The Red Bull Soundclash Boston experience featured two bands – The Roots and Antibalas – with different music styles (Hip Hop and Afrobeat) facing-off on two stages positioned on opposite ends of the venue with the audience in the middle. In a series of four rounds, the bands perform various tasks—some rehearsed, some improvised—to showcase the range of their musical abilities. The audience participated in the back-and-forth exploration between the bands by judging each round.