When the Wu-Tang Clan burst on the scene, they offered hip hop with something the fans had never seen before: A hip hop supergroup in which each of the members had their own distinct styles. Compared to other hip hop at the time, their music was very raw. It struck a nerve and the group gathered a big group of fans, a lot of them wearing that distinct “W”. With such a big group, getting them all together was always a challenge and as the solo careers of each of the members soared, it became even harder. Concert promoter Chang Weisberg wanted to do the impossible: Get the whole group together at the festival he was running: Rock the Bells, an annual hip-hop festival which stars the biggest hip hop artists. This documentary follows him on his journey to make that dream a reality.
Although I have never been to many festivals I’m always amazed by how big these events are, the amount of people showing up and the organisation of it all. Rock the Bells gives a good look into that world and all the stress planning it brings along. Chang Weisberg has to meet up with the police, who has a lot of concerns because of the type of music that’s played and the kind of people it attracts. He has to get equipment there in time and of course make sure all artists get to the venue and feel comfortable.
You don’t only see all the settting up, but you are also treated to some great performances, including Supernatural (who is able to freestyle based on anything he sees or is handed), Dilated Peoples and Redman. As the day progresses it seems that the dream might not come together as equipment starts failing, there is a risk of security breaching and not all members of the Wu-Tang appearing. For example Ol’Dirty Bastard just refuses to leave his hotel room. Rock the Bells is a very amusing look into organising a festival and a must see for the hip hop fan.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpysFDd3r10]