- This article is about the hip-hop festival, for the LL Cool J song see Rock the Bells (song).
Rock The Bells is an annual hip hop festival that originally took place in Southern California only, but has since toured throughout the world. The concert features a lineup of high-profile alternative hip hop acts, often headlined by a more mainstream artist. The first festival was held in 2004, featuring a re-united Wu-Tang Clan, who performed 4 months before Ol' Dirty Bastard's death. [edit] 2004 Festival [edit] 2004 Festival #2 | Date | City | Venue | Lineup | | November 13 | Anaheim, California | Anaheim Stadium Parking Lot | A Tribe Called Quest, Xzibit, Cypress Hill, Jurassic 5 – Special Guest, Jaylib, Little Brother, Supernatural, The CMA, Crown City Rockers, Self Scientific. | [edit] 2005 Festival | Date | City | Venue | Lineup | | July 30 | San Bernardino, California | National Orange Show | Nas, KRS-One – Special Guest, Redman, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah (Cuban Linx),Hieroglyphics, Living Legends, Sage Francis, DJ Q-bert, Guru from Gang Starr, Cut Chemist from Jurassic 5, DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill, Non Phixion, Supernatural, The Visionaries. | [edit] 2006 Festival | Date | City | Venue | Lineup | | August 5 | San Bernardino, California | National Orange Show | Wu-Tang Clan, Lauryn Hill- Special Guest, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Redman, De la Soul, Dilated Peoples, Living Legends, Aesop Rock w/Rob Sonic & DJ Big Whiz, Immortal Technique, Del tha Funky Homosapien, B-Real from Cypress Hill, The Visionaries, Self Scientific, Murs 3:16, Planet Asia, Dirty Heads w/ DJ Rocky Rock, Supernatural. | | August 6 | Concord, California | Sleep Train Pavilion | Wu-Tang Clan, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Redman, De la Soul, Del tha Funky Homosapien, Living Legends, Immortal Technique, Murs 3:16, Zion-I, Supernatural, The Visionaries, Planet Asia, Dirty Heads w/ DJ Rocky Rock. | [edit] 2006 Club Tour The concept was taken from the original, highly successful annual West-Coast hip-hop festival and transformed into a full-fledged world tour. | Date | City | Venue | | November 21 | Washington, DC | 9:30 Club | | November 22 | Myrtle Beach, SC | House of Blues | | November 24 | Greensboro, NC | The N Club | | November 25 | Hartford, CT | Webster | | November 26 | Allentown, PA | Crocodile Rock Café | | November 28 | New York, NY | BB Kings | | November 30 | Boston, MA | Avalon | | December 1 | Providence, RI | Lupos Heartbreak Hotel | | December 2 | Buffalo, NY | Buffalo Ballroom | | December 3 | Burlington, VT | Higher Ground | | December 6 | Chicago, IL | House of Blues | | December 8 | Park City, UT | Harry O | | December 9 | Denver, CO | Ogden Theatre | | December 12 | Vancouver, BC | Plush Nightclub | | December 13 | Seattle, WA | The Showbox | | December 14 | Portland, OR | | | December 15 | Sacramento, CA | Empire | | December 16 | San Francisco, CA | Mezzanine | | December 20 | Los Angeles, CA | House of Blues | | December 21 | San Diego, CA | House of Blues | | December 22 | Anaheim, CA | House of Blues | [edit] 2007 Festival Series  Wu-Tang Clan performing at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts on the opening night of the 2007 tour. Rock the Bells 2007 had 3 major venues scheduled; July 28th and July 29th in New York, August 11th in San Bernardino, and August 18th in San Francisco. These select shows were headlined by a reunited Rage Against the Machine, and co-headlined by Wu-Tang Clan. The artists appearing in the shows appeared in rotating slots over the two-show weekend in New York, and selected performances for the remaining duration of the 20 shows, which were head-lined by the Wu-Tang Clan. Five cities also had a second stage called the Paid Dues Independent Hip Hop Stage. Rage Against the Machine was the festival's first non-hip hop act to be featured, though the band combines elements of hip hop with rock music. | Date | City | Venue | | July 26 | Mansfield, MA | Tweeter Center | | July 28 | New York, NY | Randall's Island*^ | | July 29 | New York, NY | Randall's Island*^ | | August 2 | Atlanta, GA | Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheatre | | August 3 | Charlotte, NC | Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre | | August 4 | Miami, FL | Bayfront Park Amphitheatre | | August 7 | Dallas, TX | Smirnoff Music Center | | August 8 | Houston, TX | Reliant Park | | August 11 | San Bernardino, CA | Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Helen*^ | | August 12 | San Diego, CA | Coors Amphitheatre (parking lot)^ | | August 18 | San Francisco, CA | McCovey Cove (parking lot)*^ | | August 21 | Salt Lake City, UT | USANA Amphitheater | | August 22 | Denver, CO | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | | August 25 | Minneapolis, MN | The Myth | | August 26 | Chicago, IL | Charter One Pavilion | | August 29 | Chicago, IL | Charter One Pavilion | | September 1 | Honolulu, HI | Blaisdell Arena | | Lineup | | Main Stage: Rage Against the Machine*, Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill, The Roots, Public Enemy, Erykah Badu, Rakim, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Nas, Black Star ( Mos Def and Talib Kweli), EPMD, Pharoahe Monch, Immortal Technique, Jedi Mind Tricks, David Banner, Supernatural, Rahzel, Murs 3:16. | | Paid Dues Independent Hip Hop Stage^: MF DOOM, Living Legends, Felt, Sage Francis, Murs 3:16, Brother Ali, Cage, Mr. Lif, The Grouch & Eligh, Hangar 18, Blueprint, Lucky I Am, The Coup, Blackalicious, Ice Water Inc., Sen Dog from Cypress Hill, Hieroglyphics. | [edit] 2008 Festival Series 2008 also marks the first year that ROCK THE BELLS will go global with four stops in Europe and one in Japan. Highlights of the series include a first time date in Toronto, plus a return to the Glen Helen Pavilion in San Bernardino, CA where last year’s show sold out with a capacity crowd of 45,000 people. | Date | City | Venue | | July 19 | Chicago, IL | First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre | | July 20 | Toronto, ON | Canada Arrow Hall | | July 26 | Boston, MA | Comcast Center* | | July 27 | Columbia, MD | Merriweather Post Pavilion* | | August 2 | Miami, FL | Bicentennial Park | | August 3 | New York, NY | Jones Beach Theater* | | August 9 | Devore, CA | Glen Helen Pavilion* | | August 16 | Mountain View, CA | Shoreline Amphitheatre | | August 23 | Denver, CO | Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre* | | September 6 | George, WA | Gorge Amphitheatre* | | Lineup | | Main Stage:A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde- Special Guests, Nas, Ghostface and Raekwon, MF Doom, Rakim, Mos Def, De La Soul, Method Man & Redman, Immortal Technique, Dead Prez, MURS, Blue Scholars, Sage Francis, Little Brother, Jedi Mind Tricks. Bigbox Culture Club Stage*:Spank Rock/Amanda Blank, The Cool Kids, Kidz in the Hall, DJ Afrika Bambaataa, Flosstradamus, Wale, Santogold, Kid Sister, B.o.B., Tyga, Jay Electronica, Devlin & Darko, Ninjasonik, Blaqstarr, Pase Rock, Plastic Little, The Pack. | [edit] 2008 International Festival Series [edit] 2009 International Festival Series | Date | City | Venue | | June 27th | Chicago,IL | First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre | | June 28th | Detroit, MI | DTE Energy Music Theater | | July 5th | Toronto, ON | Molson Amphitheatre | | July 12th | Washington, DC | Merriweather Post Pavilion | | July 18th | Boston, MA | Comcast Center | | July 19th | New York, NY | Jones Beach Theater | | August 1st | Burnaby, BC | Deer Lake Park | | August 2nd | Calgary, AB | Shaw Millennium Park | | August 6th | Denver, CO | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | | August 8th | San Bernardino, CA | San Manuel Amphitheatre | | August 9th | Mountain View, CA | Shoreline Amphitheatre | | Lineup | | Wu-Tang Clan New York (Surprise Guest), Nas & Damian Marley, Ice Cube(San Bernardino), The Roots, Cypress Hill, EPMD, Busta Rhymes, Common, Big Boi, KRS-One, House of Pain & La Coka Nostra, Reflection Eternal, Tech N9ne, Mos Def (Toronto show only), K'naan, RZA, GZA, Raekwon, Sage Francis, M.O.P., Slaughterhouse, The Knux, Eyedea & Abilities, Necro, Slum Village, Evidence & The Alchemist, Chali 2na, Psycho Realm, Mystic Journeymen, Buckshot, Slick Rick San Bernadino (Surprise Guest) , Dragon Fli Empire (Calgary show only), Mickey Factz, B. Dolan, and Tabi Bonney, Hosted by KRS-One, Supernatural, MURS, Pete Rock, and a joint set from all artists that include renditions of well known 80's hits. Surprise Acts: DC: Skillz, AZ, Styles P, Pharoahe Monch Boston: Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun NY: Ice-T, Mobb Deep, The LOX, AZ, DJ Premier | [edit] References [edit] External links |
