PHILADELPHIA -- The sun will set before Kanye West serves as the headlining nightcap for day one of Made in America, but the artists who are entertaining the ever-growing crowds hours in advance of his set are finding success with cover songs.
Cherub cured what the electro-pop duo called "the 2 p.m. blues" with their intense cover of Calvin Harris' hit "Feel So Close," infusing their version with a screamer section.
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With a cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way," Mayer Hawthorne got the midday audience dancing in the closed-off streets and on the lawns at Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Though the focus was on their originals, the cover songs provided the rowdiest moments for these groups, which don't have as big of a fan following or as popular songs as the artists who will perform later in the day, such as Kanye, Steve Aoki and The National.
Most acts have a collection of cover songs in their repertoire they can whip out for festivals and concerts. Made in America headliners Kings of Leon, for example, thrilled fans at Lollapalooza earlier this summer with a rendition of Robyn's "Dancing on My Own."
The Neighbourhood didn't need a cover to impress, as the band's own slow hit "Sweater Weather" incited a mass sing-a-long at the main stage near the towering Washington Monument.
The Neighborhood (@thenbhd) goes shirtless and turns their big screens B&W for "Sweater Weather" #MadeInAmerica pic.twitter.com/ZTolEBYfSE— Brian A. Hernandez (@BAHjournalist) August 30, 2014
Meanwhile, DJ Cassidy pumped up the afternoon festival-goers on his turntable, elevated on a golden table, with a medley of well-known tunes such as Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight," Bruno Mars' "Treasure" and Michael Jackson's "Love Never Felt So Good."
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