Andrew Veeder on September 1st, 2014

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After being championed by Mayor Eric Garcetti this spring, the inaugural Made In America music festival took over Grand Park and surrounding streets this Labor Day weekend, attracting some 34,000 people on Saturday and 37,000 people on Sunday to downtown L.A.

With entrances on Temple and 2nd Streets, the Marilyn main stage was situated facing west on Spring Street at the steps of City Hall, and the Dylan stage to its left at Spring and 1st Street, each with huge screens on either side. The stages swapped acts back and forth so the music was constant from 2:30 to 11 p.m. each day. The James Dean stage was set up near the fountain by Grand Avenue, and two more screens were set up a block back on Broadway, with another in the beer garden on Hill Street, so in addition to hearing the show from blocks away, you could also watch it. And if you didn’t get there early enough, you probably would be.

Festival-goers were stacked all the way back past Hill Street in anticipation of Kanye West’s closing Sunday set, packed throughout the grass and closed-off streets. He started a half-hour late at 10:15, giving a dynamite, career-spanning performance until 11:30, 30 minutes past the 11 p.m. curfew. Jumping around on stage silhouetted against stark colors and seizure-inducing flashes, West launched into the set with a bejeweled face mask, banging out “Black Skinhead,” the “I Don’t Like” remix, “Mercy,” and “Cold” to start. Each song drew a huge response, be it older material like “Jesus Walks” and “All Falls Down,” to newer cuts like “New Slaves” and “Blood On The Leaves,” a typical closer he switched up to mid-set, and then performed again for the encore to bring the festival to a close.

The 7:15 p.m. Saturday set for Kendrick Lamar turned into a Top Dawg Entertainment victory lap, beginning first with three- to four-song song sets from the label’s Isaiah Rashad, as well as Lamar’s Black Hippy mates Jay Rock, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q, who amped the packed park up even more with “Break The Bank,” “Studio” featuring BJ the Chicago Kid, and “Man Of The Year,” the Chromatics-sampling banger drawing thousands of hands in the air. And then Lamar came out, tearing through ten songs in 30 minutes including most of highly-praised album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” and Q’s “Collard Greens,” before taking a knee to take in the hometown view.

Like many music festivals, the Budweiser-sponsored event was often like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” novel. At any given moment you could miss something because of a bathroom break, or stay on one side too long and end up sacrificing a better position at the next stage. This two-day lineup was a real smorgasbord, featuring a diverse array of acts and headliners, but there ended up being a lot of cool moments and something for everyone.

Like: Wax Motif bumping a house remix with a Toni Braxton’s “You’re Makin Me High” sample to a few dozen-strong dance party. The ever-lovable Emily Haines and Metric blaring through “Dead Disco” and “Gold Guns Girls.” Rita Ora joining Iggy Azalea for “Black Widow,” Iggy nearly non-stop slinking across the stage with a troupe of dancers behind her.

Like: Mutemath’s Paul Meany crowd surfing on an inflatable mattress while singing the last chorus. John Mayer covering “XO” solo on harmonica and guitar, then wailing through “All Along The Watchtower” with his band. Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds jumping down into the crowd multiple times.

Like: Rise Against getting their wish for a circle mosh pit during “Chamber the Cartridge,” and calling out onlookers from the L.A. Times roof across the street. Steve Aoki dropping blood-pumping bass and throwing Dim Mak sheet cakes into the crowd, spawning the Frosting Zombie kids walking around covered in cake remnants. SZA overcoming the loss of her backing tracks to deliver a fantastic stripped-down, “unplugged” early-afternoon set with guest appearances by Ab-Soul and Isaiah Rashad. Weezer crushing a late-afternoon set of hits, closing with “Undone (The Sweater Song)” and “Buddy Holly.” (Fun fact: of the many stickers Rivers has on his guitar, there are multiple anime, two of Boba Fett, and one of Han Solo.)

There was also a skate park, with DJ Mustard and Grits & Biscuits spinning hip-hop as young’uns jumped ramp and rail options, and the passing crowd yelled appropriately to call-and-response rap lyrics.

Despite the tens of thousands in attendance, there were relatively few offenses and arrests, as hundreds of sheriffs and security personnel roamed the crowd, answering questions and nodding their heads to the music. Until the crowd surge about 6 p.m. each day, the festival was easy to get around with manageable lines, but once the rest of the concertgoers arrived about dusk, the park became overwhelmed, with food truck lines battered by patron traffic, medical and trash dune buggies fighting the bustling thoroughfares, beer gardens reaching capacity, Port-A-Potties in short supply and people covering the lawn.

The lack of maps and signage made things worse, with many people wandering around confused on Day 1, not knowing where the restrooms or water were located. The only water refilling station in sight was located at the far end of the park, while much of it remained exposed to blistering mid-day sun with no relief from the nearby skyscrapers during late in the day.

Typical festival inflation prevailed, with increased food truck prices, $3 waters, and a $9 lone corporate-sponsored beer option. But the two-year-old park itself has the potential to be a great venue of this sort in the future, with a location central enough for great public transportation access, and real estate enough to handle multiple stages. Should there be a second annual fest next year, here are some tips, Live Nation: More informational maps, more shade and more hydration stations.

Photos via Getty Images