The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the Jay Z-curated Made in America festival, which is scheduled to take place at Grand Park and on adjacent streets.

See also: All-Ages Policy at Jay Z's “Made in America” Concert Is a Terrible Idea

The vote came late in the game, with the two-day concert planned for Aug. 30 and 31, only 10 days away. The details were negotiated in secret by the office of Mayor Eric Garcetti, and approval for the event was proposed by councilmen Herb Wesson and Curren Price.

A rough sketch of the deal between the city and concert giant Live Nation says …

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 … the promoter has agreed to pay the city $500,000 for its troubles. LiveNation has also agreed to hand $350,000 to the county, and to pay for any damage that results from its party-goers. The park is run jointly by the city and county.

As we've said before, that remuneration seems low given the cost of policing smaller events. Estimates for the city's costs related to the 2009 Michael Jackson memorial at the 17,500-capacity Staples Center were $3.2 million, with much of that paying for extra cops.

See also: Jay Z's Downtown L.A. Fest Could Gouge Taxpayers

Two-day tickets for Made in America were priced at $200, including fees. Organizers originally expected 50,000 people each day, but the roll-out of single-day tickets and statements made at a recent town hall meeting about the event indicate that the number will be smaller, perhaps 35,000 or so. 

Still, the festival is “all ages.” Younger concert demographics have a history of being unruly in the L.A. area, particularly when it comes to gatecrashing.


At the same time Made in America will feature beer gardens. Talent includes rave-circuit acts Steve Aoki, Afrojack and Borgore. Kanye West and Iggy Azalea were late additions to the lineup.

The relatively new Grand Park has a capacity of 25,000, which is why adjacent streets will also be used for stages, refreshments and other aspects of the event. Temple Street to Second Street and Grand Avenue to Los Angeles Street were targeted for closure.

Councilman Jose Huizar, who represents the area, sat out Tuesday's vote. He previously expressed concern about traffic and crowds in a part of downtown wary of street closures.

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