X Games Live Saturday: Machine Gun Kelly Makes Surprise Appearance

Staff reports
| Ventura County Star

Day 1 at the X Games in Ventura is over and Day 2 is here with more epic skateboarding, BMX and Moto X riding.

Prominent reporters and photographers will be at the event at the Ventura County Fairgrouns throughout the weekend.

Here’s everything you need to know about the X Games, from how to get there and who to watch.
Parking is prohibited at X Games: Are you going to the Olympics? You won’t find any on-site parking this year, but free shuttles will take people to the fairgrounds from these locations in Ventura and Oxnard. You can also avoid traffic jams and take a train, bus or bike.
What changes can you expect: Designers doubled the space to allow participants three days of skateboarding, BMX bike stunts and riding Moto X off-road motorcycles.

Machine Gun Kelly was announced as the special musical guest Saturday afternoon at X Games Ventura.

“How are you doing X Games?” he asked, but due to technical difficulties he was forced to repeat his first two songs.

At one point he said he would turn the performance into a meeting and walked out to the crowd. Kelly, real name Colson Baker, left the stage and could be seen talking to officials on the sidelines.

He managed to perform “drunken face” and dedicated his set to Pat Casey, the X Games BMX gold medalist who died in 2023. His DJ was forced to play different songs to try to solve the problems.

He said he would resume live coverage around 3:30 p.m

“Act like you’re seeing Jesus for the first time, okay?”

On Saturday in Ventura, Nyjah Huston made history.

On Saturday afternoon, Huston won the men’s skateboarding trick competition. His 14th X Games gold medal brings him within an X Games record of the most skateboarding gold medals, tied with Bob Burnquist.

Huston is now one gold shy of the all-time X Games record set by Shaun White and Garrett Reynolds.

“I loved going to Ventura last year and being able to bring my friends and have all the Cali fans there,” Huston told XGames.com before the games. “I’m sure this year will be even better. I’m excited to pack up the SUV with all my buddies and go out and have some fun.”

On Saturday, the men’s skatepark competition took place, in which the current champions competed.

Keegan Palmer took gold with a score of 93.00. It was the third consecutive X Games medal in this event for the 21-year-old Australian, who is also the defending Olympic gold medalist.

Alex Sorgente, Park’s gold medalist in 2017 and 2018, was second in 91.33. Brazilian Pedro Barros, who is the competition’s most successful skater with six gold medals and 10 medals, was third with a time of 90.33.

An X Games Moto X rider suffered a serious crash during Moto X Quarterpipe High Air practice on Saturday afternoon in Ventura.

The event, in which competitors soar vertically, is reminiscent of high jumping competitions using motor vehicles.

The crash occurred during landing on the ground. It seemed that the cyclist lost control of the motorcycle and hit the barriers separating the competition space from the fans.

Paramedics from various services arrived at the scene and provided assistance to the motorcyclist, who was most likely Tyler Bereman of Templeton.

Bereman won the bronze medal on Friday night in the Moto X Best Whip.

-Joe Curley

The stands weren’t full for the first morning final — women’s street skateboarding — starting at 10:30 a.m. But as the busiest day of the weekend moves into the afternoon, the stands and the crowds get more packed.

By 1:00 p.m. the grey marine layer had already begun to fray at the edges, giving way to blue.

– Isaiah Murtaugh

X Games debutant Miyu Ito led Japan to victory in the overall women’s street skateboarding competition on Saturday morning.

Ito, ranked 11th in the world, came from behind and relegated favorite Liz Akama to silver for the second year in a row in Ventura.

Third place went to Yumeka Oda.

Japan currently dominates the event. Five of the top six finishers in the Olympic qualifiers are Japanese, including Oda (second), Akama (fourth) and Ito (sixth).

Ventura is featured on hats, patches, skateboards and other gear available at the X Games merchandise store, including a T-shirt featuring a modified version of the iconic “Historic San Buenaventura” sign that greets guests as they exit the 101 Freeway at California Street.

If you can’t attend the event but still want to get your hands on the merchandise, organizers are selling the same gear online at shop.xgames.com.

The competition will be broadcast live on YouTube and Twitch. ABC/ESPN2 is expected to air at specific times. For the schedule, visit xgames.com/events/x-games-ventura-2024/how-to-watch.

A few dozen early birds were waiting outside the X Games gates at 9 a.m. The gates will officially open at 10 a.m., and today’s schedule will begin with the women’s skatepark finals at 10:15 a.m.

It’s mostly cloudy for now. Temperatures are expected to rise inland on Saturday, but the coast is still as cold as a clam. If you’re heading to the Ventura County Fairgrounds, pack layers. Several X Games competitors competing late Friday shivered as they waited for their chance to compete.

Nate Leland, 49, and his daughter Quincy, 8, joined the growing early line Saturday after arriving by train from their home in Thousand Oaks. This is their second year at the X Games after watching Saturday’s session last year. Quincy, a skater herself, loved the women’s street competition and came home with a shoe from skatepark bronze medalist Grace Marhoefer. “I was so happy they had it here two years in a row,” the elder Leland said. “It’s amazing.”

– Isaiah Murtaugh

10:15 – 11:15 am: Monster Energy Women’s Skateboard Street Competition Finals
11:30 – 12:30: Final of the Men’s Skateboard Park on the SONIC Park track
12:45 – 13:45: Monster Energy Men’s Skateboard Street Best Trick
14:00 – 15:00: BMX Dirt Final at Cinnamon Toast Crunch
15:15 – 15:45: Women’s Street Best Trik Skateboard by Monster Energy
16:00 – 16:30: Pacifico Vert Best Trick women’s skateboard
17:00 – 17:30: Pacifico Vert Best Trick men’s skateboard
17:45 – 19:00: Men’s BMX Park Final at SONIC Park
19:15 – 20:00: Monster Energy Moto X Top Trick Top Trick

Hip-hop artist Wiz Khalifa easily drew the largest crowd of any musical artist on Friday night on the X Games music stage.

The 30-minute set began with “The Thrill,” which samples Empire of the Sun’s “Walking on a Dream.” Khalifa also performed his biggest hits, including “Black and Yellow,” “See You Again,” and “Young, Wild & Free,” which turned the show into a massive sing-along. He closed the night with “Young, Wild & Free.”

“I want to encourage you to do what you (expletive) do best, which is exactly what you want to do,” he said before leaving the stage. “Keep setting goals and achieving them.”

Before Khalifa took the stage, the AG Club took the stage. Their energetic set, which featured member Joey Fontaine frequently jumping into the crowd, included “Memphis,” “Mr. Put It On” and “Bodega Bandit.”

On Saturday at 9 p.m. the star of the stage will be the electronic music artist Kaskade. Emo Nite will start with musical performances at 12:00.

-Wes Woods II