S. Samuel
R&B diva Beyoncé, A$AP Rocoky, Public Enemy and more music stars helped kick-off Jay Z's second year of the Made In America Philadelphia festival with memorable performances.
Bey dominated the opening night event with performances of hit songs like “Run the World (Girls).”
Beyonce rocks out on stage wearing a brand new outfit to close the evening at the 2013 Budweiser Made in America Festival held at Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Saturday evening (August 31) in Philadelphia, Penn. The 31-year-old entertainer performed her full Mrs. Carter Tour set for the crowd. The first two songs of her show – “Run the World (Girls)” and “End of Time” – were live streamed online. (Just Jared)
Despite arriving late to his set, A$AP’s energetic live set served as a quick apology to pumped up fans.
Hardly Rocky: Or A$AP. As Spin’s Christopher Weingarten pointed out on via Twitter, it should’ve been perfect for A$AP Rocky to play the Rocky Stage — the main stage of the festival, dubbed so because of its proximity to the steps leading up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art that Rocky Balboa famously scaled. But the rapper showed up for his set 23 minutes late, which hardly jibed with that whole as-soon-as-possible thing that his name implies. A$AP Rocky may have shown up with half a set, but the crowd of rapt teenagers roared at the conclusion of each of the four or five songs he played, proving that you can take the round with the right hit. (USA Today)
Iconic rap group Public Enemy graced the stage Saturday (August 31) with some political messages.
Made in America also generated its first political commentary via an electric set by veteran political firebrands Public Enemy, who spoke out on behalf of underfunded Philadelphia schools, against racism, and in support of convicted cop killer Mumia Abu Jamal. The agit-rap hip-hop legends got off to a farcical start when Flavor Flav, infamous reality TV star and ace side man to Chuck D, grabbed a microphone and began doing a loud sound check – “Make some noiiiiise” – while Sande was performing nearby. Flav, who played bass on that song, switched to drums after Chuck D brought on Philadelphia original gangsta rapper Schoolly D – who was introduced as “the Mayor of Philadelphia” – for “PSK, What Does It Mean?” They clearly knew where they were. No cheesesteak patter here. (Philly)
Heading into the weekend, reports claimed Jay’s second annual concert series had scored huge ticket sales.
Even without curator Jay Z as a headliner, this weekend’s second Budweiser Made In America Festival is already well on track to surpass its inaugural year in Philadelphia. The two-day festival’s first iteration was a notable success, attracting 40,000 attendees per day and netting $5 million in ticket sales, according to Billboard Boxscore. Booked by Live Nation and headlined by Jay Z and Pearl Jam, the festival attracted a diverse lineup that spanned hip hop, rock, EDM and pop. Ticket sales for Year two are expected to finish between 57,000 and 60,000 per day, says Budweiser brand manager Mike Thompson, which would put full-weekend attendance as high as 120,000 — a 50% increase. (Billboard)
Check out Beyoncé’s performance:
