With a lineup in stark contrast to the first day’s festivities at Jay-Z’s Made In America Festival, Day 2 would bring more heat, monstrous mid-day crowds and two stunning main stage sets seen only by a minority of the estimated 60,000 in attendance.
3:40PM – Solange
Solange and her 5-piece band brought mellow grooves and funk dabblings to a laid-back mid-day crowd, as her sister Beyonce (with whom Solange shares a twin-like resemblance in person) cheered in support from the fringes of stage right.
Shoulders swaying, she delivered a mildly entertaining chilled-out vocal performance, complimented by a charming smile. But other doins’ were transpiring across the way…
4:00PM – Diarrhea Planet
How could one turn down the opportunity to add this name to list?
“We’re Diarrhea Planet from Nashville, Tennessee. AHHH!” singer Jordan Smith screamed as they dove into the bro-metal ruckus of “Lite Dream” eliciting a lively response from the few people in attendance aware of their repertoire (unlike the assumed majority watching only because of their absurd collective moniker).
With four guitar players in tow, they flirted with garage punk, metal, and jock-rock throughout their 30-minute foray at the Skatepark stage.
4:30PM – Kendrick Lamar
After seemingly unnecessary and self-aggrandizing mini-sets by Jay Rock, AB Soul, and Schoolboy Q, the self-proclaimed king of New York unleashed “Good Kid M.A.A.D. City” as arms bumped to the beat as far back as the food tents. He then rocked “Backseat Freestyle” as the aroma of Sativa clung to the dead air.
After spitting out “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe,” Lamar proclaimed, “I don’t give a fuck if you got your good clothes on. I don’t give a fuck about your hair. This is your moment,” inciting an already bumping Rocky Stage audience.
5:10PM – The Liberty Stage is a mess!
The new estimated capacity of 60,000 (as opposed to 40,000 at the inaugural Made In America in 2012) has led to unprecedented audience congestion throughout the park, which is most evident at this semi-Main stage and throughout the food tent lane ways. The festival layout will need to be painstakingly re-envisioned if organizers expect to maintain a safe and functional festival environment in years to come.
If this festival has proven anything to me, it is that if you can wear it, you can Americanize it. Shirts, shorts, shoes, belts, bikini tops and bottoms, wigs, purses, hats, fanny packs, shoes, sunglasses, bandanas, body suits and underwear (probably). You Americans sure are fond of sporting your Patriotic colors whenever opportunity strikes.
6:40PM – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
People really, really like Macklemore. The curious decision to keep this set off of the main stage led to an overload at the Liberty Stage.
Taking to the stage sporting a Philadelphia Phillies jersey, Macklemore led cohort Ryan Lewis, as well as horn players and dancers on stage. The bro-laden audience appeared re-invigorated as the sun finally crept behind the trees and reacted with uproarious acclaim as they played “10,000 Hours”.
“I wanted to get a Phillies jersey”, Macklemore explained, complaining about the outrageous cost (really?), but cleverly segueing into that ubiquitous radio hit that just won’t relent. “You Know we had to hit the Thrift Shop”, he called out as fans began to jump to that all-too-familiar sax melody.
One hand firm on the mic, the other wildly chopping the air, Macklemore was all energy. In all honesty, I don’t believe I have ever, ever, seen so many iPhones raised in the air.
As he prefaced the sap-ballad “Same Love,” I took my leave. It was time to hunker down for Queens of the Stone Age.
7:10PM – David Blaine is walking around with a film crew. Reason unknown.
7:30PM – Queens of the Stone Age
As the sunlight faded, and a cryptic backdrop video subsided, Queens of the Stone Age took to the Rocky Stage to a notably modest-sized crowd.
This was to be a fiery set, heavy on hits and tracks from their brilliant 6th album, 2013’s …Like Clockwork, each song affirming the cohesive perfection they bring to their live performances.
After opening with “My God Is The Sun”, they quickly shifted back to 2001’s Songs For The Deaf for the chugging slimy riffs of “Millionaire” and their biggest hit to date “No One Knows” accompanied by fans rambunctiously chanting the guitar melody.
The sultry and pulsing grooves of “Smooth Sailing” were dance-worthy, likely working heaps to convert many of the unlearned festival goers who curiously gave Queens of the Stone Age a try at a festival they clearly didn’t belong at.
Shortly after commencing on “Make It Wit Chu”, Homme noticed that security was roughing-up people in the crowd. As the band played on, Homme began another patented tirade (a skill he has honed over the years). “Hey. Security. Knock it off. This is fucking Philadelphia. What is this your fucking parents’ house?”
Mosh pits opened up as they rushed through “Sick, Sick, Sick” and “Go With The Flow”, before closing out the devastatingly brief set with the drum-mastery (by new drummer Jon Theodore) and stop-and-start theatrics of “Song For The Dead” while virtual flocks of crows flew towards the audience on the LED backdrop.
9:30PM – Nine Inch Nails
Trent Reznor walked out casually. No big thing.
He began playing with the do-dads on stage, building the blocks of “Copy Of A” from Hesitation Marks (set to be released on Tuesday) as the other members gradually made their way out, their silhouettes cast behind them on five large movable screens.
After several new tracks including radio hit “Came Back Haunted”, Nine Inch Nails would leave the audience wanting no longer as the frenetic high-toned drum sequence indicated it was time for “March Of The Pigs” complimented by signature dramatic pauses. “And doesn’t it make you feel…better.”
The early-industrial sounds and of “Terrible Lie” prompted a scream-along as multi-instrumentalist and founding member Robin Finck belted out the chorus. The mobile screens were then brought forward, Reznor’s digitalized face bursting through pink light as they played “Closer”.
Early tour jitters casted doubts over Reznor’s continued vocal aptitude. This show eradicated those doubts, especially during the intense performance of “Gave Up” while a strobing blur and red lights created a sense of blinding dislocation.
The audience (perhaps a third the size of Saturday’s main-stage headliner Beyonce) was treated to the dystopian and trancy “Me I’m Not”, the crushing “Somewhat Damaged” and With Teeth hits “Only” and “The Hand That Feeds”. After thanking Jay-Z for the opportunity, Reznor led the group through “Head Like A Hole”.
Their choice for the one song encore, of course was “Hurt”. The appropriately hushed accompaniment of the shrinking, but adoring crowd was a somber and chilling way to conclude a thrilling set and weekend.
