Rock the Bells will skip Hawaii in 2008
Star-Bulletin file
Not to sure if this is good news or bad news, but I got confirmation a few days ago that the annual Rock the Bells hip-hop festival will not make an appearance in Hawaii this year.
It’s bad news, if you consider the fact that A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Rakim, Afrika Bambaataa and The Cool Kids are all on the bill in 2008.
But… if you consider the watered-down version we got at the Blaisdell Arena last year (the picture above is of the crowd from that show), it’s probably a good idea to keep RTB on the mainland.
To quote this post on OG nightlife website QuadMag.com: “By the time it gets to Hawaii, it’ll be pared down to Phife Dawg, Coolio and a House Of Pain tribute act.”
Don’t get me wrong – I really hope RTB comes back in 2009. I hear Kapiolani Community College is a great place to throw an outdoor festival, and there are always the oldie-but-goodie spots like Kualoa Ranch and Andrew’s Amphitheatre.
They just gotta bring the heat, not this half-baked stuff with the lone goal of separating Hawaii hip-hop fans from their hard-earned cash.
Related Post:
Rock the Bells Recap [VIDEO]
August 31st, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Well, you can’t fault the RTB promoters for skipping Hawaii considering the usually very poor turnout for hip-hop acts out here. I remember when Questlove came out here to spin at Pipeline to a whopping 10 people in attendance (that may even be too high an estimate). If Hawaii wants better acts, we need to step up and show that we deserve them.
September 2nd, 2008 at 3:46 pm
You’re right… concert promotion is still a business, so I totally understand where the RTB crew is coming from.
Do you think if ?uestlove brought the rest of The Roots out with him that it would have been a better-attended show?
I agree with you that Hawaii needs to support some of these acts a little more if we expect to see them come back in the future.