For the 2008 edition, the festival moved back to its original dates in the first weekend of July and a three-day programme. This edition was headlined by American acts R.E.M., Lenny Kravitz, ZZ Top, and British bands The Police, The Prodigy, and Madness. This year saw the introduction of a new festival in the city; Kobetasonik was focused in heavy metal music, was headlined by Kiss and Judas Priest, and was held two weeks before BBK Live in the same venue at mount Cobetas. Bilbao BBK Live 08 was attended by a little less than 80,000 people, well below the expected 95,000. Rain and difficult access to the site, available only through shuttle buses provided by a private party instead of the city's public buses as in past editions, were seen as factors for the decrease in attendance. However, the edition was still considered a success, and despite a project of moving the festival to a new location at an abandoned amusement park in mount Artxanda, the organization decided to stick to Cobetas, and promised improvements in the area and services for 2009.