Hopping beats and dancing feet: The Sprite Liquid Mix Tour is a hit

The warm summer air was filled with the sounds of pounding bass, banging drums and flowing lyrics as Talib Kweli, The Roots, O.A.R, N.E.R.D, Slightly Stupid, Robert Randolph and the Family and more took the stage at Merriweather Post Pavilion for the Sprite Liquid Mix Tour on Sunday August 31. The concert was an electric mix of hip-hop and rock that made for a unique crowd and sound.

The crowd of largely white-preppy college students got to their feet the minute Talib Kweli stepped on stage, and they did not sit down until they were in their cars driving home. Kweli set the stage by ripping hot lyrics and getting the crowd involved. He performed some songs of his newest album, Quality, like the hit singles "Get By" and "Shock Body." In addition, his set included some of his older songs, like "The Blast," and a duet with Skillz. Kweli brought lots of energy to the stage and showed that he is a real MC who can put on a live performance, which is becoming less common in mainstream hip-hop.

The upbeat tempo was maintained by the great performance by The Roots. The Roots set included long solos of guitar, bass and drum improvisation. The highlight of the night was Questlove's drum solo that rocked the crowd and showed his musical prowess. Still, Blackthought shook the crowd with his lyrics along side the soulful beats. They only performed a few songs of their new album Phrenology, including "The Seed" and "Rock You," because most of the set was simple jamming. The Roots are a shining light in the black abyss of popular hip-hop, which normally features meaningless lyrics and little musical talent.

O.A.R took the stage amidst screaming fans. It was apparent that many of the attendants had mainly come to see them. Every song they played was met with the audience singing along with exuberance and excitement. Even the whitest of the white kids was on their feet dancing to soothing sound of O.A.R. Although, O.A.R was a contrast to the hip-hop sound of the other acts, they were very animated and lively. The melody of the saxophone and solid bass drum was an enjoyable sound.

The crowd thinned out after O.A.R, but the remainder of the audience eagerly waited for N.E.R.D to finish off the night. After the other bands N.E.R.D was a let down. Pharrell of N.E.R.D did get the crowd pumped and involved, but the music was not that great. The mix of hip-hop and rock just came out as a bad version of both. In addition the lyrics were difficult to hear. Also, the performance was very clichéd: Pharrell kept reminding the crowd that they are in D.C. and that they love D.C. so much. The highlight of their set was when they played the hit single "Rock Star," but they played a lot of songs off their upcoming album that the crowd did not know.

The Sprite Liquid Remix Tour was good enough to get people to dance by. combining innovative hip-hop with jamming rock and roll. Unfortunately, N.E.R.D was not the strongest choice for closing act. Instead, The Roots should have ended the night with a bang of percussions.