The Roots to play at UMaine

For release February 19:

Orono ME- After several months of student petitioning the University of Maine Student government is pleased to announce that on March 20 critically acclaimed Hip Hop group The Roots will perform at the UMaine Field House. The concert can be traced to a Facebook group created by student Andrew Downey called “Bring The Roots to UMaine.” The Facebook group eventually gained over 2,000 followers and led to creation of this on campus concert event.

With the success of the “Bring The Roots to UMaine” facebook group several other groups have been started to make local groups and artists the opening acts for the show. Maine rapper Spose and local band Grant Street Orchestra are just a few of the many groups trying to gain local and student support. However at this time no announcement has been made as to who will be the opening act for the show.

The Roots are a Grammy award winning Hip Hop group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania started in 1991. Their combination of instrumental performances combined with rap lyrics have earned them a worldwide following. To date the group has released twelve albums and have worked with artists such as Nas, Common, and Jay-Z. They are renowned for their live performances and were even named “One of the twenty greatest live acts in the world” by Rolling Stone magazine. The group has also appeared in such media as the film Dave Chappelle’s Block Party and television show Yo Gabba Gabba. They can currently be seen as the house band on the television show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased through Umainetix.com. The tickets are priced $15 dollars for students and $20 dollars for the general public. The show will be held March 20 at 7pm in the UMaine Field House.