The gates open for day two at Made in America, and the lineup promises an even more eclectic selection than yesterday. Weezer, Juanes, John Mayer and headliner Kanye West draw in fans from across the spectrum. It is speculated that today’s attendance is even greater than yesterday’s.
Terraplane Sun starts off the afternoon at the Marilyn Stage. A modest group gathers to see the indie rockers from LA take the stage. Their psych rock elements land them in the neighborhood of bands like Tame Impala and Alt J, but with a softer side. They follow the same vocal trend as their peers with a high pitch Bob Dylan style. Their saving grace is that they bring a more realistic soulful aspect to their occasionally folky sound with an organ. During “Ya Never Know,” there have quite a few feedback issues making the first third of the song inaudible due to the loud screeching and wiry fuzz sounds covering it. They play straight through and recover just in time for the last song “Get Me Golden” to which fans are elated to dance and sing.
Rita Ora follows on Marilyn. Her team of twerking dancers and acrobats jumping and dancing across the stage before she even arrives is the perfect warmup. The Londoner has been coming up more and more on the scene in the past year, partially thanks to her fairly recent relationship with Calvin Harris. She is adorably fashionable with a bare midriff, blunt blonde haircut and matte red lips. Ora makes a point to stay at the tip of the stage to give her fans a good view of her energetic performance. Her voice carries a soulful Whitney vibe but with a deeper timbre. The Londoner greets the crowd and mentions that all of this music is off her upcoming freshman album. As she introduces “Black Widow,” she says “If you know the fucking words, sing them.” Her girly pop love songs carry well throughout the yard on their own, but the crowd participation is an added bonus.
Classixx draw practically the entire Rita Ora crowd up the Spanish steps to the raised courtyard sandwiched between buildings where the James Dean Stage awaits. They kick off with a killer remix of Kris Menace’s “Metropolis,” that pulls everyone closer. Unfortunately, their stage presence falls flat, and the only reason to stay is to listen to the good EDM they mix.
Cypress Hill draws a flood of people out to Marilyn. Right away, they play “I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That.” Within minutes, they essentially turn the grounds into a 90s house party. They pack a wallop of energy jumping and utilizing the stretch of the stage throughout. The West-coasters start a call and return with each side of the crowd making them tell back and forth “There’s a party over here, fuck you over there!” Onlookers go nuts when “Insane in the Brain” queues up, and a wave of arms flow up and down. Next, B Real says, “Since it’s about that 420 time,” and a stage hand comes out with a lighter and the largest blunt ever. B Real promptly lights it and smokes it for the duration of “Light It Up” and “Dr. Greenthumb.” They close with a loud and lively rendition of “(Rock) Superstar.”
Nipsey Hussle makes his stamp on MAI, though he only draws stragglers over to the Dylan Stage after Cypress Hill. The shirtless rapper rocking cornrows and a giant gold chain on his bare chest really yells out his lyrics in a heavy manner to hype up the onlookers. People are surprisingly receptive. It now becomes obvious that the day’s lineup is behind schedule, however, because his set only lasts for a few songs to leave time for the next act to catch up.
Weezer comes straight in ready to roll with “Hash Pipe.” The massive crowd outside the main stage instantly breaks into song. They continue the harmonious participation throughout as the entire set is basically a steady stream of some of their greatest hits including the likes of “Perfect Situation,” “Island in the Sun” and “Pork and Beans.” Nothing special to report here. The only new song we hear is their latest single “Back to the Shack” off their album due out in October. They gratefully thank the audience for its support and exit with fast and fun “Buddy Holly.”
Throngs of people flow toward Dylan for Chance the Rapper who surprisingly makes time to appear at the show. The minute the music starts, hundreds of puffs of smoke billow out of the audience. With a full band, his music is anything but quiet. It is like a slap in the face, but the horns make it less aggressive. Hard as it is to follow, the crowd still seems to be enticed.
It is pretty epic to see how many people stick around for more music as they mosey to Marilyn for Juanes. He somehow has transcended so many genres in the Latin music realm. It is admirable that he appeals to the mainstream pop circuit, but still maintains an independent identity. The best part is seeing all of the white people follow along salsa dancing and cheering. Juanes takes a moment to tell an anecdote about how he came to LA fifteen years ago with nothing but a dream and the desire to be an artist, but he made it here. He assures everyone that making it there can happen for anyone. The big hit “A Dios Le Pido” gets all the cell phones in the air as the song roars through the space.
Post salsa dance party, some folks seek relaxation refuge in the beer garden between the main stages, while others run up the hill to visit food truck row. The few who decide to hang back stay for Rise Against to start playing. The crowd is small, but the group still delivers a stadium-worthy performance. Guitarist Zach Blair’s high kicks are perhaps the most visually stimulating part of the set.
Steve Aoki interrupts the latter part of John Mayer’s set to ignite the biggest and best dance party all weekend. Lights flash, and the sound builds as Aoki jumps out on stage from below his table. He brings an energetic performance which amps everyone up enough to jump and dance. Skrillex, Jay Z and Beyoncé are all in attendance to witness the madness. He ends with a fast version of his Kid Cudi “Pursuit of Happiness” remix and launches off the stage to indulge fans with as many selfies as the security guards will allow before Kanye takes over at the stage next door.
Kanye West’s performance is the culmination of this two day event. Of course, he “modestly” dons his signature mask for most of the set. Just to keep the audience in the know about his life, he also engages in his signature rants. The first is his attempt to explain that though he may have a bad rep, he knows that more people love him than hate him. Say what you want about Kanye, but he is one passionate man. He spits the words out to each song as if he can barely contain them. For “Blood on the Leaves,” he warns everyone that they need to start moving around a bit and making little circles when the beat drops. He notes that he played it last night and people got “turnt” up. It feels as though he is trying to start a riot. Luckily, he squashes any chance of that with rant number two – his attempt to get people on his side. He states that he has a lot of things happening for himself (i.e. wife, baby, etc.), and if he really did anything that wrong, God or the Devil would know. People fill every inch of space in the park to witness Kanye’s set. It was certainly worth the wait. Here’s hoping next year’s Made in America is just as hype-worthy.
Kanye West setlist
Black Skinhead
I Don’t Like (Chief Keef cover)
Mercy
Cold
Clique
Can’t Tell Me Nothing
New Slaves
Power
Blood on the Leaves
Stronger
Runaway
Run This Town (Jay Z cover)
Diamonds from Sierra Leone
Heartless
Jesus Walks
All Falls Down
Touch the Sky
All of the Lights
Good Life
Bound 2
Encore
Blood on the Leaves (reprise)
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