FDR Park Welcomes Diplo and Connor Barwin
Whether you were part of the muddiest-ever Lalapalooza from August 1994 or the pandemic-bound Philadelphia Flower Show during Covid, locals, young and old, know the beauty of FDR Park along 1500 Pattison Avenue in South Philly. Better known as “The Lakes,” these massive greens are a perfect hang suite for boldly-lit up events and loud music wafting through the trees, like July 25 and 27’s Make the World Better Concert Weekend, put together by Philly music fan and Philadelphia Eagles’ Connor Barwin Make The World Better Foundation with native DJ and producer Diplo.
Together, these Philadelphia-based entertainment giants have curated a mad decent weekend’s line-up of daily headliners Lucy Dacus and Remi Wolf, alongside Philly favorites Hop Alon and Annie DiRusso, to go with its culinary vendors (Pat’s King of Steaks, Tabachoy, Cantina La Martina, Reanimator Coffee Cold Brew, Tokio Sushi Truck, Frios Gourmet Pops), Southeast Asian market vendor (Bee’z Kitchen, Sahbyy Food) and a handful of area small business vendor pop-ups from Room Shop, Yay Diff Charm Bar and You Deserve a Little Treat.
“What Connor has done with MTWB and his annual benefit shows is really amazing,” said Diplo during a brief interview. “It’s one thing to *talk* about giving back to your community after you retire from football, but he’s really dedicated his life to it. Being able to do a race in Philly is really meaningful to me because of all my history here, but it’s even better to be able do it in a way that benefits the community via Connor’s foundation. And I love the Eagles so I was already a Connor fan. He says he’s gonna run the race, so it’ll feel good to be able to say I outran a professional athlete.”
As for Connor Barwin, his Make The World Better non-profit does more than book loud local music. It is designed to inspire people to take stewardship of their environment through public space revitalization projects as a means to build communities and “provide safe outlets for recreation, sports, and arts-based activities.”
Plus, Barwin loves the sound of Philadelphia, along with so much other new music. “I’m excited about the show, so I’ve been listening to a lot of Lucy Dacus and Remi Wolf, but also the new Alex G and Lorde albums,” he said.
Barwin’s connection with Diplo (real name Wesley Pentz) comes from his affiliation with the R5 concert booking crew, who’ve been an integral part of previously run MTWB live showcases. “The connection with Wes comes from Sean Agnew and Toni Bourgeois,” Barwin said. “Toni and Sean have been helping put this show together since our first show in 2014 with Kurt Vile. They are friends with Wes from his time in Philadelphia, and when they started talking about what he is doing with his Run Club, and what we are doing in the park, and the infrastructure we are putting up for our two shows, it made so much sense to come together.”
And though the retired Eagles baller won’t start predicting anything about the 2025-2026 football season or maintaining Super Bowl Champion status (“My goal is to stay focused on doing everything I can to keep learning and helping this team improve during training camp, so we’re ready for our first game”), he’s got plenty to say about tying music to sports and to Philly-based community activism.
“I’m very proud of what MTWB has been able to do over the last 12 years, and especially proud of what we’ve done since I last put an Eagles jersey on in 2016. It speaks to how special Philadelphia is, how much they support their teams, and how strong the team community is here. Sports, music, and parks all have one thing in common at their best, and that’s they bring people together and create magical moments, and that’s what we want to be doing. I love going to shows, and the music scene here loves supporting each other. We have all worked together for over a decade to bring great music to people, all in an effort to make Philadelphia a better place.”
For a short film featuring Connor Barwin talking about the weekend, go HERE…
For more information about concert weekend tickets, go HERE…
Images: Courtesy of MTWB
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