The Roots Picnic will mark its first in-person event since 2019 on June 4 and 5 at the Mann Center at Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park. The fest will feature a headlining set from Mary J. Blige and the Roots, who will share the stage for the first time.
The stacked lineup also features appearances from Summer Walker, Wizkid, Kirk Franklin, Jazmine Sullivan, Yebba, Tierra Whack, Mickey Guyton, Chief Keef, Muni Long, J Period Live Mixtape featuring Black Thought, Rick Ross, G Herbo, Masego, Serpentwithfeet, and more.
“After a long two years, we are excited to announce the return of the Roots Picnic to Philly with two days of music and culture at the Mann at Fairmount Park,” Shawn Gee, President of Live Nation Urban, Roots manager, and Roots Picnic co-founder, shared in a statement. “This year, Black Thought, Questlove and I attempted to curate a lineup that broke through the genre barriers that often separate us in black culture. To be able to book Mickey Guyton, Kirk Franklin, G Herbo, Wizkid, Wallo & Gillie, and Mary J Blige on the same lineup was a dream come true.”
The 2022 iteration of the event brings a bigger lineup for a bigger stage as Roots Picnic returns to Fairmount Park for the second time since launching in 2007. When it was first held there in 2019, it represented the original vision for the festival: summer afternoons in the park watching Philly DJs spin a soundtrack to the culture. Prior to the move, Roots Picnic found a home at Festival Pier.
Tickets go on sale on Friday, with presale tickets available beginning on Tuesday. The event will also be streamed live on the Roots’ official YouTube channel.
Not for the first time, Moby is speaking out against Donald Trump’s administration with clear frustration.
“The U.S. is collapsing under a deeply corrupt and shockingly ineffective administration,” the longtime electronic musician shared on social media. “These are unbelievably dark times.”
Moby went deeper into his thoughts through a video message, where he explained that people outside the United States keep asking Americans what is actually happening in the country.
“So many of my friends outside the United States keep asking me, ‘what the hell is happening over there?’ And honestly, we don’t even know,” he said. “The country is being controlled by one of the most corrupt, dangerous and incompetent administrations imaginable. Nobody fully understands what’s happening right now. These are very dark times in America.”
Moby joins a growing list of artists publicly criticizing Trump and MAGA politics, including Bruce Springsteen, Jack White, Eminem and Billie Eilish.
Earlier this year, Moby uploaded another statement to social media where he addressed how people should respond following the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis. “The real question isn’t whether people should feel horrified or outraged by what’s happening in the United States,” Moby explained in the Jan. 26 clip. “The question is what are we actually going to do about it?”
The musician and activist also encouraged people to protest, saying demonstrations are a constitutional right and something he believes Trump’s administration is attempting to weaken.
In the end, he urged people to vote regularly, “not only during the upcoming midterms, even though those matter, but also in every special election throughout the year.” He also encouraged supporters to “stop giving money to the scumbag corporations backing Trump and ICE. We all know who they are. Boycott them.”
His newest remarks arrive as the U.S. Justice Department unveils a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund for Trump allies who claim they were unfairly investigated. At the same time, the Strait of Hormuz remains shut down following military action launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in late February without approval from Congress, leading to rising gas prices across the globe.
Throughout his independent music career, Moby has earned 10 entries on the Billboard 200 along with two songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and an enormous catalog of sync placements. Overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom, he is viewed as one of the defining artists of his era. He scored two No. 1 albums there with Play from 1999 and 18 from 2002, alongside 18 top 40 singles and two nominations for Best International Male at the BRIT Awards.
Check out Moby’s newest social media post below.
