No Roots on July 4th?
![The Roots' Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson performs during an Independence Day celebration Saturday, July 4, 2015, in Philadelphia.](https://cdn10.phillymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AP_Roots-4th-of-july-940x540.jpg)
The Roots’ Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson performs during an Independence Day celebration Saturday, July 4, 2015, in Philadelphia.
Say it ain’t so, Questo.
The Roots won’t be headlining the Wawa Welcome America! Festival on July 4th, according to this report from Billy Penn.
The Philly natives have played the annual concert since 2009. But new Mayor Jim Kenney is apparently doing some behind-the-scenes tinkering.
“There are exciting changes going on at WaWa Welcome America and we look forward to announcing them at a press conference in the coming weeks,” Lauren Hitt, the mayor’s spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement.
The band hasn’t released a formal statement, but drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson tweeted Billy Penn’s story this morning, along with a cryptic comment: “#goodluckwiththat.”
Granted, the city has other issues — like the massive proposed soda tax, lingering concerns about the Police Department’s stop-and-frisk practices, and a youth gun violence epidemic, to name but a few — but Kenney still might face some heat over a concert change.
Follow @dgambacorta on Twitter.