?uestlove
and the the rest of The Roots will take a break from the traveling hip-hop show Rock the Bells Tour to perform at Lansing’s own
big-name blowout.
Festival
organizers today announced that hip-hop heroes The Roots, as
well as several supporting acts for the 10th annual Common Ground
Festival.
The
Grammy-wining and critically heralded live hip-hop group came up in the
late ‘80s and early ‘90s in Philadelphia, making a name with the
success of albums like 1999’s “Things Fall Apart” and 2002’s
“Phrenology.” All Music Guide calls the band’s live shows among the
“best in the business,” and since March “the legendary Roots crew” has
been the house band on NBCs “Late Nate with Jimmy Fallon.”
The Roots have appeared in such movies as Spike Lee's "Bamboozled" (where they played the house band of a late night racist variety show) and Michel Gondry's "Dave Chappelle's Block Party."
Organizers
say the band will take the stage opposite Stone Temple Pilots July 7 in
what is shaping up to be a banner night for this year’s fest. (Although
The Roots’ MySpace page says the group will be in Las Vegas that day;
Common Ground officials said the band is confirmed to play in Lansing.)
Three
other supporting acts were also announced for this year’s festival,
including Hunter Brucks, Needtobreathe, Safetysuit and Parachute.
Brucks,
a Michigan native who calls his music a mix of “Motor City soul” and
“southern rock ‘n’ roll" (we think some of his songs sound like Bon Jovi
singing country), will open for Sheryl Crow on July 9.
Opening
for American Idol winner David Cook on July 10 will be South Carolina’s
Needtobreathe, a soulful rock group whose tunes — which include “Shine
On,” “Don’t Wait for Daylight,” and “Nothing Left to Lose” — have
appeared in TV shows and movies.
Alt-rock group Safetysuit is making a name for itself on the popularity
of high-charting hit “Someone Like You.” Safetysuit is touring with 3
Doors Down this summer, and will open for the band on July 12.
Also
warming the crowd for 3 Doors Down will be Parachute, a band whose song
“She is Love” you may recognize from VH1, or from a marketing campaign
for skin care product maker Nivea.
Common
Card seven-day passes are available for $85 until July 1, when they go
up to $95. Individual, single-day general admission tickets for July
6–10 are available now. Single-day general admission tickets for July
12 go on sale 10 a.m. Friday, May 22. Single tickets for July 6-10
& 12 are $26 per day in advance until July 1, when they go up to
$32.
Children
10 and younger get in free with a ticketed adult. Tickets are available
at Star Tickets outlets, the Common Ground office in the Lansing City
Market, 333 N. Cedar St., Lansing, www.commongroundfest.com and by
calling 1 (800) 585-3737.