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LA versus Philly: Who got the best Made In America Festival lineup?
Mayor Eric Garcetti, left, and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter announce the Made in America Festival from the steps of City Hall on April 16, 2014, in Los Angeles.
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Paul A. Hebert/Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP
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Who would you rather see at one of entrepreneur/rapper Jay-Z's massive two-day music festivals Labor Day weekend? Kanye West and Kings of Leon with Pharrell in Philadelphia? Or Imagine Dragons and John Mayer with Juanes in Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles?
Presenting sponsor Budweiser slow-rolled the competing lineups for the August 30-31 concerts, announcing the acts on Twitter in intervals Thursday, Philadelphia first and hours later, L.A. The back-to-back talent announcements triggered an L.A. versus Philly debate over which venue got the better acts.
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This is the first Made in America Festival set for L.A., expected to draw as many as 50,000 music fans downtown. It's the first event of its size in Grand Park and some downtown residents and politicians are expressing concerns. This year marks Philadelphia's third time.
With Ticketmaster fees, a two-day pass to the Los Angeles festival costs $215 dollars.
Tickets for the Philadelphia festival, to be held on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, cost $100 to $500 to attend.
With the music lineup set, concert promoters have only three months to nail down permits and a contract to close off and use the public-owned Grand Park and surrounding streets, and to work out other details with other affected agencies, like Metro. A spokesman for Mayor Eric Garcetti said Thursday the permit and contract were under review by city departments.
When the festival was first proposed by the mayor, Councilman Jose Huizar who represents the downtown district questioned why his office had not been included in the initial planning.
Mae Tuck, spokeswoman for United Way of Greater Los Angeles, said it was still negotiating its role as the charity beneficiary of the event.
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