Budweiser hosted the event, and they had their Signature Draught Biergarten, which was a large section blocked off for serving Budweiser beer. They required an ID check and wristband before entry. Inside the Biergarten people were laid out on the grass with their $9 cup of beer. There were long lines for the bar, and they had a Budweiser factory tour. I'm not a beer drinker, but I thought it would be interesting to see how beer was made, so I went on the ten-minute tour. After that experience, I continued exploring the grounds. On the corner of one street, there was a big-screen livestream showing the happenings at the Made In America Festival in Philly. Once I turned the corner I entered a mass of spicy, sweet, and inviting scents from a ton of food trucks, which served a variety of food. I ended up going to the Greek food truck and got a lamb gyro with fries. It was absolutely delicious! There was, of course, no place to sit down and eat, so people were just walking around or sitting on the curb as they munched.
There were several stages: the Marilyn Stage, the Dylan Stage, the James Dean Stage, and the Skate Stage. The stage I was mainly at was the Marilyn Stage, because that is where John Mayer and Kanye West performed. They were pretty much all I wanted to see. There were hundreds of people laid out on blankets on the grass or standing around. I even saw Jurnee Smollett (from Tyler Perry’s Temptation) chilling out, and later heard that Beyonce and Jay-Z were there as well. I got deep in to the crowd during Juanes’s set, which was very fun and energetic, and I enjoyed seeing everyone dancing and having a great time. There were forty-five minute blocks in between each performer at that stage, so I went to sit down with my family to get out of the hot, busy mix. The break was much needed, but once John Mayer came to the stage I was up on my feet again. His voice was extremely captivating. He opened with “Vultures” after a great intro of his deep tone and guitar skills. I enjoyed watching him perform so much, because he is truly talented. His voice is amazing and flexible, and watching him live was a great experience. My favorite moment of his set was when he performed his version of Beyonce’s XO. It is one of my favorite songs on Beyonce’s self titled album, and I think John Mayer’s version is beautiful and powerful. He also played the harmonica, which was a nice touch.
After a great time swaying to his tunes I got ready to turn up for Kanye! When Kanye hit the stage it got crazy! Someone passed out on the ground right next to me. It was a long day, and people were exhausted, but I still had energy for the hype-ness Kanye brought to my life for that hour. He took it back to his first album, College Drop Out, and then progressed to his music on the radio today. His set was full of “Flashing Lights,” and he was exuding so much eagerness on that big stage basically by himself. The video projection had a special effect, where he appeared bright and colorful. He changed in to a few different masks, which was interesting to see. He caught the crowd’s attention, he got us to chant, sing along, and even hold up the “Roc.” He didn’t need any props or extra bodies on the stage, because him alone was enough to deliver the message of each song. I loved his set, and every song choice. It was my favorite part of the day! This past weekend I had the honor of experiencing the Made in America Festival in LA!
