While the entertainment industries in major markets like New York and L.A. continue to struggle to operate safely during the pandemic, comedian Dave Chappelle is managing to stay relatively active in his home town of Yellow Springs, Ohio.
Over July 4th weekend, Chappelle hosted a star-studded “festival” event in a cornfield in Yellow Springs, much like he did for his recent 8:46 special. The event was private and, like at all of Chappelle’s shows, phones weren’t allowed in the audience. Some footage and photos, however, have begun to surface on social media, and it looks like the stuff of daydreams.
The six-hour event took place on Saturday with roughly 400 socially-distanced people in the audience—each wearing a face mask with Chappelle’s logo emblazoned across the front. The show featured comedy sets by Chappelle, Michelle Wolf, Cipha Sounds, Mo Amer, Donnell Rawlings, Tiffany Haddish, and Michael Che, as well as an amusing cameo by actor Jon Hamm
After a fireworks display, Questlove reportedly performed an all-J Dilla DJ set, followed by musical performances by Frédéric Yonnet, Issa Ali, Monie Love, Talib Kweli, Common, and Erykah Badu. Following that, according to a post by DJ/comedian Cipha Sounds, “The night ended with Questlove and Erykah Badu’s band providing the music for several impromptu songs with Erykah Badu, Common, Talib Kweli, Dave Chappelle, and Tiffany Haddish.”
Related: Stevie Wonder Surprise Calls Questlove During DJ Livestream [Watch]
In his post on the experience, Questlove also noted that he was tested twice and quarantined for coronavirus ahead of the event, presumably along with the rest of the artists that appeared. The event was reportedly professionally filmed for an official release at some point down the road. Of note, the artist lineup sounds unavoidably similar to the roster for Dave Chappelle’s Block Party in 2005, and if that film was any indication, the final product from this weekend will be must-see TV.
Scroll down to peruse some photos, videos, and firsthand accounts of the festivities from Questlove, film producer/photographer Mathieu Bitton, Cipha Sounds, Donnell Rawlings, and more.
@candytman
View this post on Instagram
Can somebody say history! Everybody in this photo has been tested for DA RONA! #negative
). We were then treated to an amazing fireworks display behind the stage while Questlove DJ’d an all Dilla set! This was followed by Music performances by Frédéric Yonnet, Issa Ali, Monie Love, Talib Kweli, Common, and Erykah Badu. The night ended with Questlove and Erykah Badu’s band providing the music for several impromptu songs with Erykah Badu, Common, Talib Kweli, Dave Chappelle, and Tiffany Haddish. As usual for Dave’s shows, no phones/cameras were allowed, but we got these free face masks as a memento. 
#davechappelle Thanks @ctmarie
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
@candytman never missed a shot! Salute to one of the best! Making history!
The post Dave Chappelle Hosted A COVID-Conscious July 4th Fest Ft. Questlove, Erykah Badu, More [Videos/Photos] appeared first on L4LM.
