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.
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
