First of all, I am sending this message via my son's account,
something I have never done before. Secondly, I have been a
Roots fan since my oldest son (now 24) hipped me to their
artistry when he was in high school.  Third, seeing last
night's show gives me faith in the undying/innovative talent
of ?uestlove and company.

I have read many of the posts here and just want to say that
as a momma of 3 undying Roots fans and as one of the group's
older fans myself, I have to say that last night's concert was
one of the best that I've seen.  The experience for me is
likened to seeing Bob Marley and The Wailers back in the mid
'70s and one that I'll not likely forget.  Seeing a hip hop
concert at RCMH was rather surreal; seeing Big Daddy Kane was
like watching a variation of James Brown; standing for nearly
2 hours and rocking to the groove of the band was something I
haven't done in.....I can't tell you how many years. 

Driving this week through the midwestern states to New York, I
told my youngest son the story about Sam Cooke.  During the
drive, I had him listen to a cd of one of Sam Cooke's live
concerts that took place in Florida back in 1953.  My son was
floored b/c he couldn't believe how similar the show was to
the Roots Live album.  This just goes to show that while hip
hop is new and different, it is the same as gospel/soul music.
 

I say all of this so that The Roots, Jazzy Jeff, Common,
Talib, Nas and others who shared the vision presented last
night and again tonight will realize the importance of what
they have accomplished and will continue to do what they do
best.

While there may have been backstage drama and haters within
the hip hop industry, the show for me was an experience that I
never dreamed of having in my lifetime.  The show was
extraordinary and will go down in history as one of my most
memorable experiences with my children.  

Momma Maitai/Chicago