Yesterday (September 26), Guerilla Union announced that the remaining Rock the Bells dates for the 2013 festival were cancelled. Soon after the announcement, Guerilla Union’s Chang Weisberg spoke with Radio.com about his disappointment.
“I’m really bummed,” Weisberg said. “We were really excited, with it being the 10 year anniversary of the tour. Something like this leaves everyone scratching their heads. You look at the line-up and it just doesn’t make sense. I’m at a loss for words, really. I feel like I’ve let down so many people. The artists have been awesome and so supportive, but I’m crushed.”
This year’s Rock the Bells event featured performances by Black Hippy, J. Cole, Juicy J, A$AP Mob, Brother Ali, Dilated Peoples and Pusha T. The festival also included virtual performances of Ol’ Dirty Bastard with Wu-Tang Clan and Eazy-E with Bone-thugs-n-harmony.
During his interview, Weisberg also said other tours may have affected Rock the Bells.
“There are a lot of high-profile Hip Hop tours on the road right now, so maybe the market’s saturated,” Weisberg said. “For Hip Hop, this is the busiest season I’ve ever seen. I wish everybody well.”
In Guerilla Union’s original press release about the cancellation, Weisberg cited ticket sales as the reason for shutting down the remaining Washington, D.C. and New York festival stops.
“First and foremost, it is with great sadness and disappointment that we must cancel the Washington, D.C. and New York City Rock the Bells dates due to lack of ticket sales,” Weisenberg said in the statement. “I, along with our staff, the artists, and all of the sponsors, media partners, local promoters, and radio stations involved are thankful for our supporters and the fans that planned on attending. It’s extremely unfortunate that we can’t complete the last half of the 10 Bells tour.
“We did everything in our power to save the show,” Weisenberg added. “Unfortunately, the financial loss would have been devastating. I am truly sorry we could not produce the show for all the fans who did buy their ticket in support of [Rock the Bells].”
ANd all of you talk about how black hippy is more popular than YMCMB.
Gucci Mane = realest rapper ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
– T.I. snitch to the feds
– Young Jeezy was never bmf
– 50 Cent snitch and was never in jail but a youthcamp
– Game was never a banger but lived the life of his brother in his lyrics
– Nas Escobar never sold drugs
– Ice Cube never was a gangbanger
– Dr Dre never was a gangbanger
– 2pac was a ballerina and never sold drugs after he become famous he was doing some stupid stuff like beating and shooting at people because he though he could get away with it. Without Suge Knight 2pac was just a skinny motherfucker. Oh and i like his music so fuck you.
– Mobb deep are the biggiest pussies in rap they are short as midgets and keep talking this g shit but never did g shit.
Ha, Gucci the realest rapper in the game eh? I believe his G credentials but to be the realest RAPPER in the game you better have bars, not just sit behind them. Gucci is a scary motherfucker though.
well left eye is on the run eating
nore shot somebody lol
well nores missing lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnynCZXqlI8
lol
intill nore kicks my ass hes a bitch
yeah its saturated. a couple of years ago there were all these big hip hop shows
ice cube has no suger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53681LKPhZ0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IN_QgrLxPM
Maybe if you kept coming to chicago you wouldn’t have this problem. They can shut down the tour for good for all that i care.
the reason why they were cancel because the lineup was wack.
Compare the lineups from the previous years to now they have been adding TONS OF MAINSTREAM.Its a HIPHOP festival I HONESTLY WOULDNT PAY TO WATCH BIG KRIT?FLATBUCH ZOMBIES?TRINIDAD JAMES REALLY?
WHAT HAPPENED TO HAVING RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, JEDI MIND TRICKS,NAS, SLAUGHTER HOUSE,
THEY BETTER COME UP WITH A BETTER LINE UP NEXT YEAR BC NOBODY
YOU WANNA CHARGE OVER 200 BUCKS THE LINE UP BETTER BE SICK
lol are you saying Krit isnt hip hop?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAAK5Dgz7Ao
“acid rain”
yes i understand “dun launge” lol
mobb deep lol
hello busta this is dr trives
it seems your talking a dead launage
use your brains lol
is that a trian or a bus lol
engin number 9
pick it uppppppppp haa
sout out to nj haaaa
how the fuck is this fun or entertaining to you? get a life
Maybe if the tickets were less expensive damn son
tech n9ne tour put them out of business
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqHliQijgvA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W1tG-m4NSU
Maybe people got tired of paying that much money every year for Wu Tang and a new hologram.
http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/H4rKlI42nSE/mqdefault.jpg
777
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt5rCgHN1Gc
First off, I have attended RTB almost every year – flights from Canada, hotel, etc.- and it has become an annual summer trip for me and friends. It got pushed to September this year, making it an absolute no-go for us.
Second, I agree that the line-up has repeated itself a bit too much. Understandably so…cuz…what HASN’T RTB already done? But, considering what I saw last year in San Fran, this year would have been almost the same show: Wu-Tang instead of Wu-Block, A$AP, Common, Deltron 3030, Bone Thugz, Pusha T, Black Hippy, Slick Rick. All of these acts played last year, and not many of these acts have a lot of new stuff to offer (the exception being Kendrick, who hadn’t dropped GKMC last year).
While I love the idea of celebrating the culture with other heads for one weekend of the year, it’s a long way to travel just so I can see Freeway, Earl, Bada$$, and Danny Brown for the first time.
I think Rock the Bells has maybe hit a wall: what is there left to do? Outkast? Dre? Some sort of N.W.A. reunion-type package? Cuz let’s face it – nobody really cares about holograms, do they?