Bowie Tribute Organizer Responds to Roots Dropping Off Benefit

City Winery founder and organizer of two upcoming David Bowie tribute concerts Michael Dorf said he hopes the Roots will still perform after the group, alongside Bilal and Kimbra, dropped out following a dispute over shared equipment.

Drummer Questlove broke the news on Instagram Wednesday night that the group would not play the shows scheduled for tonight and Friday at Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall, respectively. While the drummer did not name who else was involved in the argument, Dorf clarified some details in a statement.

“There was a miscommunication about the use of the Holy Holy’s drum kit last night on the tight City Winery stage for the rehearsal show,” he wrote. “Very unfortunate. I would hope that after a night’s sleep and knowing we have a much larger stage with multiple drum kits and other equipment that the Roots will still join us this evening.”

As Dorf noted, the Roots have regularly participated in his annual “Music Of” benefit concerts, including tributes to David Byrne and the Talking Heads, Prince, Neil Young and Bob Dylan.

“[W]e deeply love and respect them,” Dorf wrote of the Roots. “I remain hopeful they will still join the important celebration of David Bowie’s music tonight and tomorrow and the two sold out shows can experience their powerful performance as one of the 20 amazing songs planned.”

A spokesperson for the Roots declined to comment on if the group would perform at the concerts.

The lineup for the Bowie concerts still boasts Michael Stipe, the Pixies, Cat Power, Blondie, Perry Farrell, Jakob Dylan and Ann and Nancy Wilson, among other artists.