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Because Times Square was just too sedate and quiet, it's getting a 28,000-square-foot Guitar Center (218 W 44th St between Seventh and Eighth Aves), perfect for teenage tourists who want to keep practicing "Smoke on the Water" while on vacation. To celebrate the store's August 7 grand opening, Tonight Show house band the Roots are playing a free concert at the Best Buy Theater the same night. Aside from providing the soundtrack to pretty much every viral late night clip, including "Slow Jam the News" and "The History of Rap," the Roots have eleven great albums to their name and a reputation as one of the best live acts in hip-hop, and drummer Questlove has rightfully assumed his place as one of the genre's elder statesmen.
RECOMMENDED: Full coverage of concerts in NYC
Though it's a free concert, you still have to get tickets before the show. They're available on Tuesday, August 5 at noon at metro area Guitar Centers, with a limited number at the brand-new Times Square store just before the concert. So go snag your tickets to see the Roots—cackling Jimmy Fallon sold separately.
Here's a handy guide to local Guitar Center locations:
Union Square: 25 West 14th St (between Fifth and Sixth Aves)
Atlantic Terminal: 139 Flatbush Ave (between Atlantic Ave and Hanson Pl ), Brooklyn
Long Island City: 34-17 48th St (between 37th Ave and Northern Blvd), Queens