Summer Haze music festival: Fans pay homage to legendary band The Roots

Summer Haze hosted US hip-hop band The Roots at Wharepai Domain in Tauranga, alongside Home Brew, Hollie Smith, Kora, Jujulipps and Chali 2na. Photo / Aleyna Martinez

“An incredible band to be able to witness.”

That’s Tauranga singer-songwriter Hollie Smith’s review after legendary US band The Roots headlined the Summer Haze festival at Wharepai Domain on Monday night.

Smith performed with Kiwi band Home Brew at the hip-hop, soul and roots music festival before the seven-piece group from Philadelphia — The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon’s longtime house band — took the stage.

It was a reunion of sorts for Smith, who said The Roots were one of the first bands she worked after she was signed to a prestigious New York-based jazz record label.

“[The band are] the roots of an amazing style of musicality within hip-hop that now continues to grow, and they were the first to do that.”

She said drummer and joint frontman Questlove was “one of my idols”.

“It’s just nice to be in close vicinity of them all.

“Acts like this don’t come along very often and it’s a strange time of a year around Tauranga and the Mount — but The Roots have been such an influential band,” Smith said.

Singer Hollie Smith performed with Home Brew at Summer Haze in Tauranga. Photo / Aleyna Martinez

Hundreds of Kiwi fans determined to pay homage to the band’s legacy travelled to the show.

Deva Mahal, a soulful artist from Wellington with Hawaiian and Aotearoa roots, was one.

“I’ve been a fan of The Roots for like 30 years and I’ve never seen them play their own set. I’ve played with them, I’ve collaborated with them, but I’ve never actually seen them rock a whole Roots set.”

The band which first formed in 1987performed with two original members, which she said showed the legacy they have.

“They’ve spanned the length of time because they stayed true to who they were. [Being here] is extra special because of my connection with Aotearoa … I like to come and support other Black artists no matter where they are.

“For this, it really solidifies their place in the history of hip-hop, and it gives people a real, more authentic sense of what hip-hop culture is over in Aotearoa, so whenever that’s possible I think that’s always a beautiful thing,” Mahal said.

Deva Mahal (left) and Dana Leaming travelled to Summer Haze from Wellington to see The Roots. Photo / Aleyna Martinez

Mount Maunganui resident Ayesha Kee said the last time she saw The Roots, she was eight months pregnant with her now 19-year-old son and her husband’s crew, 4 Corners, were opening for them.

“I was at the St James [Theatre in Auckland] looking like I was pregnant with twins,” said Kee, who works as the community development manager — kai whakawhanake hapori at Te Tuhi Mareikura Trust.

“I think the importance for hip-hop and the music industry in the Bay of Plenty to have a band like The Roots is the history they bring with them, the level of performance, the musicianship and professionalism.

“It was a show that you didn’t want to miss. [Rapper] Black Thought didn’t miss a beat and his flow was incredible and on point,” Kee said.

Image 1 of 11: Security keeps the crowd cool during Summer Haze, Tauranga. Photo / Aleyna Martinez

Fans told the Bay of Plenty Times it was the band’s adaptability as artists and ability to deliver a message while staying relevant in their musical style for more than 30 years that made them buy tickets.

From Wellington, Andrew Kasonde and Mereli Elisaia said for them the show was a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.

“They’re old-school, hip-hop, traditional, but still in the future. They still keep the message, change with the times, and adapt while keeping the message of love, peace and harmony. And that’s hip-hop, that’s The Roots,” Kasonde said.

For local music legends Home Brew, staying relevant in today’s hip-hop scene was humbling, said band member and rapper Lui Silk.

Festival-goers proved Home Brew had left a rap legacy of their own since releasing their first album in 2012.

Punters sang the words to anthems like Alcoholic, proving to Silk that their music had stood the test of time.

“It’s a decade-plus and we’re still here.

“I didn’t think we would still be appreciated and relevant enough to keep going but the band’s great and they’re the scariest musicians in the country.

“Tom [Scott] and Haz, for every one song you have heard, there’s probably 20-plus that will never see the light of day.”

As a rap fan, Silk said working as a musician for more than a decade with Home Brew had come with the “highest highs and the lowest lows” but it was an honour.

Writing, producing and then touring New Zealand with his “best friends” for more than a decade was “humbling and daunting”, Silk said.

Aleyna Martinez is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. She moved to the region in 2024 and has previously reported in Wairarapa and at Pacific Media Network.