A head-spinning, star-studded clash of music, culture and – naturally enough! – the USA’s much-loved macro brew, Budweiser Made In America kicked off in Philadelphia on August 31, and for the second year running, had music lovers across the pond whimpering with jealousy.

Masterminded by Dublin-bound hip hop legend Jay Z, the two-day festival stepped things up a gear in 2013, recruiting Beyonce, Calvin Harris, Queens Of The Stone Age, Public Enemy, Nine Inch Nails, Deadmau5, Phoenix, Emeli Sande, Kendrick Lamar, Haim, A$AP Rocky, AlunaGeorge and a dozen more international stars for its bill, and laying out a carnival-style spread of extracurricular attractions, including speciality Budweiser tastings, chill-out zones and music-themed art.
Thankfully, non-Philly residents weren’t totally left out of the weekend’s proceedings; thousands of festival worshippers tuned into a live stream of the event’s main stage gigs to see pop queen Beyonce do her Mrs. Carter Show thang, Toronto boy Deadmau5 get the crowd in an electro house tizzy and Thomas Mars of French indie rockers du jour Phoenix finish a thrilling set from the arms of the crowd (the really clever folk watched the stream with a glass of Bud in hand!)
Of course, Made In America did more than cement Budweieser’s status as a forward-thinking patron of all things fun and noisy. It provided musos all over the world with a new entry for their bucket list, and sent a message to organisers of arts and music weekenders everywhere; there’s a new festival in town – and it means business!
Want to see more? Click onto Facebook.com/Budweiser for highlights, and to view the trailer for a Ron Howard-directed documentary on Budweiser Made In America, which airs in the US in October, but will be made available to Irish eyes very soon. Watch this space!