Tag Archives: Rock the Bells 2013

ROCK THE BELLS: Eazy-E joins Bone Thugs-N-Harmony on stage

Eazy-E appears in hologram form on stage with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony at Rock the Bells on Saturday, Sept. 7 at San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore. (David Bauman/Staff Photographer)

Glen Helen Regional Park, the site of the Us Festival and birthplace of Ozzfest made music history again on Saturday, Sept. 7 when Eazy-E appeared on the stage at Rock the Bells at San Manuel Amphitheater.

The return of Eazy-E happened on what would have been his 50th birthday, summoned by the music of his protégés Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and N.W.A. bandmate DJ Yella.

RELATED: See photos from Rock the Bells

Midway through Bone Thugs’ set, they welcomed DJ Yella onstage and in an instant, Eazy-E appeared in hologram form on the middle of the stage, flanked by his protégés. Cell phones lit up the crowd as people tried to capture the special moment.

A hologram of Eazy-E appears on stage with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony at Rock the Bells at San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013. (Vanessa Franko/Staff Photo)

Eazy-E greeted the crowd before going into verses of N.W.A.’s “Straight Outta Compton” and his solo hit “Boyz-N-The Hood.” He also performed on Bone Thugs’ “Foe Tha Love of Money” before disappearing.

Beyond Eazy-E, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s set was well-received by the crowd. They first reunited at Rock the Bells a few years back and are currently celebrating their 20th anniversary.

They came out to the stage to the “We were getting high,” line from Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova,” which was playing repeatedly.

Highlights from the set included ” Days of Our Lives,” “East 1999” and set closer “The Crossroads.”

ROCK THE BELLS 2013: A peek behind the scenes

Chang Weisberg, founder of Rock the Bells and head of Guerilla Union, speaks with his crew members the evening before the concert on Friday, Sept. 6, 2013 in Devore. (Stan Lim/Staff Photographer)

I’ve been fortunate enough to cover a number of special events and festivals in my tenure at The Press-Enterprise, but I had the opportunity to do something really special on Friday night–I spent the evening being a fly on the wall, or in this case, on the field, for the final preparations in advance of Rock the Bells’s San Bernardino kickoff.

I want to extend a very special thank you to Guerilla Union for allowing us to tell an infrequently-seen part of the story. This is the first of a handful of blogs about being behind the scenes at Rock the Bells.

At 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6, the seating bowl and lawn are empty at San Manuel Amphitheater. A Ferris wheel stands lit on the far reaches of the expansive lawn, but it sits motionless, awaiting the tens of thousands of hip-hop heads headed to Devore for the kickoff of the 2013 run of Rock the Bells.

With less than 18 hours to go before the gates open to the masses and Rock the Bells officially starts its 10th anniversary celebration, festival founder Chang Weisberg addressed his team for a final meeting before the show.

“The site looks incredible,” he told the four dozen or so staffers gathered under a permanent pavilion backstage.

RELATED: See photos from Rock the Bells

The music festival, put on by Weisberg’s Pomona-based promotion company Guerilla Union, is back at San Manuel Amphitheater for the first time since 2011 and is hosting more than 50 performers, including Kid Cudi, J. Cole and A$AP Mob, in addition to very special performances by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Wu-Tang Clan that will revive late hip-hop legends Eazy-E and ODB, respectively.

Weisberg calls on various members of the Guerilla Union staff during the Friday night run-through, and they provide information on the logistics of the weekend, like where to pick up golf carts, checking out radios and when breakfast is served for staff.

He makes it a point to note his appreciation for the staff as well.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Weisberg said.

He reminded the staff of the heat and the long days ahead and reminded them to stay hydrated. He urged them to drink a couple of bottles of water on Friday night.

“I want everyone to be safe,” he said.

As the meeting wound down, Weisberg reflected on how someone compared him to a bride with Rock the Bells cast as the wedding day.

“At the end of the day, the bride is the fans,” he said.

After the meeting ends, the staffers return to tasks such as working on credentials, awaiting a contest winner and getting the stages set for the performances that are yet to come.

ROCK THE BELLS: The story of Eazy-E, ODB stage resurrections

ODB, who died in 2004, will give a virtual performance at Rock the Bells on Sunday, Sept. 8. (2003/File Photo)

When Tupac Shakur appeared onstage during Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s set at the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Chang Weisberg’s was stunned.

The head of Pomona-based promoter Guerilla Union and founder of Rock the Bells, ran 20 feet to the left and another 20 feet to the right, to view the performance of Shakur, the iconic rapper who was murdered in 1996.

“I couldn’t believe what I was watching,” Weisberg said.

While hologram 2Pac went viral on social media the instant he appeared, Weisberg was fielding texts with suggestions of who he would resurrect for Rock the Bells — hip-hop giants like Notorious B.I.G., ODB and Big Pun.

