Okayplayer has a slightly obtuse review of the live performance of The Roots new album. The album is called . . . And then you shoot your cousin. Here is a snippet from the review by Eddie “Stats” which highlights the use of performance to make some interesting arguments:
Questlove is at the decks now and as the lights strobe a massive avalanche of balloon animals suddenly falls on the stage, a Jeff Koons flood of meaningless forms, falling in the framedrop slo-mo created by the flash of the strobe. A doo-ragged character enters the stage, humming, holding a gigantic red balloon like a kite. There’s something clownish in his dancerly movements, he has his mouth absurdly open, recalling at once a mime, Flavor Flav in wop-mode, the broom-wielding enforcer of the Apollo as he sweeps balloons away in the wake of his feet. In silence his dance picks up in intensity and his movements resemble Flav less than legendary b-boy choreographer Pee Wee Danz. As he steps and swims through balloons, the pop of dying inflatables echo like gunshots. We are fully in Fluxus territory now, improvisation colliding with a wickeder kind of randomness to create an ‘anything could happen’ tension in the room.
via The Roots chop up their new LP into art live (photos + recap) Okayplayer.
The Roots performing live among some balloon animals. Photo by Mel D. Cole taken with respect from Okayplayer.
Life of refinement 