Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
Concert producer Guerilla Union and rap group Cypress Hill are reviving the Smokeout concert and festival for the first time since 2003 with a two-day festival at San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore on Oct. 23 and 24.
The musical component includes performances from more than two dozen artists, including Cypress Hill, metal band Slipknot and hard alternative rockers Deftones, but the bigger vibe is what Chang Weisberg of Guerilla Union called "the Comic-Con of cannabis."
He said the expo component will include education on everything from products incorporating hemp, such as soap and cosmetics, to celebrity guest speakers, legal education and a film festival.
The Smokeout started in 1998 in San Bernardino and ran every year through 2003. Weisberg said this year's event came together because Cypress Hill was ready to do it and the group is releasing new music. He said the debate over California medical marijuana laws also struck a chord.
"Cypress Hill has never been afraid to promote the cannabis culture," Weisberg said.
He said that even though the event has been on hiatus since 2003, people were constantly asking about it.
In the past, the Smokeout has been held at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as well as what is now known as San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore.
In 2000, some businesses near the National Orange Show complained of graffiti and vandalism.
Weisberg said the events have had a "clean bill of health" since, that the company has never been afraid to pay for damages and that the good of bringing people to the area outweighs the bad.
Guerilla Union also puts on the world-renowned Rock the Bells concert series, which stopped in Devore in August, and the Paid Dues independent hip-hop festival in San Bernardino every year.
Weisberg said reviving the Smokeout was different because the producers had to put together a lineup and a festival that fans will embrace, especially during tough economic times. He said the nature of the festival also puts it up to be compared with others, such as Seattle's Hempfest, which also brings together performers and cannabis culture.
Live Nation, which operates San Manuel Amphitheater, said the venue's size and layout provides room for multiple stages and vendor booths, "all in an eclectic festival setting," spokesman Greg Terlizzi wrote in an e-mail.
"Especially given the success of Rock the Bells, Rockstar Mayhem Festival and more, we think it makes a fantastic spot for Smokeout," Terlizzi wrote.
Weisberg said he hoped the Smokeout will become an annual event again and grow even bigger.
"This is a signature event that can help define the movement," Weisberg said.
Tickets will go on sale Sept. 12. Visit 2009 Smokeout Festival for more information.
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