Made in America: A Review

The music pulsed as we danced to the sweet melody of Kanye West’s auto-tuned ballad. It was our final night; “Blood on the Leaves” was screaming in our ears.
It would not have been so magical had we not had been in Grand Park at the heart of Los Angeles surrounded by about 34,000 fans of Kanye West, Jay-Z and several other big-name artists.
This year was the inaugural year in Los Angeles of Budweiser’s Made In America Festival. The festival began in 2012 on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia.
The 2014 festival tour brought new expansions as founder Jay-Z brought his festival to Los Angeles to mimic that in Philadelphia.
This debut performance, hosted on the Labor Day Weekend, brought music artists from genres of hip-hop, rock, pop, R&B and EDM.
The grounds contained the Skate Park stage with Grits & Biscuits as the constant performer for both days; the James Dean Stage, hosting performances by only EDM DJs; the Dylan Stage; and the main stage known as the Marilyn Stage, directly in front of City Hall.
At the Marilyn Stage on that lively Sunday night, each and every guest gathered to watch the infamous Kanye West performance.
Ultimately, the venue held several outstanding performances from the Saturday crew of DVBBS, Borgore, Capital Cities, AB-Soul, Classixx, Schoolboy Q, Sublime with Rome, Iggy Azalea, Afrojack, Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons; and the Sunday crew of Yellow Claw, Rita Ora, R3hab, Cypress Hill, Chance the Rapper, Weezer, Rise Against, Juanes, John Mayer, Steve Aoki and, finally, Kanye West.
With year one in Los Angeles under its belt, the Budweiser Made In America Festival can only get bigger and better. With a cheaper price than Coachella and a closer location than Outsidelands, Santa Barbara fans will undoubtedly be flocking down to Grand Park on the 2015 Labor Day Weekend.

Lollapalooza

Lollapalooza: Centered in the heart of Chicago’s Grant Park and surrounded by Chicago’s city scape, the dreamy Lollapalooza Music Festival has a unique, hip aesthetic. The music lineup offers an eclectic group of artists from various genres. Lolla can get muddy but has raving reviews from our own Emily Powers.

EZoo

EZOO: Since 2009, the Electronic Zoo Festival has taken over Randall’s Island in New York City every Labor Day Weekend. This festival brings crowds of electronic music fans looking to catch acts from several top international DJs.

Burning Man

Burning Man: A week long experience in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert spanning from the last Monday in August to the first Monday in September. The festival adopted its name from its monumental ‘burning’ of the wooden man statue. Community, art, music and self-expression stimulate this welcoming crowd.

Bonnaroo

Bonnaroo: A music festival in Manchester, Tennessee? Bonnaroo is your go too! Four days at this festival gives attendees an indie rock, bluegrass, country, electronic and reggae music experience. Prepare to stay up late; all this awesome music will span from noon to four in the morning.