This past Labor Day Weekend, over 80,000 people flocked from across the country to the city of brotherly love.
Jay-Z presented his third annual Made in America festival. For the second time in three years, Mrs. Carter appeared as a headliner. Alongside Queen B, The Weeknd closed out the festival Sunday night.
Festival goers shuffled around five different stages in the course of two days to watch various artists perform. The genres of music represented ranged from the pounding bassline of Bassnectar to indie rock such as Modest Mouse.
Other top performers included J. Cole, Future and Big Sean. Each of the rappers have released a new album within the past year. Nicki Minaj came out during her beau’s set and together, Minaj and Meek Mill performed “All Eyes on You” sans Chris Brown. Nicki did not, however, appear on stage with Beyonce during her performances of “Feeling Myself” or “Flawless Remix.”
Beyoncé held her own, of course, without any features. Although the crowd highly anticipated guest performances from Nicki Minaj or Mr. Carter himself, Beyoncé did sample some other prominent artists during interludes. The crowd enjoyed hearing beats of “Commas” by Future, “Nasty Freestyle” by T-Wayne and “Trap Queen” by Fetty Wap.
Yoncé also featured samples that continued to support her feminist movement. Before performing “Diva,” the audience listened to a sound bite from an interview with Ronda Rousey describing what she calls a “do nothing bitch.”
The Weeknd performed his top single of the summer “Can’t Feel My Face,” and a few other songs from his newly released album, “Beauty Behind the Madness.” Abel abided by the crowd’s cheers for one more song and performed an encore of “Wicked Games.”
All in all, Made in America is a legitimate festival that will continue to grow through the years. With big name headliners and popular supporting acts, MIA is well on its way to the top of the music industry.