And when it was time for last year’s Rock the Bells announcement, Weisberg was adamant: “No holograms, just hip-hop.” He was still processing what he had seen at Coachella.

Weisberg said he had been curious about virtual performances since Gorillaz and the Grammys. He had seen the work of the Black Eyed Peas, what Las Vegas was doing with Elvis Presley and more.

He immersed himself in learning about the performances and how the technology was used.

This year, Weisberg’s studying has manifested in two virtual performances at Rock the Bells — one by the late Eazy-E with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony on Sept. 7 (on what would have marked the rapper’s 50th birthday) and one by ODB with the Wu-Tang Clan on Sunday, Sept. 8.

“I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to announce the virtual performances,” Weisberg said. “It’s a lot of pressure to deliver,”

When he did, the media swarmed in from CNN, TMZ and even tech magazine Wired.

“It almost got to the point where people thought it was just a gag,” Weisberg said.

He was still sifting through the rights to the likenesses with the families when the announcement was released. Ultimately, questions and issues raised were resolved and Weisberg called it a “very rewarding process.”

Among those helping to recreate the rappers are their children. Eazy-E’s daughter, Erin, is the face of her father. His son, Lil’ Eazy-E, is his body and his brother, E3 is the voice.

ODB’s son, Young Dirty …, who is also on the bill as a performer, moves on stage like his father.

“Working with family members, there’s a whole other level of commitment there and responsibility, ultimately,” Weisberg said. “You don’t want to let family members down when you’re in a room working with a widow and a daughter and a son on their late father’s virtual avatar.”

Months later, after hours of green screen captures the work of dozens of animators, projection specialists and others, the world will see the performances of the late stars. While Weisberg is not dropping many hints about the performances, ODB and Eazy-E will be on stage with their fellow performers.

“What we’re doing now will have an impact even 50 or 100 years from now,” Weisberg said.

Tickets are still available for the festival. Single-day general admission passes are $99 each, before fees. Single-day VIP passes are $199 each, before fees. Weekend passes are $165 for general admission and $399 for VIP, before fees for both. Tickets are expected to increase in price at the door.

ROCK THE BELLS 2013: Set times released for San Bernardino show

Jurassic 5 will perform at Rock the Bells on Saturday, Sept. 7. (2013/File Photo)

The Los Angeles-area dates for the Rock the Bells festival are going to be at San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore this weekend, Saturday, Sept. 7 and Sunday, Sept. 8.

Each day will have three stages of music.

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony will perform with a virtual Eazy-E at Rock the Bells. (2007/File Photo)

SATURDAY, SEPT. 7

Rock the Bells Stage
Sean Price, 1-1:30 p.m.
Supernatural, 1:45-2:15 p.m.
Big Krit, 2:35-3:20 p.m.
Immortal Technique, 3:40-4:40 p.m.
Jurassic 5, 5-6 p.m.
Tech N9ne, 6:20-7:05 p.m.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, 7:20-8:35 p.m.
Black hippy, 9:05-10:05 p.m.
Kid Cudi, 10:35-11:50 p.m.

Hip-Hop DX Stage
Stalley, 1:05-1:25 p.m.
Smoke DZA, 1:40-2:10 p.m.
YG, 2:25-2:55 p.m.
Hit Boy, 3:10-:340 p.m.
Jhene Aiko, 3:55-4:25 p.m.
Earl Sweatshirt, 4:40-5:20 p.m.
Brother Ali, 5:40-6:25 p.m.
Curren$y, 6:45-7:30 p.m.
Talib Kweli, 7:50-8:50 p.m.
Common, 9:10-10:10 p.m.
KRS One, 10:30-11:30 p.m.

Fools Gold Stage
Snow Tha Product, 12:35-1:05 p.m.
Bodega Bamz, 1:25-1:55 p.m.
Riff Raff, 2:15-2 p.m.
Flatbush Zombies, 3:20-4:05 p.m.
Chief Keef, 4:35-5:15 p.m.
Pusha T, 5:45-6:45 p.m.
Chase & Status, 7:15-8:15 p.m.
A-Trak, 8:45-10 p.m.

Wu-Tang Clan will headline the Rock the Bells stage on Sunday, Sept. 8 and include a virtual performance with ODB. (2013/File Photo)

SUNDAY, SEPT. 8

Rock the Bells Stage
IAMSU, 1:30-2 p.m.
Rapsody & 9th Wonder, 1:15-1:45 p.m.
Freddie Gibbs, 2-2:30 p.m.
Hopsin, 2:45-3:25 p.m.
Dilated Peoples, 3:45-4:30 p.m.
Dom Kennedy, 5-6 p.m.
A$AP Mob, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
J Cole, 8-9 p.m.
Wu-Tang Clan, 9:30-10:45 p.m.

