Thursday, July 1, 2010

Concert Preview: Rock the Bells Festival, 8-29-10, Merriweather Post Pavillion

i don't normally talk about concerts before attending them, but seeing as i just dropped $300 for two tickets to the Rock the Bells Festival, i figured i'd make an exception this time.

Go figure, it's for a festival, too, in August, no less. Now, i don't really do festivals anymore. The notion of standing in a hot field with random strangers while the acts play for less than an hour each simply is not that appealing to me. i'd far rather pony up and see a given performer doing a headlining gig at a club--there's generally less chance for heat stroke, the sets last far longer and the bathrooms usually are at least a tad cleaner.

This year's Rock the Bells Festival, however, has some of my favorite hip-hop acts of all-time taking the stage to perform some of their earlier albums in their entirety. And these are some of the greatest rap CDs ever put to wax, i tell you what.

For your listening pleasure, we have the following performing the following:

--Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle

--A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders (i personally would have preferred People's Instinctive Travels And Paths Of Rhythm, but what can you do?)

--KRS-ONE, Criminal Minded (RIP, Scott La Rock)

--Rakim, Paid in Full (What, no Eric B.?)

--Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (No ODB? No problem, as they're bringing Boy Jones, his first born son)

--Slick Rick, The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick (Pauvre, Pauvre Doug E. Fresh)

--Plus "very special guest" Lauryn Hill, assumedly doing "The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill," though the website is a bit murky on that front. i guess her kids need to eat after all (i joke because i love, people).

Not to mention, some dozen other slated acts, plus freestyle sessions and Buddha only knows how much buddha wafting through the air. This is one i'm betting should not be missed (to the tune of $300, damn it). More to come. In the interim, let's rock, y'all.

mp3: Gin and Juice (Snoop Dogg from Doggystyle)

mp3: Award Tour (A Tribe Called Quest from Midnight Marauders)

mp3: Super Ho (Boogie Down Productions from Criminal Minded)

mp3: I Ain't No Joke (Eric B. & Rakim from Paid in Full)



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

holy crap on a crutch ... that is a stellar lineup ! understanding that you have addressed your spinal maladies i can only assume that you will be toting your cardboard mat and throwin' down some ol' skool breakdance moves on the assembled masses ... we want pictures

- c.i.t.

Anonymous said...

Ms. Lauryn Hill for Coachella 2011!!!