Concert Preview: Rock the Bells at Bayfront Park Amphitheatre

July 31, 2008 5:15 PM
by Marcos Colón [email]

Thanks to Perry Farrell’s introduction of Lollapalooza in 1991, the touring festival trend began. Now with spawns like the Warped Tour and Ozzfest it seems like the future for music festivals will be to pack up and put the show on the road. Since Miami’s one of the major markets in the U.S., it’s only fitting that we’re on the hit list for most of these events. This weekend brings us yet another one.

Last year Miami was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the few cities to play host to the best hip hop festival in the nation; Rock the Bells. Held at Bayfront Park Amphitheatre, performances featured hip hop heavyweights The Roots, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, EPMD and MF Doom while headliners ranged from Public Enemy and Wu-Tang Clan to the reunited Rage Against the Machine. This year, the event is back in Miami and the line-up runs just as deep.

Headliners this year include the one and only A Tribe Called Quest with a special solo performance by Q-Tip, who’ll be performing his soon to be released The Renaissance. Back in the festival and still holding his headline spot is Nas, who recently released his critically acclaimed Untitled album. Other notable add-ons to this year’s event include Rakim, Spank Rock, The Pharcyde and De La Soul.

The first choice for the venue this year was Bicentennial Park, but a late change in plans has the event returning to last year’s Bayfront Park Amphitheatre. Be sure to expect high volumes of traffic since the city will be expecting visitors for the show, since it’s the only stop in the South.

Event organizer, Chang Weisberg, is extremely pleased with the outcome of this year’s festival series thus far, also admitting that this year’s event embodies more traditional hip hop and how there will be a salt and peppering special performances for each city.

“There has been a tremendous amount of artist support for Rock the Bells,” Weisborg says. “Ever day there will be a definitive moment in live hip hop history. There will be a number of surprise performances and additional acts planned for each city.”

Click here for more information on Miami's Rock the Bells Music Festival.