The Roots to Tour With Estelle, Gym Class Heroes

(swiped from Pitchfork Media)


What's the world's finest live rap group got in common with a brassy British up-and-comer and a cadre of silly yet sad-sacky emo-rappers ? Well, not a whole hell of a lot...until October, that is.

Yes, the Roots, Estelle, and Gym Class Heroes will join forces for a co-headlining spin around North America this fall. Could it be that we've all been sleeping on Gym Class Heroes, and this is a wakeup call from ?uestlove aimed directly at our brains? Or is this just another step in the Roots' slow crawl towards full-bore emo-dom they set in motion with that ill-advised collaboration with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump that didn't make Rising Down?

Either way, look for that Wu-Tang/Lily Allen/My Chemical Romance jump off in the spring.

The Roots have a whole mess of European festival appearances to attend to before linking up with Estelle and the Heroes.

The Roots:
08-14 Avenches, Switzerland - Openair Festival
08-15 Salzburg, Austria - Frequency Festival
08-16 Helsinki, Finland - Flow Festival
08-17 Biddinghuizen, Netherlands - Lowlands Festival
08-20 Bergen, Norway - TBA
08-21 Oslo, Norway - Scentrum Scene
08-22 Bodo, Norway - Parken Festival
08-23 Oudenaarde, Belgium - Feest in ‘t Park
08-24 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic - Hip Hop Kemp Festival
08-26 Moscow, Russia - B1
08-29 Paris, France - Rock en Seine Festival
08-30 Argyll, Scotland - Connect Festival
08-31 Stradbally, Ireland - Electric Picnic
09-06 Madison, WI - SOCO Music Experience !
10-03 Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live *
10-04 Norfolk, VA - The Norva *
10-05 Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues *
10-06 Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle *
10-07 Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues *
10-08 Miami, FL - The Fillmore at Jackie Gleason *
10-11 Dallas, TX - The Palladium Ballroom *
10-12 Austin, TX - The Backyard *
10-14 Phoenix, AZ - The Marquee *
10-19 Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues *
10-21 Denver, CO - The Fillmore Auditorium *
10-23 Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom *
10-24 Chicago, IL - Congress Theatre *
10-25 Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit *
10-26 Toronto, Ontario - Sound Academy *
10-28 New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom *
10-30 Worcester, MA - The Palladium Downstairs *
10-31 Asbury Park, NJ - Asbury Park Convention Hall *
11-01 Albany, NY - Washington Avenue Armory

! with the Black Keys, GZA, Benevento Russo Duo, Ha Ha Tonka
* with Estelle, Gym Class Heroes

Video: The Roots (ft. Wale and Chrisette Michelle): Rising Up [from the Rising Down LP]