The Roots, Usher, And Common To Play Concert For Victims Of Lynching

Amy Harris / Invision / AP – Black Thought of The Roots
Black Thought of The Roots takes charge at Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival in Florida March 3.

The Roots, Usher, and Common are among the artists playing in Montgomery, Ala., at a concert to celebrate a new memorial dedicated to African-American victims of lynching.

Named after the memorial its celebrating, the Concert for Peace and Justice takes place at the Riverwalk Amphitheater April 27, according to WFSA. Additional performances include Brittany Howard, Gary Clark, Jr., Kirk Franklin and others that are yet to be announced.

Organized by the Equal Justice Initiative, the concert is part of the group’s two-day summit to celebrate the opening of the new memorial. Several political figures and artists will speak during the event, including Common, Al Gore, Ava DuVernay and Gloria Steinem.

According to the EJI, the memorial is the first to honor American victims of racial violence and terror.

Tickets to the concert go on sale March 30.

The Roots played plenty of festival slots last year, in addition to a string of headlining shows and a four-night residency with Dave Chappelle. Those shows, which also featured performances from Usher and Common, took place at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and sold 22,744 tickets and grossed more than $2.6 million.

Usher reported no solo dates to Pollstar’s Box Office, but he did hit several festival stages, including New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival.

Common also played various festivals last year, including The Summer Spirit Festival and Monterrey Jazz Festival.