photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Run DMC / Pearl Jam / Drake at Made in America Fest 9/3/2012

A Run DMC reunion was one of the many highlights of the second day of the Jay-Z presented Made in America Festival which happened in Philadelphia over Labor Day Weekend. Monday's show also featured Pearl Jam, Drake, X, The Hives and others. Jay-Z joined Pearl Jam during their set for a performance of "99 Problems".

Pictures from day 1 are HERE and more pics from day 2 are below (along with Run DMC's setlist).

Continue reading "Made in America Fest: day 2 in pics (Run DMC, Pearl Jam, X, Santigold, Drake, The Hives, Jill Scott and more)"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Jay-Z & Kanye / Passion Pit / D'Angelo at Made in America 9/2/2012

Closing out the first day of Made in America was rap legend and festival organizer Jay-Z's behemoth set. "Allow me to re-introduce myself," Jay rapped as he entered the stage, a screaming crowd of thousands joining him in every word and making clear that no introductions were necessary. Breaking the day's tradition of rappers surrounded by hype men, Jay-Z struck a dramatic pose alone on stage.

His set's first surprise was a video from President Obama, who voiced his support of Made in America's patriotic vision and urged concertgoers to register to vote, a call to action greeted with cheers.

Backed by a live band and celebrating his recent NBA partnership by sporting a Brooklyn Nets hat, Jay-Z flew through a sampler of his most beloved hits, from early hit Izzo (H.O.V.A.) to crowd favorite Big Pimpin. He gave plenty of love to his new material as well, performing an ode to his hometown of New York City with a euphoric rendition of Empire State of Mind and leading the crowd in singing Run This Town, before playing the hard-driving On to the Next One...

...Jay-Z's turn at Made In America wasn't complete without a few high-profile guests. As the show neared its end, Kanye West and his G.O.O.D. Music posse stormed the stage. West, joined by Pusha T, Big Sean, 2 Chainz and Common, showcased new tracks Mercy and New God Flow with his crew before splitting off to perform several songs solo. With the crowd in near pandemonium, Jay and Ye closed the night with collaboration N----- in Paris.- [USA Today]

Jay-Z's inaugural Made in America Festival happened Labor Day Weekend in Philadelphia and the first day (9/2) featured a wide variety of acts, including Janelle Monae, Passion Pit, Rick Ross, Dirty Projectors (who have a show coming up at Carnegie Hall) and J himself (and a few of his friends). More pictures from Sunday are below, along with Jay-Z's setlist...

Continue reading "Made in America Fest: day 1 in pics (Jay-Z, Dirty Projectors, D'Angelo, Janelle Monae, Passion Pit and more)"

Gary Clark Jr. at Coachella 2012 (more by David Andrako)

As mentioned, Philly's Made In America Festival goes down this weekend (9/1 - 9/2) on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Since we last spoke, the lineup was expanded and now includes Drake (who was rumored but not on the initial lineup announcement), Jill Scott, Chris Cornell, The Hives, and Run DMC, who are all playing the second day (9/2), in addition to blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr., who will be on the only performer on the bill playing both days, and others. Day 1 (9/1) will be headlined by festival head Jay-Z, and also includes Skrillex, Passion Pit, D'Angelo, Dirty Projectors, Janelle Monae, and others, and day 2 (9/2) will be headlined by Pearl Jam and also includes Odd Future, X, Santigold, and others. Tickets for the festival are still available.

If you're going to the fest, Philly is only about a two hour drive from NYC and this FAQ should help you find your way over (for directions use the address of Ben Franklin Parkway at Eakins Oval in Philadelphia or the Philadelphia Museum of Art). Once you're there, that FAQ will also help you find your way around, parking tips, and more. There will be a free filtered water service at the festival site, but you can't bring glowsticks (sorry Skrillex fans).

A #MadeInAmerica video for Gary Clark Jr. and the lineup for the festival are below.

Continue reading "Jay-Z's Made In America Festival is this weekend; Gary Clark Jr. playing both nights (full lineup, directions & more)"

The Hives have released a new video for "Wait a Minute" into the wild, the latest single from their new album, Lex Hives. Check it out below.

After spending this past weekend at the double-whammy of the Reading/Leeds Festivals in the UK, The Hives are preparing to hit the West Coast next week (including MusicFestNW). Those dates are preceeded by a stop in Philly to play the Jay-Z-curated Made in America Festival on September 2 along with names like D'Angelo, Skrillex, Odd Future, Dirty Projectors and more.

If you won't be in the West or the City of Brotherly Love, you can still catch the Swedes on Conan on 9/12 and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on 10/5. Full tour schedule is listed below, along with the "Wait a Minute" video.

Continue reading "The Hives release new video, schedule West Coast shows & TV appearances after Made in America fest (updated dates) "

The following items are NOT ALLOWED
• Weapons of any kind
• Fireworks or explosives
• Illegal or Illicit substances of any kind
• Outside food & drink (except your factory sealed water)
• Pets (except service animals)
• Flyers, handbills, posters, stickers (no solicitation allowed)
• Chairs
• Glass containers
• Skateboards, motorized vehicles or Scooters
• Coolers
• Professional recording devices or cameras (no-detachable lenses or tripods or other commercial uses)
• Glowsticks
• Laser Pointers
• Items to obstruct other fan's views (kites, flag poles, large signs, etc)

The above list comes from the Philadelphia fest's FAQ page. Many of the above listed artists were leaked yesterday. More artists to be announced. Tickets are in various stages of going on sale.

PREVIOUSLY: Pearl Jam, Passion Pit & Dirty Projectors & others playing Jay-Z's Made in America Fest

Pearl Jam says:

We are pleased to announce that Pearl Jam is headlining Made in America Music Festival curated by Jay-Z. Made in America takes place Labor Day Weekend (Saturday, September 1st - Sunday, September 2nd) at Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park.

PLEASE NOTE: Made In America Festival will announce Pearl Jam's exact performance date and time in the coming weeks.

In addition to Pearl Jam, this 2-day music festival will include performances from fellow artists like Jay-Z, Passion Pit, Dirty Projectors and much more.

The full lineup is not announced yet, but Philly.com points out that Drake, Santigold, Skrillex, Afrojack, Odd Future, and Miike Snow might also all be on the bill, which if all true, means this thing really is going to be huge. There will be 28 performances on 3 stages over 2 days total. Tickets go on sale this Wednesday, May 23rd at 10am ET / 7am PT.

Jay-Z has a busy September. In addition to christening his Barclays Center with its inaugural show on September 28, he's curating the Budweiser Made in America Festival which will happen Labor Day Weekend (September 1 and 2) at Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. No performers have been announced yet, but it's 28 performers on three stages, and ""will offer music fans from across the U.S. and beyond the biggest names in hip-hop, rock, dance and other popular genres". Tickets will go on sale May 23. (Part of the proceeds go to charity.) There will be a presale for $99 2-day passes on May 22 but you have to friend Budweiser on Facebook to get it.

Watch a teaser video for the Made in America Festival below.

Continue reading "Jay-Z curating Labor Day weekend music fest in Philadelphia"