The 2009 Rock The Bells tour descended on San Bernardino's San Manuel Amphitheatre on Saturday, with surprise guests (Slick Rick), long-awaited collaborations (Nas & Damian "Jr Gong" Marley) and a dizzying array of performers that wouldn't fit under any other bill. Where else can you find Tech N9ne, La Coka Nostra and Raekwon all on one stage? Add some heavyweight clout including Busta Rhymes, Nas and Ice Cube, and you've got yourself one hell of a way to spend a summer day in (far) East L.A.

 

As is the festival way, there were two stages at Rock The Bells, with iconic underground sluggers of various subgenres gracing the Paid Dues stage while the more mainstream artists rocked the main stage. The crowds were accordingly diverse, ranging from thugged-out South Central hoods to Birkenstock-wearing white boys with their girlfriends and everything in between, but the atmosphere was celebratory, at least until one ventured backstage. 

 

 

"Welcome to hip-hop summer camp," Chang Weisberg, organizer, founder and chief promoter of Rock the Bells, offered the audience in his typical host-of-all-hosts demeanor. As The Roots enjoyed some time away from Jimmy Fallon with a beat-tastic set, New York legends M.O.P. performed their classics “Cold As Ice” to “Ante Up,” as well as some new tracks from their upcoming comeback album, The Foundation. 

 

 

Eyedea (aka Mike Larsen) of Eyedea & Abilities had some transportation issues but conquered the Paid Dues side stage as victorious underdogs of the day. After all, a white duo with a vocalist who looks like Shaggy from Scooby Doo on top of their rock leanings (one of Larsen's many side projects is an indie rock band).

 

Check out a quick, exclusive Q&A I shot with Eyedea just seconds before he walked onstage at RTB:

 

 

The duo tore through an inspiringly original set consisting largely of material from their latest release, the aptly-named By The Throat. The crowd seemed to react most ebulliently during their breathless "Spin Cycle" jam, in which Larsen frantically spit the verses before transitioning to a proper rock-style chorus.

 

Slick Rick, the event's special guest, rocked the gold chain and brought it way back, to the delight of several in the audience (the rest played along, not really having any idea who Slick Rick is). Event hosts and distinguished veteran legends Supernatural, KRS-ONE and Murs (host of the second stage) made the rounds in the VIP area, chatting up fans and fellow artists in an atmosphere of genuine positivity and goodwill - until nightfall, when beef-happy Slaughterhouse member Joe Budden was punched in the face by a member of Wu-Tang member Raekwon's entourage.

 

 

Big Boi drew the crowds with a raucous set that included several Outkast hits but light on new material as Raekwon, looking like he'd just been in a fight, ran through several signature Wu classics to the screaming delight of everyone within earshot of the Paid Dues stage. Raekwon’s set was a fiery fiasco with fans rhyming along to his every word, hungry for the Wu material in any way they can get it.

 

 

Rae's groupmate RZA also unleashed a sizzling set later in the evening, spilling Grey Goose everywhere he walked and debuting the firstborn son of the late ODB in the process with an unbearably bad song called "I Want A Million Dollars".

 

 

 

Necro, Slum Village, and Mystik Journeymen all made their contributions to the Paid Dues stage as the day wore on, while Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek tore the shit out of the main stage as Reflection Eternal, despite being dwarfed by the giant ampitheater surroundings in broad daylight.

 

 

Kweli always brings the inimitable flow, and his spitfire delivery was as transcendent as ever in the San Bernardino heat.

 

 

Once the sun dropped behind the horizon, Busta Rhymes descended from his gigantic Flipmode tour bus to warm up the stage for the final acts. What he did instead was blow the preceding names off the stage and raise the bar to near-impossible heights for every performer to come after; the man was utterly on fire, spitting fury and interacting with the crowd in good spirits throughout the set.




 

After a few warmup tracks by Nas, Damian Marley joined him under a waving Jamaican flag for an enticing set of material that pulled from each of their catalogues as well as Damian's legendary father Bob Marley, while sampling a healthy dose of material from their collaboration album due later this year as well.

 

 

Naturally, wherever Slaughterhouse goes, drama follows. Who the hell thought it would be a good idea to sandwich the beef-happy Slaughterhouse between sets by Wu-Tang cornerstones Raekwon and RZA? That person should certainly be unemployed now, for having helped create a violent damper that sent this year's Rock The Bells festival off on a bad note. Nevertheless, Slaughterhouse took the stage to thunderous crowd enthusiasm that far exceeded their love for any Wu members that played. Their set was cut to three songs (no, really) due to curfew, but it was their own damn fault - a half hour after missing their scheduled cue time, RZA took the stage and started his show early. He was supposed to have closed the second stage, which may have had something to do with the issue (that, and Budden's punch to the face). 

 

 

Headliner Ice Cube sent the night out with a manic blast, recruiting his former Westside Connection partner WC to help him run through a hit-brimming set that included "Natural Born Killaz," "Bow Down," "Straight Outta Compton" and "Pay Ya Dues," a fitting tribute to the second stage. A wildly diverse lineup (though no female MCs... what's up with that, RTB?) and a whole lot of behind-the-scenes drama made for a hell of an entertaining Rock The Bells 2009. Don't miss it next year.