On Friday, Pharrell Williams was forced to cancel day one of his inaugural Something in the Water music festival. The event, which was set in Virginia Beach, was disrupted by heavy rains and winds. The organizers previously announced via their official Twitter account, "Due to the impact caused by today's severe weather at the beach venue, we are sorry to announce that we are unable to put on a show tonight." But the artist/producer made up for it the next day by bringing out many of his major rapper friends as surprise guests.
His biggest collaborators showed up for his 90-minute set he dubbed "Pharrell and Friends." The performance included SZA, Jay-Z, Diddy, Busta Rhymes, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Charlie Wilson, Jhene Aiko, and Tyler the Creator. Williams opened the show with Nelly singing "Hot in Here," then next was Kendrick Lamar's "Alright," Future's "Move That Dope." Williams then introduced Snoop Dogg for "Drop It Like It's Hot."
While Pharrell was onstage with all his friends for a good amount of time, Travis Scott also performed a solo set during the festival.
VIRGINIA, THANK YOU ❤️@SITW#SITWfest pic.twitter.com/k0DZ4aaxeP
— Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) April 28, 2019
The festival is set to conclude on Sunday with performances from Anderson Paak, Teddy Riley and Pusha T, and more.
The artist and his team really pulled all the stops to bring the best of the best to his hometown. There was also a large, show-stopping KAWS sculpture right on the beach that definitely put the Something in the Water festival on the map — literally.
#KAWS #HOLIDAY@SITW pic.twitter.com/KY3YcQfnvJ
— Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) April 28, 2019
While the music event — which is also in-part a community organizing effort — had a rough start, it wound up being a huge hit. Here's to hoping that this will become an annual thing, and that the next SITW will be even bigger and better.
Image via Getty