In the City of Brotherly Love, there's plenty of love for hip-hop heroes The Roots. So some are criticizing the city's decision to book the group for its July 4 festivities as the opening act for Buffalo, N.Y.-based headliners Goo Goo Dolls.
Melanie Johnson oversees the festival and tells The Associated Press that picking a headliner is a complex process that weighs factors such as broad public appeal, marketability and cost.
Organizers, sponsors and city officials devise wish lists that are whittled down until there's a final decision. Sometimes it's a local act, sometimes not.
That perplexes Roots fan and Philadelphia Weekly music editor Brian McManus. He points out that the group is the house band for "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon." He says that's proof of their wide appeal.
Copyright 2010  AP News
