Disappointment!

Maybe it's my own fault. Perhaps I went into it with too high of expectations. Maybe I can't look to the past as a predictor of the future. But, I'm still so let down! The Roots have failed me :(

I guess I was a bit behind the times, because I didn't discover the Roots until January 2007. D and I had been dating for a few months, and Valentine's Day was coming up. I spend a lot of time thinking about the gifts I give. I want the person to love what I present them. I also had to think inside of a budget minded box, so I spent a lot of time listening to him talk, trying to get ideas. One day, in conversation, he mentioned that he loved the band The Roots, and they put on one of the best shows he had ever seen. Ding, Ding, Ding!

The Roots just happened to be coming to Austin in late February, playing at Stubbs. I purchased tickets, presented them to him on Valentine's Day, and we both got psyched for the show.

I was blown away. I fell in love with The Roots. The energy, the lyrics, the instruments.... everything about them appealed to every aspect of my musical sensibilities. After the concert, I started listening to old Roots albums, and they quickly became one of my favorite bands.

So, imagine how thrilled I am when D surprises me with Roots tickets a few weeks ago. We were both so excited for Wednesday, June 18 to come. We even got there early, to try and get close to the stage so that we would have the best vantage point to enjoy the show.

And that is when the let down began. Instead of having a real opening act (Lupe Fiasco opened for them in Austin, which was a great way to lead into the Roots), they just had a couple of DJs on the stage, spinning popular rap music, occasionally rapping along with the song. It was like being at amateur karoke night.

When the Roots came on, they were just.... lacking. The didn't play a lot of my favorite songs, opting instead for some medleys of other rap songs. It just wasn't what I came to watch. And beyond that, some of the initial spark and fire that I fell for just wasn't there. This was D's 4th Roots concert, and he thought it was the worst. We ended up leaving a little early because we weren't enjoying ourselves.

I know everyone has an off night, but it's still sad when you were so looking forward to something. But, no worries, Roots, I haven't given up on you yet.