In what has undoubtedly been a star-studded, jam-packed tribute to not only LL COOL J's legacy but 50 years of Hip-Hop, The F.O.R.C.E. Tour came to a close in Boston on Sunday, Nov. 19.
Fellow Queens legend DMC made a surprise appearance at the stop, and backed by The Roots and DJ Z-Trip, took the stage alongside LL to rock classics like "It's Tricky." The F.O.R.C.E. (Frequencies of Real Creative Energy) Live tour, presented by Rock The Bells and Live Nation, kicked off on Aug. 11 in Baltimore, and rolled through cities including Forth Worth, TX, Atlanta, Denver, L.A., D.C., and more. The star-studded tour arrived three decades after his last headline arena tour, and featured collaborative live performances with Hip-Hop band The Roots, along with the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff, and DJ Z-Trip.
The show played like one live set, or "live mixtape" as LL previously explained. With that in mind, there's really never been a tour like this in Hip-Hop, a point that Roots drummer Questlove made on Instagram following his dynamic appearance with LL COOL J at this year's Rock The Bells Festival.
"LL COOL J, DJ Z-Trip, and The Roots rockin for the rest of the summer during this RARE time our shows are on hold," he wrote. "Once in a lifetime to catch this magic."
While the Boston show marked the end of the tour, LL recently said he's open to the possibility of a second leg.
"I wanted to show that you can continue to do high level performances and arenas and big shows at anytime in your career," LL told Rock The Bells. "It’s a matter of you loving your craft and your fans, and getting out there and playing for them. We proved that with big shows all over the country, and it's an amazing feeling. Now there's conversations about a second leg. I don't know — I'll think about it."