Rocking the Bells

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}
For Saturday I managed to score two press passes, a photo pass and backstage VIP lounge access for myself and Gavroche to Rock the Bells at Shoreline. It's one thing to go to a concert with some of the best hip-hop artists of the last two decades. It's another thing to go for free, and still yet one more thing to be given all access and permission to take pictures from 6 inches in front of the stage.

The line-up was incredible: Murs, Blackalicious, Dead Prez, Immortal Technique, Raekwon and Ghostface, Rakim, De La Soul, Method Man and Redman, The Pharcyde, Mos Def, Nas, Q-Tip and A Tribe Called Quest.

The day consisted of us showing up at 10:30, being issued press/photo passes and our VIP wristbands, being shuttled over to the backstage area at Shoreline and then starting the show. During the show, the step by step was as follows from around 11:30 to 10pm:

1) For the first three songs of every set, I go to the photo pit in front of the stage. Gavroche goes to the wings or VIP lounge.
2) Meet at the lounge to get a drink or meet on the lawn to toke, watch the end of the set.
3) Go to the lounge to get a drink.
4) Next act comes on, repeat from step 1.

All I'll say is that it was unreal being that close to the stage and being allowed to take pictures. For a music lover, and especially a lover of hip-hop, the clarity of sound and lyrics from that close was something I've never gotten in live hip-hop before. It was fantastic, amazing, and what I hope is only the beginning of a long tradition of me obtaining press passes to cover shows I would probably go to anyways. Here's me with my press credentials and one of my favorite pictures of the day, Method Man crowd diving.

For a breakdown and review of each artist, click here.
For all photographs from Rock the Bells, click here.