Tag Archives: Snoop Dogg

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.

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.

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.

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.