Rock The Bells '09 mini-recap

Team Beat & Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & Hi Tek) together at last. Oh Fa Sho' (more after the jump).
So RTB '09 is a wrap. I took Monday off to recover, so give me a late pass for posting this a full day after the fact.
Truth is we didn't get to experience a whole lot of the festival because we were busy chasing down interviews. So a good portion of the day was spent back stage waiting for Reflection Eternal (pictured above) and Tech N9ne (pictured below).
So I can't give a full-fledged festival review, other than to say that the few acts I did see (Slick Rick, Reflection Eternal, The Roots, Busta Rhymes) and a few I caught glimpses of (Raekwon, Evidence & Alchemist, KRS-One) were pretty good bordering excellent.
Sound at Shoreline Ampitheater was excellent a couple of weeks ago for No Doubt, but for a hip-hop setting, the bass was so muddy and loud you couldn't get a full appreciation for the musicians on the main stage. Over on the Paid Dues second stage, sound quality was a lot better, and honestly this type of festival is better suited for a smaller second stage, where fans and performers have a better chance for interaction. That's what makes for a better hip-hop show.
As for my interviews, I have nothing but good words. Kweli and Hi-Tek were great for the brief meeting we shared. Both have this understated presence about them that is ultra-cool. They were really cool about letting me video tape my interview (when I asked if I could use my Flip Camera, Kweli said non-chalantly "I fucks with the Flip Cam." Very cool.
Tech N9ne was a great interview overall. I've interviewed him before, so it was nice to have that mini-history to draw upon. He's a really cool, but serious cat. His interview was the most in depth and personable.
Oh, and in case you didn't notice, that's my future wife in the pic above. I had to put that out there so Kwe and Tek and N9ne and their crew weren't trying to put the moves on her or anything. I'm just saying tho.