7 Standout Moments From Made in America Music Festival in Philly

Image: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Anheuser-Busch

PHILADELPHIA - Through rain and shine, the east coast segment of the bi-coastal Made in America music festival delivered many memorable moments over Labor Day weekend.

Some moments left attendees spellbound in dance fervor, inspired by monologues from artists and surprisingly silent during poignant artistry that broached hot topics such as Ferguson, celebrity culture and female empowerment.

In chronological order of the major nighttime acts, here are our seven standouts:

1. J. Cole opens with police-brutality videos

Rapper J. Cole started his show with a video montage of police-brutality clips set to 'Be Free,' the song he recorded after the shooting death of unarmed black teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

The tribute was a somber yet timely opening that hushed the usually rowdy Made in America crowd. It served as a reminder that music at fun events like festivals can keep important conversations going amid the good times.

2. Steve Aoki hurls cake, ignites champagne showers

Electronic house musician Steve Aoki had the messiest show by far, rallying festival-goers by hurling sheets of bakery-style cakes at them and then showering them with bottles of champagne. He began the delicious mayhem in Philly on Saturday before doing it all over again Sunday in Los Angeles for the west coast part of bi-coastal festival.

3. Jay Z makes it rain $2 bills

Jay Z threw a stack of $2 bills into the air and watched as it rained down on the audience at Steve Aoki's Philly show. The $2 bills have a history in the music industry. Sightings of the uncommon paper money can be attributed to one wealthy lawyer: Mr. Steven Reisman, a human $2 bill dispensary for the stars in the hip-hop and rap world.

Nicknamed 'The Two Dollar Bill Man,' Reisman and his bills are now connected to such celebs as Jay Z, Kanye West, Beyonce, Michael Strahan, Justin Bieber and Big Sean.

4. Kanye lectures about love, hate and Kimye

Kanye West offered several thought-provoking monologues during his headlining set. The 37-year-old rapper gave a rousing 5-minute autotuned speech midway through 'Runaway' that touched on many subjects such as hateful criticism from media, his vision of love as well as his marriage to Kim Kardashian.

'For me to be in a very publicized interracial relationship is not a joke,' Kanye said. 'It's something that should be treated with respect because we're all in this together.'

5. Spoon survived a mid-set weather delay

A rainstorm, accompanied by dangerous lightning, disrupted Spoon's set Sunday night. Fans were forced to evacuate the premises as organizers feared for their safety. An hour later, Spoon re-emerged onstage to finish as the rain continued to pour sans the lightning.

The heavy rain seemed to awaken the crowd, with some fans dancing wilding while others closed their eyes, tilted their heads back and listened to the music with the added beat of raindrops.

6. Pharrell urges more women to shine

As the festival wound down, with Pharrell Williams as the night's third to last performer, the 'Happy' singer incited loud cheers with a speech about female empowerment. He closed the message thus: 'I want to see some more female world leaders, I want to see some more female co-writers, I want to see some more female doctors, I want to see some more female artists. Let's do the anthem for the girls.' This segued into 'Hollaback Girl.'

7. Kings of Leon's drummer closes with broken ribs

'Sex on Fire' rockers Kings of Leon made their triumphant return to the stage after canceling tour dates for the past three weeks due to drummer Nathan Followill's broken ribs, which he cracked in a tour-bus accident.

Though a still sore Followill warned Mashable prior to his set that he may cry at Made in America, he instead winked at the cameras and soldiered through, captivating the crowd with 'Use Somebody' and other hits. The Kings' red, white and blue lighting also evoked a perfectly patriotic Labor Day vibe.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments. Entities 0 Name: America Count: 3 1 Name: Steve Aoki Count: 3 2 Name: Ferguson Count: 2 3 Name: Leon Count: 2 4 Name: Kings Count: 2 5 Name: Philly Count: 2 6 Name: Kanye Count: 1 7 Name: Beyonce Count: 1 8 Name: Kim Kardashian Count: 1 9 Name: Kimye Kanye West Count: 1 10 Name: Anheuser-Busch PHILADELPHIA Count: 1 11 Name: Spoon Count: 1 12 Name: Justin Bieber Count: 1 13 Name: Nathan Followill Count: 1 14 Name: Los Angeles Count: 1 15 Name: Reisman Count: 1 16 Name: Followill Count: 1 17 Name: Missouri Count: 1 18 Name: Pharrell Williams Count: 1 19 Name: Kanye West Count: 1 20 Name: J. Cole Count: 1 21 Name: Michael Brown Count: 1 22 Name: Steven Reisman Count: 1 23 Name: Big Sean Count: 1 24 Name: Kevin Count: 1 25 Name: Michael Strahan Count: 1 Related Keywords 0 Name: female Score: 27 1 Name: aoki Score: 26 2 Name: kanye Score: 24 3 Name: rain Score: 23 4 Name: spoon Score: 23 5 Name: bills Score: 20 6 Name: reisman Score: 20 7 Name: police-brutality Score: 20 8 Name: bi-coastal Score: 20 9 Name: followill Score: 20 Authors Media Images 0