The Roots, Slash and Jill Scott Rocked the Borgata

On Monday night, the Borgata celebrated 10 years in business with an epic concert event. Comedian Aziz Ansari opened with a 40-minute set tackling subjects like Grindr and gluten-free diets. Then Questlove, Black Thought and the rest of The Legendary Roots Crew took the stage.

And the Roots had some very special guests. Former Guns N Roses guitarist Slash, topped with his usual black hat and curls, brought many in the peculiarly sedate crowd to their feet when he arrived. Slash joined the Roots on blistering versions of GNR’s “Sweet Child of Mine”, Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”, and a dirty funk version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire”, the best cover of that song that I have ever heard. Roots guitarist Kirk Douglas ably provided lead vocals for the Slash set.

But the party really got started when Philadelphia’s own Jill Scott showed up, looking beautiful in dreads and a teal jersey-dress. After a couple of tunes with the Roots and Slash, she brought her own band onto the stage.

Flanked by an all-male team of black-clad backup vocalists and horn players, Scott delivered a dazzling performance that ranged from sultry R&B to opera. Yes, opera. The woman seated to my right yelled out, “Bring it, girl!” when Scott first appeared. And it was brought.

Below, some exclusive photos from the night:

And, of course, Questlove posted some Vine videos from the Borgata: