Reminiscing About The Best Made In America Moment After Cancellation

Labor Day in Philadelphia will be a little different this year and not in a good way. Usually, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway is taken over by music lovers of all ages as the Made In America festival takes place on the unofficial last Saturday and Sunday of summer. Unfortunately, that will not be the case this year.

Two weeks ago, on August 9th, the festival made an official announcement stating the festival would not take place this year due to circumstances out of their control. Here is the statement:

“Due to severe circumstances outside of production control, the 2023 Made In America festival will no longer be taking place. This decision has been difficult and has not been made lightly nor without immense deliberation.
Made in America has a legacy of delivering exceptional experiences for music fans and concertgoers, and it is our commitment to always deliver a top-tier festival experience.
We look forward to returning to Benjamin
Franklin Parkway and the great city of
Philadelphia in 2024.
All ticket holders will be refunded at the original point of purchase.”

I am so bummed about this announcement because it means a ten-year Philadelphia tradition will come to a pause this summer. Hopefully, Made In America will be back and better than ever next year, and the parkway will once again be taken over by people of all ages who love live music.

I was actually there the very first year they had the Made In America Festival back in 2012, and funnily enough, it was also my favorite year of the festival. The lineup was star-studded with names like Pearl Jam, Jay Z, Run DMC, and Drake. It was incredible.

My favorite moment of that year was when Jay Z joined Pearl Jam on the Rocky Stage and they performed 99 Problems together. It was a surreal crossover and one that could only happen at a festival like Made In America.

I even got to hang out with Jay Z for a bit backstage that year with my buddies Brian and Nasty with the Philadelphia Flyers organization. It was cool that Jay Z was invested in the festival from the very beginning.

Here’s to hoping that this year is a stand-alone and the festival will be back better than ever next year. Maybe Jay Z and Pearl Jam will be back for Made In America 2024.

Over the last week, I did a lot of fun things while away from the WMGK studio. As I wrote about yesterday, I was down the shore for a bit in New Jersey and had a great meal over at Twisties Tavern on the Bay. However, the Jersey Shore was not the only place I visited on vacation.

The other place I went definitely some similarities to the Jersey Shore, like, sharing the same ocean and all, but there are also some cool differences at this place. If you have not guessed by now, I also hit up Rehoboth and Dewey this week!

I love the Delaware beach towns and overall there is a totally different feel to them than that of the Jersey Shore towns – but don’t get me wrong, I love both and each has their own unique characteristics about them!

While there, we took a nice 30-mile bike ride around Lewes, Cape Henlopen Park, North Shore, Rehoboth Beach, and Dewey Beach. Myself, Pattyann, Marisa Magnatta, plus her husband and my friend, Matt Lindenmuth, all had a great time on the ride!

We also went out for a boat ride on the Indian River Inlet to Paradise Beach Bar and then had a bite to eat at Dewey Beer Co. By the way, Matt is one of the main brewers there and has a deep knowledge of beers. Plus, he has a pretty good basketball hat game, like myself, so I scored a couple of cool Dewey Beer snapbacks. I was stoked!

Overall, I had an amazing time down at the Delaware Beaches!

As I said, I am definitely a Jersey Shore guy, but the Delaware Beaches are a nice change up from my normal summer routine! There are definitely a lot more options as far as retail goes, and more Wawas, so who could complain about that? Also, I can’t forget to mention that they are a lot more bicycle friendly.

I can’t wait to head back down again to see what’s in store next!

The first sign you see when you arrive in Dewey Beach. Apparently Dewey Beach is A Way of Life. A good one at that!

Riding my bike in Rehoboth. What a great beach town. Both for bike riding and vacation.

Pattyann and I stopping for a picture in Rehoboth. Look at the cool water tower in the background. It is definitely a landmark in Rehoboth.

The whole group on our bike ride. It was such a fun day. It is always great getting together with Marisa and Matt.

Here is a picture of our over 30-mile bike ride! We went through four different Delaware beach towns. They were all gorgeous.

Matt is not only a good beer brewer, but also a great boat driver. He led the way through the Indian River Inlet and got us to our destination.

After our boat ride, we stopped by this place for a bit. It is called the Paradise Beach Bar. Just wait until you see some of the rules!

No hats. No shirt. No service! And a whole lot of other rules!

This pole is not for dancing! I've never been a rule follower anyway!

No pulling money out of your bra. It is too sweaty. Luckily for me, I don't wear one!

Outside Dewey Beer Co. What a great place! Located right on the corner of Saulsbury Street

You saw the outside, now take a look at the inside. This place was so cool. Matt and company do a great job.

My burger at Dewey Beer Co. was amazing. Look at the size of that thing. You have to try it if you are in the area.

One of the two hats Matt gave me. Me and him will have to compare collections one day. Two of the best hat games out there.

The second of the two hats Matt gave me. I can't tell which one I like better. What do you think?

We passed the President's house on our bike ride. Yes, the secret service was all over me and told me to keep it moving. The do a good job!

Riding in the boat with Pattyann, Marisa, and Matt. Look closely for the dolphins! If you blink you may just miss them!

Here we are as a group on our bike ride. We went through multiple Delaware beach towns. The trail is fantastic.

Here we are in the boat. Matt is driving as we head to Paradise Beach Bar. This was incredible.