MADE IN AMERICA DAY 1: Beyonce Slays, Nick Jonas Proves Himself as a Solo Artist, & Death Cab Fo

Beyonce, Nick Jonas, Death Cab For Cutie at Budweiser Made In America Festival 2015 Day 1

When Jay-Z puts on a festival, he does it right; proving so with the forth annual Budweiser Made In America Festival in Philadelphia. Hand picking the line-up with co-founder Steve Stoute, the annual festival was held Labor Day weekend September 5th and 6th. In the city of brotherly love, the line-up ranged from from hip-hop, rock, EDM, to pop, making sure there was something for everybody to listen to and get excited about. Whether it was Beyonce, Nick Jonas, Halsey, or Bassnectar, music lovers could sit back, listen to music, drink Budweiser, and have an amazing time. Consisting of five stages: The Rocky Stage, The Liberty Stage, The Freedom Stage, The Tidal Stage, and The Skate Park Stage, despite the oppressive heat, and the huge SOLD OUT 70,000+ fans in attendance; day one was ready to be a blast.

The day began with Young Rising Sons on The Liberty Stage who is from right over the bridge in Red Bank, NJ. Vocalist Andy Tongren had the perfect decor added to his microphone stand for this performance decked out with an american flag. Their high energy levels got the crowd moving. They had the crowd on their feet dancing and singing along to their Indie Pop Rock sound keeping them alive by yelling “What’s Up Philadelphia?” in which the crowd responded very well too.

Beginning the day over on the Rocky Stage was a band from Derby, England called, The Struts. We soon discovered that there is one thing that sets The Struts apart from any other band that I have seen perform live before, and that is their undeniably electric stage presence. Within moments of the band gracing the stage, everyone in the room was on their feet. Frontman Luke, added a touch of glamour to the festivities; with his wild embellished sparkling shirt. He had more energy and charisma than any lead singer I have ever seen. Everything, from his raw yet rich vocals to his unique dance movements. He had a class that few frontmen are able to possess and it was intoxicating. The rest of the band; Gethin on drums, Jed on bass and Adam on guitar were just as magnetic as their frontman, a rare feat for any band. The Struts performed a collection of infectious and unforgettable tracks, each more powerful than the next. The kind of tracks that grab your attention and forced you to take notice.

Heading back over to the Liberty Stage as Earl Sweatshirt takes the stage. Dressed in black shirt and shorts and high white socks, the lyric poet of the now-disbanded Odd Future hip-hop crew was accompanied by a DJ and hype man as he took his time spitting rhymes over loping, pounding beats. He put on a great performance, premiering three new songs for the crowd, including “I Be Outside,” “Mirror,” and “Hell.” Fans filled the space nearest The Liberty Stage filling the air with clouds of smoke and jamming along to the music.

Vic Mensa then taking control of The Rocky Stage, for his explosive set. Vic being a new artist on the rise, had a great energy about him. Although he’s a newer act, he performed on the Rocky stage and had the crowd jamming out to classics like Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in between his originals. On stage he’s a striking presence with his blonde tips and menacing throat tattoo reading “SOUTHSIDE,” Vocally, he had full command, hitting basically all of his lines and making himself heard above the pounding bass. Vic was also one of the few acts who took advantage of the T-shaped main stage setup, which featured a pathway from the stage which separated one side of the audience from the other. He even jumped into the crowd for some brief crowd-surfing, ultimately leaving everyone very impressed with the young performer.

The old-school hip-hop slot at this year’s MIA Festival went to De La Soul, the trio of New York rappers who helped stretch the boundaries of the music in the late 1980s and early 1990s. As the late afternoon sun started to set on the red-white-and-blue crowd, the band served up a laid-back vibe on classics like “Me Myself & I” and “Stakes Is High.” They also did their best to direct security to give water to fans smashed onto the barricade in front of the Rocky Stage, who still had a long time to wait for Beyoncé. Nearly 30 years have passed since De La Soul conquered rap radio with hits like “Me Myself and I” and “Buddy,” and the trio has had some time to perfect the art of working a crowd which they did at day 1 of Made In America. G-Eazy conquered over on the Liberty Stage, Keep an eye out for him cause he is going to top the charts with his hits.

The maturing Jonas Brother, Nick Jonas; played all of his currents hits, including “Chains” and “Jealous,” as well as several covers, including a snippet of The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face.” But the moment he finally won over the naysayers was during his cover of Outkast’s “Roses,” proving his vocal chops are very impressive. As well as playing his newest hit single Levels, making the crowd go wild. Nick Jonas, currently out on a headlining tour which began 1 day after his MIA Festival Performance, proving himself as a solo artist, as he conquers the current radio station’s in Philadelphia. He came out wearing a leather jacket and shades which neither stayed on long, before throwing his shades off and ripping off his leather jacket exposing just a white t-shirt. For Nick Jonas, a former child star turned male pop singer in his early 20s, redefining yourself as an actually cool adult star is a challenging path, one that doesn’t usually lead to No. 1 singles and national tours. Nick Jonas defied the odds, but not without hard work, perseverance and smarts. Closing the 45-minute set with his smash hit “Jealous,” it was clear Nick Jonas has transcended his Disney past, on his own terms. Nick’s become a star in his own right with the soulful vocals, incredible stage presence, hit singles and loyal fans to prove it.

