by toby shapiro
Over 150,000 music lovers visited Flushing Meadows Corona Park to attend Governers Ball Music Festival June 5th - 7th.
Gov Ball is always a blast, and this year was no exception. Between running from stage to stage and checking out brand activations, this weekend was packed with so much to explore. There was so much going on at once, it was hard to fit everything in. The energy of festival was unmatched, so much so that even if you start the day with a set plan you never knew where the day would take you. Here are some of my favorites sets and moments from the weekend.
First looking at brand activations there was a bit of everything, from DoorDash to Depop and so much more! My favorite activation I checked out was DoorDash. I arrived when there weren’t too many people, which made it super easy to enjoy all it had to offer. I got $10 in festival food credit for having DashPass, was able to refresh their tier amenities at the bodega, and got to sit down and rest in one of their seating areas. They were also giving out small DoorDash bags and keychains, and even had their own private bathrooms, a bar, and food samples at different points in the day.
There were endless amounts of freebies from places including Dunkin', Welch’s, and Cabot. Slurpee and Depop, all of which had long lines filled with excited festival goers throughout the day. Although still fun in the end, I did find myself waiting around 1.5 hours at the Depop activation. They had two lines, one where they were applying tooth gems and a second line for a chance to win a gift and custom spray painted bandanas. I opted for the gift line. They had a money machine that blows around you, and if you collect a winning ticket, you can redeem it for a prize. I did not have success at that, but still got to walk away with a spray-painted bandana.
Ok, now onto the music!
The first set I caught was Absolutely, and all I can say is she was absolutely amazing. From her pink and purple frilly dress with oversized buttons to her captivating stage presence, this set was so strong. She sang a bunch of songs from her newly released album, which was so great to hear live. She had a 30 minute set, so all i can say is I wish it was longer!
Next, I ran over to the main stage to catch Audrey Hobert. I saw her perform at Jingle Ball back in December and was super excited to see her perform again. Her set started with her in a conically long jacket before taking it off to reveal a yellow dress. I was listening to her album a bunch in anticipation of this set, and it did not disappoint.
The next standout act was Del Water Gap. The fans were electric and did not disappoint as they sang along to every song. I liked the fog used in his set. He also had great energy. I was getting pretty tired by this time, but the energy this set had gave me a second wind.
The crowd went crazy for KATSEYE. It was so packed and everyone was singing and dancing along. They had amazing energy and performance quality. I don’t know much of their music, but it was still fun to see so many people singing along. Definitely a great vibe, and it was super cute seeing all of the excited kids doing the choreography to the songs. I loved how unique and fun their outfits were as well. They were also very great with fans, pointing out familiar faces in the crowd, and they took a picture with them. I also loved the catchy feel of the choreography for each song to the point where fans know the choreography and are dancing along.
Lorde headlined the night with a spectacular performance. I’ve been wanting to see Lorde for a while now, so I was so happy to finally see her with an all-new festival set filled with emotion and creativity. I tried to take it in the emotional experience of the set and live in the moment. The last song she played was “Ribs” with fireworks, which was a perfect ending to an amazing day.
I started day two off with the extraordinarily talented Jade LeMac’s set, and suffice to say that I loved it. She has such a cool vibe and energy in her performance. Despite it being just a bit past noon, many fans got here early in the day to sing along to all of her songs.
flowerovlove’s set was another one I was super excited to see this weekend. She began her performance popping out the top of massive red stairs that she also utilized throughout her performance. A standout moment from her set was her singing the Stevie Wonder version of “Happy Birthday” to a fan in the audience. Her music was so fun and catchy which made the experience very enjoyable. I also really enjoyed her stage presence which really puts this performance over the top for me.
Another one of my favorite sets from Saturday was Ravyn Lenae. She had a balcony type stage structure set up that went across the stage. The crowd was super loud and excited throughout the entire set.
My day three started out strong with Japanese Breakfast. Again, this was another artist I have heard of but was not to familiar with, and I was so glad I stopped by her set. I really liked her music and stage presence, and I will definitely be listening to her in the future. I also loved the addition of her full band complete with many different instruments; it added a lot of layers to the set.
Holly Humberstone’s set was so amazing. I have been such an admirer of her and her style and she did not disappoint during this set. She made great use of the very large stage and created a stage presence that was larger than life. I also loved how she danced around with her band in certain parts of the set. This was genuinely such an amazing performance, and I am looking forward to seeing her again in the future.
The last performance I saw was Fcukers who I’ve been wanting to see for a while, and the performance was worth the hype. The set was filled with infectious energy creating an atmosphere worthy of singing at the top of your lungs. Everyone was enjoying every moment of the performance, waving their hands in unison with the beats. I can’t wait to see them again in the future.
Looking back to my time at Gov Ball, the thing I enjoyed most was being able to leave the experience with new artists I am excited to listen to. This weekend introduced me to a lot of new music, and I made a lot of unforgettable memories. Even with a few cut sets due to the rain, there was still so much music to listen to and enjoy. I am already looking forward to next year.