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A lone religious protester with a megaphone preaching accusations of sin greeted Made in America attendees as they
poured out of Benjamin Franklin Parkway after the performance of recently reunited industrial group Nine Inch Nails
(NIN)—fronted by Academy Award and three-time Grammy winner Trent Reznor, the band closed the diverse two-day
downtown Philadelphia music festival organized by Jay Z with major sponsor Budweiser.
As Reznor walked onto an empty white stage toward a keyboard, NIN opened their set with “Copy Of A” from the
band’s comeback album Hesitation Marks. As the song progressed, each band member joined Reznor one by one
as a stagehand placed instruments in front of the band members as though painting a metaphorical blank canvas.
During the set NIN also performed new tracks “Came Back Haunted” and the laid back, subtle “Find My Way.”
After twenty five years the influential band still carries one-of-a-kind stage visuals, an ominous persona and an
emotionally devoted spot-on live performance.
The 20-song, 90-minute set included a reworked version of “Sanctified” and tracks including “Burn” and “Gave Up” as
well as the band’s singles and more fan favorites. After closing with “Head Like A Hole,” Reznor returned in his black
tank top and long black kilt with a somber-driven encore performance of “Hurt.”
“Thank you. Thank you very much,” said soft-spoken Reznor to the crowd. “We’re very happy to be here and we thank
Jay Z for the invite.”
Prior to NIN, Queens of the Stone Age controlled the Rocky Stage with the heaviest rock act of the weekend.
Lead vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme encouraged everyone to embrace “The City of Brotherly Love” vibe and rebel
against the festival's rules. Homme interrupted the band's performance of “I Sat By The Ocean” by saying: “Yes, your
girlfriend CAN sit on your boyfriend’s shoulders. Security, stop telling them 'no.' What, are we at our parent’s house?”
Queens of the Stone Age's spotless set with riveting guitar solos included four tracks from their latest album
…Like Clockwork, including opening track “My God Is The Sun” and “If I Had A Tail” as well as expected crowd
favorites "No One Knows" and "Go With the Flow."
The second-annual fest sewed an assorted group of music fans together with an eclectic lineup including Saturday
night headliner Beyonce who impressed fans with an upbeat production of choreographed dance moves and
satisfactory live vocals.
Imagine Dragons and Empire Of The Sun drew large crowds on Saturday as well as Fitz and the Tantrums and
The Gaslight Anthem on Sunday, all of which delivered impressive sets that energized the audience majority.
Performing a mix of older songs with tracks from their latest album Bankrupt!, Phoenix also shook the crowd with their
sensational large festival performance sound.
Overflowing crowds transformed the Liberty Stage area into a massive dance party with energy that immersed the
grounds on Saturday night with EDM prodigy Deadmau5 and again on Sunday night with DJ Calvin Harris.
The festival also featured performances by hip-hop artists Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky and 2 Chainz with more
notable live performances by Public Enemy, Wiz Khalifa, Miguel and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.
The draining sunlight throughout the weekend didn’t hamper attendance as fans became immune to the intense heat
and many found a spot at one of the main stages and camped out the entire day. Workers and security guards were
attentive to needs and filled water bottles for fans and gave apples and oranges to those who appeared dehydrated.
In an era when summer music festivals and tour packages continue to be more dominant and popular, Made in
America's original non-genre-specific lineup approach has already made a big enough dent in the industry to
withstand the test of time.
Review
Made in America packs "City of Brotherly Love" with diversified lineup
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