Philadelphia’s own rapper, Meek Mill up next on the Rocky Main Stage in which he gave many of hometown shoutouts throughout his set, rapping through all of his hits rather quickly. As he quite a special surprise in store for us nearing the end of his set; He brought out his son to dance (Whip & Nae Nae) for the crowd, then bringing out his girlfriend, Nicki Minaj. The crowd erupted into cheers as Nicki walked out onto the stage to perform a duet “All Eyes on You” with Meek. (Watch Nicki & Meek Perform Here: https://youtu.be/pBUXQ4Pu4hk)

Death Cab For Cutie might have been the softest act booked into a major slot at this year’s MIA Festival, which is filled with male rappers and one fierce female headliner. Death Cab opened with “The New Year,” from the 2003 album Transatlanticism and closed with the title cut from that album. On the more energetic songs, you might have mistaken Death Cab for a dance band as the crowd exploded into dance and movement after a very soft, slow opening.

Modest Mouse, The final act on The Rocky Stage until Queen Bey takes control of the stage at 10:30pm. Modest Mouse confronted with a massive crowd of Beyonce fans anxious to see her, they kept things light with a mix of their biggest songs. Modest Mouse was definitely a let down at MIA Festival this summer as I went in with big expectations of a great set with amazing music and a crazy light show of sorts, but they had none of that. Their sound was off and their lights consisted of dark blue laser beams directly on each member making for a hard to watch show.

Bassnectar is known, even relied upon, for his thunderously loud sets and dramatically bright light shows. Jay Z caught with Nick Jonas in the crowd watching Bassnectar jam before Jay Z’s Wifey Beyonce takes the Rocky Stage to end out an incredible day 1 of Made In America. Bassnectar not disappointing with a chest pumping set with an extraordinary light show and the crowd going beyond wild; Headbanging and dancing to a crazy light show making for a very awesome experience.

The night ended with a killer performance from The One And Only, Beyonce. She started the night off strong by getting lifted into the air above the set while singing her very seductive remix of Crazy in Love which is on the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack. Her whole setlist was a mix of her solo songs mixed with songs from Destiny’s Child, giving The girls in Destiny’s Child a shoutout before going right into Survivor. She managed to do a couple costume changes that didn’t keep the crowd waiting at all. Each outfit and dance number had a purpose with her solid performance. Beyonce delivered powerful statements about female empowerment with video commentary by Maya Angelou and Ronda Rousey, and kept the audience attention grasp with her ultra-modern choreography. “Listen, just because my body was developed for a purpose other than f*ckin’ millionaires doesn’t mean it’s masculine.’ I think it’s femininely bad-ass as f*ck because there’s not a single muscle on my body that isn’t for a purpose. Because, I’m not a do-nothing b*tch.” before going into one of her hit songs “Diva”. With six costume changes and an intense dance along that ranged from her early solo career jams from “Crazy In Love” to her most recent party hit “7/11,” she also dusted off the Destiny’s Child gems like “Say My Name” and “Jumpin’, Jumpin’.” In case there’s any doubt, her vocals and choreography are still as sharp as they were when she rocked braids back in the early days. But the real highlight was Mrs. Carter taking every spare moment in between songs to hype up the girl squads in attendance. Before launching into “Bow Down/Flawless,” she said, “If you run your own sh*t, take care of your kids, make your own money, I want y’all to celebrate this song with me.” Like her other global tours and shows, empowering speeches dedicated to hard-working women had many ladies screaming and twerking in agreement, like this lesson on sexuality before she performed a Jay Z-less “Drunk In Love”:“When you become a woman, you celebrate who you are and know that sensuality is a gift. This gives you power. This power can manipulate. This power can celebrate. … Harnessing the power of your body requires responsibility. Seduction is much more…” Still, the most tender moments were saved for last with the heavenly trio of “Halo,” “1+1″ and “Love On Top.” Jay Z whom was showing his support for his wifey by dancing and singing along to every song right in front of her in the barricade nearest the stage. Beyonce delivered a mind-blowing flawless set making for an incredible ending to day one of MIA Festival 2015! Now fans eagerly await Day 2 featuring seductive lyric vocalist and R&B singer The Weeknd to end out a SOLD OUT Labor Day Weekend Celebration on The Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia!