Good news for anyone who wasn't lucky enough (or quick enough) to score tickets to the post-Super Bowl taping of the Tonight Show in Phoenix -- or any local fans of the program's house band, The Roots: they're reportedly going to be putting on a free concert in downtown Phoenix the day before the big game.
Word broke yesterday afternoon that the esteemed hip-hop/neo-soul band fronted by Questlove and Black Thought will be one of the headlining bands at the Pepsi-sponsored "Hyped for Halftime" stage inside the massive Verizon Super Bowl Central event that will take over downtown Phoenix from Wednesday, January 28, to Sunday, February 1.
Both headliners were announced via Facebook by the official Super Bowl XLIX host committee on Wednesday afternoon.
They will be a part of the free concerts that will be offered all four days at the stage, which will be located near the intersection of First and Washington streets, including gigs by a number of local bands, musicians, and performance artists and a big-name act capping off each night.
While the headliners for Wednesday, January 28, and Thursday, January 29, haven't been announced as of this writing, Walk the Moon is scheduled to perform on Friday, January 30, while The Roots will take the stage on the evening of Saturday, January 31.
It will be the third time in five years that Questlove and company has gigged here in the Valley. Back in November 2010, The Roots went head-to-head with Miniature Tigers during the Red Bull Soundclash in Scottsdale, which resulted in a battle-of-the-bands-style competition between the two acts and a spectacular night of music that also involved the University of Arizona marching band. And in March 2013, The Roots were one of the nightly headliners of that year's edition of the McDowell Mountain Music Festival at Margaret T. Hance Park.
The rest of the lineup for the Hyped for Halftime stage features several notable local groups, such as Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra, Tramps and Thieves, and Daisy Train. Thursday will have more a Latin bent with Chicha Dust, Jaleo Band, and folkloric dancers performing, while Friday will be more indie-centric with gigs by Jared and the Mill, Party Gardens, The Technicolors, and Harper and the Moths.
The (mostly) complete schedule, which is courtesy of the Super Bowl host committee, can be found on the next page.
Wednesday, January 28:
2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.: Ak- Chin Dancers: Ba'Ban Kehina 2:45 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.: Ollin Yoliztli: Life & Movement 3:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.: Aztec Dance Group 4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.: Tramps and Thieves 5:30 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.: Daisy Train 7:00 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.: Nightly Opening Act TBA 8:15 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.: Nightly Headline Act TBA
Thursday, January 29:
2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.: Ak- Chin Dancers 2:45 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.: Mariachi Olivia Calderon 3:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.: Folkloric Dancers 4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.: Chicha Dust 5:30 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.: Jaleo Band 7:00 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.: Nightly Opening Act TBA 8:15 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.: Nightly Headline Act TBA
Friday, January 30:
2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.: Harper and the Moths 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Sugar Thieves 4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.: Party Gardens 5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.: Jared and the Mill 7:00 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.: Technicolors 8:15 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.: Walk The Moon
Saturday, January 31:
10:00 a.m. - 10:40 a.m.: Heartlyn Rae 10:55 a.m. - 11:25 a.m.: Morris Allan 11:40 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.: Ritmo Latino 12:35 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.: SW Soul Circuit 1:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.: Super Bowl Hand Off 2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.: Whiskey's Quicker 4:05 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.: Los Sociales 5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.: Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra 7:00 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.: DJ 8:15 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.: The Roots
Editor's note: This blog has been updated since its original publication.
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