36 Chambers Stage
Freeway, 1:40-2 p.m.
Rat King, 2:15-2:45 p.m.
Prof, 3-3:30 p.m.
Dizzy Wright, 3:45-4:15 p.m.
Action Bronson, 4:30-5 p.m.
Joey Bad… with Pro Era, 5:20-6:20 p.m.
Deltron 3030, 6:50-7:50 p.m.
Lecrae, 8:10-9:10 p.m.
Rakim, 9:30-10:30 p.m.

Guerilla Union Stage
Young Dirty Bastard, 1:45-2:15 p.m.
The Internet, 2:30-3 p.m.
Danny Brown, 3:15-3:45 p.m.
Mimosa, 4-4:45 p.m.
Slick Rick & Doug E Fresh, 5- 5:45 p.m.
Trinidad James, 6-6:40 p.m.
Juicy J, 6:55-7:55 p.m.
E-40 & Too Short, 8:15-9:15 p.m.
Girl Talk, 9:45-10:45 p.m.

ROCK THE BELLS: Fest founder shares 10 most memorable moments

Lauryn Hill performs on the Rock the Bells stage during the Rock the Bells hip hop festival at the San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore on Saturday, August 20, 2011. (File Photo)

Rock the Bells is kicking off its 10th incarnation with two days of hip-hop and more at San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore on Sept. 7 and 8.

Last week I had the chance to talk with Chang Weisberg, the man behind RTB and promoter Guerilla Union, about his most memorable moments over the last 10 editions.

I’ll have more stories about Rock the Bells as we get into next week, but I thought this was a fun way to ease into Labor Day Weekend.

By the way, you can still pick up tickets to the festival. Single-day general admission passes are $99 each, before fees. Single-day VIP passes are $199 each, before fees. Weekend passes are $165 for general admission and $399 for VIP, before fees for both.

View the timeline below and scroll through to see Weisberg’s Top 10 Most Memorable Rock the Bells Moments.

Here are the moments, in chronological order:

1. ODB’s final performance, July 12, 2004
ODB performed with Wu-Tang Clan at the first Rock the Bells in 2004 at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino. It turned out to be his final performance. ODB will give a “virtual performance” on Sunday, Sept. 8.

2. A Tribe Called Quest performs, Nov. 13, 2004
For Weisberg, seeing A Tribe Called Quest at the second edition of Rock the Bells in Anaheim was a dream come true. However, it was bittersweet for Weisberg because it was also the day ODB died.

Nas performs at Rock the Bells at San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore on Saturday, August 20, 2011. (File Photo)

3. Nas makes his Rock the Bells debut, July 30, 2005
Nas makes his Rock the Bells debut at the National Orange show in San Bernardino. Nas and KRS-One, who had been beefing, appeared together at the show.

“They both decided to come on stage and squash everything. That was a true highlight for myself,” Weisberg said.

4.Lauryn Hill’s surprise appearance, Aug. 5, 2006
Lauryn Hill makes a surprise appearance at Rock the Bells at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino in a tribute to ODB. Rage Against the Machine singer Zack De La Rocha was in the audience.

“The fact that he respected Lauryn Hill so much probably is what helped us lock in Rage Against the Machine that following year,” Weisberg said.

Rage Against The Machine performs at the Rock the Bells festival at the Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Helen in Devore. Devore, California. August 11, 2007. (File Photo)

5. Rage Against the Machine, 2007
One of Weisberg’s top highlights over the years?

“Rage Against the Machine, Rage Against the Machine, Rage Against the Machine,” he said.

The edgy band, which reunited for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival that year, plays Rock the Bells in New York. The band also plays the San Bernardino and San Francisco dates.

6. Pharcyde reunion, 2008
Weisberg is instrumental in getting influential hip-hop collective the Pharcyde to reunite. The Phracyde plays both the U.S. dates in the summer and the international tour in the fall.

7. Nas surprises audience with Jay-Z appearance, Aug. 2, 2008 (WARNING: Explicit language)

Weisberg said being in New York for the first time with Rock the Bells, a West Coast-based festival, was amazing.

It was the festival’s second year in New York when Nas brought Jay-Z out as a surprise guest.

8. MF Doom mishap, Aug. 9, 2008
Not all of the most memorable moments are happy ones. The masked MF Doom had an impostor perform on stage in his place in San Bernardino a week after the real MF Doom performed in New York.

The impostor was booed off stage and Weisberg had to chase him down because he had taken the microphones.

9. Wu-Tang Clan vs. Slaughterhouse, 2009
Members of Wu-Tang Clan and Slaughterhouse had a major falling out that was all too real.

“That was crazy for me. I’m glad we squashed those beefs,” Weisberg said. “That … was so real and so thick you could eat it and taste it,” he said.

Snoop Dogg performs at the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (File Photo).

10. Snoop Dogg performs “Doggystyle,” Aug. 21, 2010
Snoop Dogg performs his seminal album “Doggystyle” at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino.

“It inspired the whole ‘albums in its entirety thing’,” Weisberg said.