The tenth anniversary Rock The Bells tour didn't do too well, but one of its main organizers told Vibe magazine during an interview that the traveling festival was far from dead. Although the show was forced to cancel several East Coast shows, Chang Weisberg of Guerilla Union said that a big year for hip-hop touring hurt Rock The Bells' chances, and he was optimistic for 2014.
"The bigger reasons, the macro-version," he said. "There were a lot of great shows that were out touring in our same time period; that could be a factor. The fact that Jay-Z was on sale, the fact that Kanye was on sale, the fact that Drake was on sale; there were just a lot of great hip-hop shows, and I wish all of them well. I think competition increases the market, and I'm happy that all these acts can be touring, and ultimately, maybe, that was one of the issues."
He shot down rumors that the festival had trouble paying for its higher-priced special effects this year...namely holograms of deceased rappers Ol' Dirty Bastard and Eazy-E (the former to appear with the Wu-Tang Clan and the latter with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony). The Washington D.C. and New York City shows were ultimately cancelled due to poor ticket sales however.
Weisberg said that the Guerilla Union team would be reconsidering how to plan 2014's version of the event, but that it would definitely take place. He told Vibe that a headliner has already been locked down, although he wouldn't give a name.
Rock The Bells began as a Southern California festival only, but has been touring since 2006. The cancellation of the remaining 2013 dates had to be especially bitter, as it was planned to be a celebration of the event's tenth anniversary.
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