PHILADELPHIA — Usually, Philadelphia’s annual Roots Picnic feels like a warm and sunny homecoming this time of year, with thousands of city natives and out-of-towners gathering to enjoy Black legacy acts and next-gen artists at the music festival. However, this past weekend, things took a dreary, unexpected turn.
That much was certain at the tail end of Saturday’s kickoff as headliner Maxwell closed out his hits-filled set to a weary crowd — what was left of it, anyway — that had endured hours of relentless rain and biting winds just to see him take the main stage at Fairmount Park.
“Thank you for staying,” the neo-soul titan graciously told remaining festivalgoers as the clock neared midnight, nearly three hours past his original showtime.
“You didn’t have to stay,” Maxwell added, “but I appreciate it.”
And he’s not wrong. After a day of battling turbulent weather and waterlogged grounds, every single one of us could have (and should have) called it quits on the festival hours before his set. We certainly would’ve been well within our rights to do so.
