Although I have attended Budweiser’s Made in America festival annually since 2013, this year I was able to see the festival like never before: with a press/photo pass, which allowed me to interview artists including UK rock band The Struts and Miami-based producer and DJ Cedric Gervais, go backstage, and take photos of performances from the best spot in the house: the photo pit.

I began the day with an interview with The Struts in the festival’s main press tent. The press tent was air conditioned – a blessing in the hot Philly weather – and also came stocked with complimentary flavored ICE water as well as a wide selection of KIND bars.

I then rushed over to the Liberty stage to photograph rapper G-Eazy from the photo pit, getting some great shots.

I also caught a glance of some backstage equipment for Sunday’s Axwell Λ Ingrosso show, which I would unfortunately be missing since I would be traveling to New York City for the final day of the Electric Zoo Festival (also be sure to check out my Sunday coverage of Electric Zoo).

With both the artists and me on a tight schedule, I soon hurried back to the behind-the-scenes press area to prep for my interview with Gervais, one of my personal favorite DJs.

Next up on the Rocky Stage was Philadelphia native Meek Mill, whom I was also able to photograph from the pit.

With my press engagements done for the day, I met up with some friends for Death Cab for Cutie and Bassnectar before heading backstage one last time for Beyoncé. Although they didn’t allow most photographers to the pit, I was able to watch some of the show from backstage, which wasn’t a bad deal. I didn’t want to linger for too long after Beyoncé’s performance ended since I had an early bus to New York City the next morning – luckily, the press entrance/exit was not nearly as crowded as any of the main festival gates. See you next year, Made in America!

Be sure to also check out my interviews with The Struts and Cedric Gervais as well as my coverage of Electric Zoo. A post-festival interview with singer and songwriter Sarah Jaffe, who performed at Made in America’s TIDAL stage, will also be coming soon.