Jay Z's Made In America festival may have expanded a little too quickly last year and is now reportedly forgoing a Los Angeles edition this summer following what was widely-considered a lackluster West Coast debut for the Budweiser sponsored bash in 2014.
Philadelphia will remain the centerpiece of the concert series as it returns for a fourth year this September 5 and 6. News of the canceled L.A. festival came along with an announcement that Made In America will instead bring a free version of the show headlined by Mary J. Blige to New York City's Liberty Island, according to a since-deleted report from Billboard.
“This is not at all a stepping back—this is a reevaluation of the model of going from one location to two to three,” a Budweiser big-wig reportedly told Billboard. “We’re a very ambitious brand, and we have a very ambitious partner in Jay Z, who also dreams big. And we always want to do big, bold things with music under the moniker of Budweiser Made In America.”
As The Los Angeles Times reports, Made In America's L.A. outing was contentious both before and after the show rolled through town and faced some serious criticisms from locals about the noise, traffic holdup, and unclear economic advantages it brought along.
Meanwhile, Jay has been playing connect-the-dots with his brand portfolio by promoting this year's Made In America with reduced-priced ticket specials on Tidal.
