BlogTrot visits Rock the Bells 2009

Could someone fill us in on why one would pay $90 for a ticket for an outdoor festival or concert, and then proceed to take a nap on the grass for eight hours? Seriously. That was one of the sites at the Rock the Bells festival that made its stop in DeerLake Park in Burnaby, this past Saturday. We’ll agree hip hop usually is not the best live genre, but it’s not like this was a slow set at Lilith Fair, this was Rock the Bells! Critics of rap music and hip hop in general make many generalizations and assumptions about the genre and the artists, anyone who wondered what rap music was all about, should have paid a visit to the festivals first stop in our fair city.

The lineup, while not being as solid as some other cities enjoyed, had a lot to offer, Supernatural, and B Real were the two main hosts, and while Supernatural mimicked other rappers while free styling, B Real served up some classics from his bong friendly group Cypress Hill. Those who were complaining that Cypress Hill wasn’t making a stop in Vancouver for the festival, got a hit of one of the musical highlights of the day.

B Real’s performance made the one thing missing from the festival, rather evident – filler. There were a large number of lulls between sets, and in some cases, a cd simply played over speakers. Anything other than that would’ve been great. It’d be nice to see the festival introduce performance arts as well in between sets, anything other than the quiet or a disc spinning. A couple of local DJ’s would’ve been a nice touch too, but at the end of the day, when your only complaint of a festival is that there wasn’t enough filler, it’s  probably a good thing.

During those breaks, the very chilled out and well behaved concert goers frequented drink and food stands, the lemonade, beer, and Jamaican patty stands were huge hits. It took at least a half hour to get a beer, the wait time, saw a lot of double fisting action.

Nothing wrong with that.

Facilities wise, the venue was well taken care of, enough port a potties, and water holes, and shade to keep people in check, there seemed to be plenty of security as well. Although, like we said, this crowd was very, very well behaved. Good on ‘em.

Tech N9ne and Krizz Kaliko were the first big act up on stage and put on a great show. Their energy and ability to run the stage makes it no surprise that they’re one of the biggest touring rap acts today. (Stay tuned for our interview with Tech and Krizz)

Common later came on, and seemed to get some flack from some folks regarding his set, but to be honest, we didn’t have any real complaints. Another rapper who is constantly on tour, his highlights included a freestyle referencing a bunch of Vancouver hot spots, including Granville, and Mt.Seymour, and a medley of hip hop tracks throughout the years. Every time you see Common live, you get the sense that he’s teaching a  class on hip hop, it’s ridiculous that this guy doesn’t get more recognition.
The vibe drastically changed when the legendary Wu Tang Clan got represented with the presence of RZA. The crowd eating out of his hand, he paced back and forth spitting rhymes with a confident swagger. Is there any other rap group that carries as large a following? The only odd bit about RZA was the guy he bought out with him. A young guy named Boy Jones who is the eldest son of the late Old Dirty Bastard. Boy Jones’ shtick? Running back and forth on stage, and then yelling ‘I want a million dollars’. Apparently it’s a tune, we’re not sure about that, but it was definitely something.

After a serious delay, Reflection Eternal makes its way on stage, the group featuring Hi-Tek and Talib Kweli come out and put on a set that seemed to include nothing but Talib Kweli tracks. Not, that that’s a bad thing, just an odd one. The two did well, and were probably helped by the delays that lead to them. By the end of their set, you could sense the crowd’s anxiousness in waiting for Nas and Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley to take the stage.

It may be the opening line to Jamrock, but these two absolutely murdered. A fantastic set, mixed with solo performances, and duets from their upcoming release Distant Relatives. Their two styles complement each other very well, both musically and as a live act. Nas was his typical Illmatic self, separating himself yet again from so many MC’s out there. He seems to be relishing the role as a headliner this year, and dealt with it very well. Nas seems to strive to do more with his music, with so many rhymes pointing a finger, or giving one, you can’t help but walk away a little inspired.

Damian Jr. Gong Marley brings that classic reggae approach and the stage presence of a veteran. Of course, the flag waving old dude and crazy long dreads don’t hurt either.

Nas opened the set with Hip Hop is Dead, this festival seems set on bringing it back to its roots, and bringing it back to life. So far? Job well done.

Be sure to check out the photo gallery in the meantime!