John Legend and The Roots are set to get the Spike Lee treatment when the director lends his talents
to a live webcast concert. The concert, part of the "Unstaged" American Express live concert series, will
take place on September 23rd in New York. Legend and the Roots will be performing cuts from their upcoming
covers album, Wake Up!, which drops September 21st. As we've mentioned before, the album will feature 11
socially conscious songs from the '60s and '70s, including Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "Wake Up
Everybody" and Donny Hathaway's "Little Ghetto Boy."
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The live webcast will stream on YouTube's music video offshoot, Vevo, and offer fans several interactive
elements, including the ability to select the camera view. Don't call this a Spike Lee joint, however. "It's
a John Legend and the Roots joint," Lee insists. It isn't the first time Spike has ventured into
live performance territory, however. In the past, he's also directed performances by John Leguizamo,
Luciano Pavarotti and the acclaimed Broadway musical, Passing Strange.
While Lee admits to enjoying shooting live shows, he promises fans will enjoy watching it even
more. "I'll tell you this: I'm not shooting for people to look at on their iPhones. At least a 15-inch computer screen," he warns. "For me, it's criminal to watch a movie on your phone.
