American hip-hop band The Roots has pulled out of a pair of upcoming David Bowie tribute concerts, its co-founder Questlove has announced.
The drummer wrote a lengthy Instagram post about the gigs, which were scheduled for today and tomorrow, April 1, attributing the band's cancellation to a dispute over sharing equipment.
"I've never been so insecure or petty as to deny a fellow musician use of ANY of my equipment (or my band's equipment--or resources or contacts or knowledge or anything) it angers me when that same courtesy is not reciprocated," he wrote.
"(Believe you me I was about to get #TomPetty or #PettyWap or#PetRockAndCLSmooth or #BlackPetty or however you wanna roll wit it)-keeping a level head and not being self destructive is a weak point I'm working on. But I'm also keeping it true: The Roots/Bilal/Kimbra (w/ Wendy Melvoin, DD Jackson & Ray Angry) pulled out of these Bowie gigs. We have patience. Enjoy your precious equipment."
The Pixies, Cyndi Lauper, the Mountain Goats, Michael Stipe, Heart's Ann Wilson, Debbie Harry, Perry Farrell, Flaming Lips and Jakob Dylan are slated to perform at the tribute to the Starman.
Bowie himself had been scheduled to attend before his death. "The Music of David Bowie" will unfold at Carnegie Hall on Thursday night and Friday night.
