Freddie Gibbs

As clouds hovered ominously over festival grounds, the goers of Liberty Jeffrey Park were anything but mellowed down. Day 2 of MADE IN AMERICA boasted an equally (if not more) impressive line-up of artists from Doja Cat, Roddy Ricch, Bobby Shmurda, Freddie Gibbs, and Moneybagg Yo, to the headliner Justin Bieber. For many of these artists, this has been the first major appearance in years, and the performances spoke loudly of how psyched they were to be back.

The rain shower did anything but falter Bobby Shmurda’s parade. With a grand reappearance since incarceration, Bobby kept the crowd moshing to the brims, at one point even hopping offstage into the photo pit. At the end of the set, he paid tribute to the anniversary of a friend’s death, to which he brought his friend’s daughter on stage.

Roddy Ricch, along with many other rappers, have clearly taken massive strides in their stage setup and choreography, these days bringing in elaborate set pieces and either a band, backup dancers, or often even both. Roddy Ricch used a centerpiece to kick off a stellar performance which saw him taking his audience through a medley of his top hits, including chart-topper “The Box”.

Doja Cat’s long-awaited performance was nothing short of electric. From every stage plant, back-up dancer, and flash of light, the performance was an impeccable demonstration of choreography that left the crowd wondering “is she even real?”. Doja bounced across albums, performing Juicy, Get Into It (Yuh), Kiss Me More, and Tia Tamera. 

Justin Bieber put on an incredible show for his first headliner performance, bringing one after another surprise guest, from Chance the Rapper to Quavo. At the end of the night, the entire festival crowd gathered for one last hurrah, and the energy was unparalleled. Performed by Bieber for the first time in years, “Baby” set the crowd aflame like no other, as fireworks exploded above Rocky Stage in a glorious conclusion to the festival weekend. 

As the 10th annual MADE IN AMERICA comes to a close, music lovers walk away rejoiced in the return of live performances and the afterglow of a euphoric release that could only be the product of a weekend of celebration.