enthralled by the solos of the musicians. The bassist, Hub, performed a solo reminiscent of the great rock virtuosos. A solo from guitarist, Kirk Douglas, mixed in various old favorites including, "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music, a personal favorite. The energy and creativity were electric and the audience was inspired to join in. People everywhere were dancing and squealing with glee as the group not only rocked their own hits like, "Don't Say Nuthin'" and "Break Me Off" but as they delighted the crowd by mixing in great old school music of yesterday.

Their guests, Floetry, were on hand to promote their sophomore effort, due out this summer. The Floacist, Natalie, and Songtress, Marsha, took the stage with their band while Black Thought continued to rhyme and engage the crowd. They performed remixed versions of their hits, "Floetic" and "Say Yes" while also giving us a taste of songs from their upcoming CD. Then, as their band played their final number, The Roots reentered and took over the stage…mid-song. Even the drummers were in complete synchronization as ?uestlove, The Roots famed drummer/producer, simply tagged Floetry's drummer and they switched places without missing a single beat.

The crowd was ecstatic and the party continued for another hour as we were treated to more fabulous songs by The Roots and great samples of old school and current songs like "1 Thing." On the way out the crowd was treated to yet another complimentary gift, quality picture frames and money clips engraved with "Be True" and New Jazz Philosophies regarding the power of music. This was quite fitting as I had two black & white prints that needed frames and had saved lots of money with all of the free treats. Not only was this a party that I would not soon forget but I also had mementos to carry home with me. My only regret of the evening is that I missed an opportunity to meet members of Floetry and The Roots. The artists were signing autographs in the lobby while I was upstairs having a rose painted on my arm by body painter, Turia Ostling. No problem, I will definitely catch them next time around. from Cool Cleveland contributor Roxanne Ravenel zaanpva@yahoo.com

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