A shit show or not a shit show? That is the question.
This weekend, music powerhouses Live Nation and Mr. Beyoncé (known in some circles as Jay Z) mount the Made in America Festival in LA for the first time. The two-day event will take place across three stages in 12-acre Grand Park—risky, considering the three-ring circus that was FYF Fest, which obliterated another stretch of DTLA just last weekend. The promise of massive street closures and noise for Made In America had Angelenos calling clusterfuckery from the start, not to mention the fact that the festival sponsor is none other than Budweiser—a.k.a., the single entity responsible for every American's first (and often last) drunken mistake. Despite any and all red flags, however, it's hard to pass up the chance to see Kanye West and Iggy Azalea in the space of one weekend (and even harder not to wish for a spontaneous collab). So, with an open mind, we share with you our top three predictions for Made in America.
1. The Crowds: Probably not-so-insanely horrible
Trustworthy-ish rumors say that organizers anticipate no more than 35,000 attendees each day, even though they'll be able to accommodate 40,000. Other sources say it could be more like 50,000. When we spoke with Made in America reps directly, they said they don't have any numbers at all. Regardless, we're predicting less chaos than everyone's expecting because 1) they're expecting a lot; and 2) unlike the one-entrance-only fiasco at FYF, there will be four entrances to the festival at Grand Park. Each attendee chooses their entrance at ticket purchase, depending on whether they'll be driving or entering from a Metro station (which over 7,000 attendees are reportedly planning to do). So all things considered, the crowd prognosis is fairly promising. Hooray.
2. The Demographics: Frat boys, families and other normal people
The Made In America lineup is basically a Top 40 playlist on shuffle. The only alcohol available will be Budweiser beer. What do you get when you put mainstream tunes and mainstream beer in a blender, press "purée," and serve it smack dab in the middle of town? In the absence of anything underground, illicit or even inconvenient, we predict the crowd at Made In America will consist of fewer flat-stomached co-eds in cut-offs, and more bros, moms, and regular people in general. The lack of hip-ness will probably feel like a refreshing change. You may retire your flower crowns.
3. The Future: This thing will probably be back
Made In America was first launched in Philadelphia back in 2012, and that inaugural year, it made the city $10 million. We want $10 million. (We need $10 million). And like Philadelphia, we'll probably want it next year too. So you might as well resign yourself now to one weekend a year of summer sunshine, pop music and lots of beer in the middle of beautiful DTLA. Rough life.