PHILADELPHIA (AP) ― Philadelphia is gearing up for rapper Jay-Z’s “Made In America’’ music festival, which officials estimate will attract 100,000 fans.
Construction of stages and tents began this week at the somewhat unusual venue, a tree-lined boulevard in the heart of downtown. It’s the first show on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to require paid admission. Rock stalwarts Pearl Jam are co-headliners of the two-day event.
Officials said there should be no problem handling the crowd considering the city’s long tradition of staging much larger free concerts at the same location.
“Every year, we have detailed plans for public safety, street access, trash removal and we successfully accommodate 400,000 to 500,000 visitors on the 4th of July,’’ Mayor Michael Nutter said in a statement.
And for those who can’t make the festival on either Sept. 1 or 2, don’t worry ― filmmaker Ron Howard is directing a movie about the show.
Overall, city officials expect 50,000 paying fans each day for the line-up curated by Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter. Acts include Skrillex, Drake, Afrojack, Chris Cornell, Run-DMC and hometown favorite Jill Scott.
Organizers say the blocks-long site will be enclosed by 2.4-meter high double-fencing patrolled by security. Material woven into the chain-link barrier is designed to keep non-paying spectators from seeing the show.
It’s a big change from all previous parkway music events, which have been free. That includes annual Independence Day shows featuring musicians like Sheryl Crow and The Roots, as well as the Live 8 concert for African poverty relief in 2005 and a Bruce Springsteen performance in 2008.
As of Friday, two-day passes for “Made In America’’ cost $135 each, while a one-day ticket was $75. VIP passes, and travel packages with hotel rooms, ranged from $350 to nearly $2,200. Prices could go up closer to the concert date.
It certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see people trying to catch a few free tunes from outside the site perimeter. But officials are warning would-be fence-climbers that they will be prosecuted.
Producers Howard and Brian Grazer (“A Beautiful Mind,’’ “The Da Vinci Code’’) have signed on to make a film about the festival. The pair’s 2007 movie “American Gangster,’’ about a notorious Harlem drug lord, inspired Jay-Z’s album by the same name.
