Music

The Roots quit Bowie tribute shows after someone wouldn't lend them gear

by Jesse Locke

Storied hip-hop/soul group The Roots were set to co-headline David Bowie tribute concerts at New York’s Carnegie Hall on March 31st and Radio City Music Hall on April 1st. However, Jimmy Fallon’s house band (along with fellow performers Bilal and Kimbra) have now pulled out of these star-studded events because someone wouldn’t let them borrow the backline.

Outspoken drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson rolled onto Instagram to share the source of The Roots’ frustrations:

Continuing to step up his hashtag pun game, Questlove explained how equipment sharing issues were the specific cause of their cancellation:

“I’ve never been so insecure or petty as to deny a fellow musician use of ANY of my equipment (or my band’s equipment—-or resources or contacts or knowledge or ANYTHING) it angers me when that same courtesy is not reciprocated. (Believe you me I was about to get #TomPetty or #PettyWap or #PetRockAndCLSmooth or #BlackPetty or however you wanna roll wit it)—keeping a level head and not being self destructive is a weak point I’m working on.”

Anyone who’s played on a five-band bill with an uptight ding dong who brings their own drum kit and refuse to let anyone else touch it can surely relate. Most musicians would bend over backwards to lend The Roots their amps and drums, though, because it would probably bless them with some kind of jazzy Midas Touch.

The Music of David Bowie concerts will go on as planned with a line-up “subject to change” that currently lists Blondie, The Pixies, J Mascis, Cat Power, Ann Wilson of Heart, Perry Farrell, Jakob Dylan, The Flaming Lips, The Kronos Quartet, The Donny McCaslin Group (Bowie’s band on Blackstar) and superproducer Tony Visconti. If that doesn’t sound too ghoulish, you can live stream it on the concerts’ website.