A New York City festival begins with a packed train pilgrimage. You can spot other festival goers from a mile away––dots of bright orange and mesh amongst the regular commuter crowd. The train is packed to the brim, but that doesn’t stop Gov Ball attendees from previewing Kendrick Lamar’s set at full volume or mixing their packs of Pedialyte into lukewarm bottles of water that will inevitably be taken by security.
The Governors Ball represents a unique intersection of New York City culture. The crowd is about ten years younger than the average festival and people are dressed in t-shirts and jeans. Anyone who is willing to haul ass to Queens on a Friday afternoon has access to Gov Ball. There are kids skipping biology and sitting on the ground in the train car and parents in Hawaiian shirts who just thought this would be a nice escape. Nobody has to take off work to travel to the desert or worry about who is DDing that night. But they must worry about what they’re carrying on the mecca back to their respective Burroughs.
It takes an hour to get from Williamsburg to Flushing Meadows Corona Park and on Friday night, the train decides to cease running a stop early. Everyone reluctantly piles out and begins the trek on foot––it’s close to a mile. This is another NYC oddity––the city doesn’t need this. In other places––from Miami to Indio––city officials bow down to the swarms of people who come for the festival. In New York, a music festival is one string in a complex tapestry. It makes Gov Ball feel like its own little world. Just outside, there is a netless soccer game taking place, and somebody selling shawarma for $4 a pop. Inside, the trees are covered in pink fur and music is blasting from all sides.
Ice Spice
Nothing was more of a culture shock than the TikTok legend herself––Ice Spice. Though the mainstage was reserved for Haim, a headliner-sized crowd packed into the small area.
Though Ice Spice delivered her viral hits—from ‘Princess Diana’ to ‘In Ha Mood’, this set felt underscored by a changing landscape of concert etiquette. We hung towards the back of the crowd and still, there was a constant line of people shoving to move forward toward the stage. At one point, a girl got on a friend’s shoulder and was immediately pushed off by another angry teenager in the crowd.
Originally, I was excited to see Ice Spice deliver her iconic “like” but the set was a little too close to a babysitting gig to truly get into the music.
Metro Boomin
Metro Boomin revived the crowd with a danceable set complete with a summer thunderstorm. Seriously, fifteen minutes in, the crowd was soaked, screaming The Weeknd as Metro Boomin did spirit fingers behind plumes of fire. The performance was slightly underwhelming since Metro Boomin is known for his starstudded festival sets, but he still managed to keep the crowd up and moving no matter how wet they got.
Lizzo
Easily the most fun performance of the night, Lizzo’s set was all about self-love and shaking ass––what more could anybody want after all? If her stellar belt wasn’t enough, it was clear that the performer put some work into the concept of her performances. Surrounded by hearts and plus-sized Black dancers, Lizzo’s career has been a tribute to the people who look like her and often aren’t given their flowers.
She spent the evening reminding the audience how special they were and playing her flute while twerking to ‘Truth Hurts’. If the energy was off for the earlier sets, all of that dissipated when the crowd came together for Lizzo. There was no more pushing or shoving––only dancing.
Suki Waterhouse
Suki Waterhouse set the Saturday vibe with a chill afternoon set. Stripped down in a simple but elegant beige two-piece, the singer focused on vocals and acquainting the early crowd with her greatest hits. In the past year, Waterhouse has made a name in the acting world as Karen from Daisy Jones and the Six so even the people who weren’t knowledgeable on her music had a fun time with the up-and-coming star.
Kenny Hoopla
Kenny Hoopla was the first big surprise of the weekend. With a few minutes to kill before the next set, like a moth, I decided to follow the crowd to the flashing lights at the GoPuff stage. Though Hoopla didn’t have a huge crowd, he did have everybody in the audience jumping––a pretty impressive feat before the sunsets. Crowd engagement is hard for any performer, but it’s an uphill battle on an 85-degree day before the headliners have even arrived at the venue. Hoopla was up to the task and delivered an engaging set that made the artist a few new fans.
Amber Mark
Mark amassed a large crowd for her R&B set early in the day. The stage was covered in puffy white clouds to complement her sparkly black number. She communicated a sophisticated and joyful vibe as she sang about heartbreak and covered ‘The Thong Song’ with surprising grace. Her smooth and controlled voice stole the show while still encouraging the audience to dance their hearts out.
Rina Sawayama
Give Rina Sawayama another year and she’ll be one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. Her Gov Ball set made it clear she’s already playing the part. From gorgeous costuming (including an outfit change for good measure) to complex choreography, Sawayama served some old-school Britney charm.
Sawayama’s career has drawn from the 00s pop nostalgia while also delving into complex themes about being first-generation and finding herself in young adulthood. Her musical complexity translates well into a high-energy but thoughtful performance.
Odesza
Odesza brought the rave energy to an otherwise pop and rap-filled festival. With a full light show and killer bass and drums, the duo made sure the entire crowd partied as the sun went down over day two of the festival.
Lil Baby
Lil Baby’s set felt more like a party than a performance. Though his slot was at the same time as the iconic EDM duo Odesza, Lil Baby’s set housed the most energized crowd of the day. His raw energy and charisma made the secondary stage feel like an exclusive club––and people were ready to stay all night.
Maude Latour
This NYC local is ready for her pop-girl era. Reminiscing on her past self who would stay up all night and go to Gov Ball as a teenager, Maude Latour was what Governors Ball was all about. Her small set got the crowd moving as she paid tribute to good friends, hard breakups, and doing it all in the heart of New York City.
PinkPantheress
PinkPantheress joins collaborator Ice Spice in the world of TikTok royalty. Her short, catchy songs like ‘Boy’s a Liar’ and ‘Attracted to You’ made the set a good, vibey start for many concert-goers’ days. Her 3:15 set time would normally indicate a fairly intimate crowd, but the UK artist drew a crowd so large even she commented on it.
Though the set was fun, at times it felt like she lacked stage presence and energy. She made small talk with the crowd about the weather and let the silence hang occasionally between songs. While her music is good, her massive audience felt mismatched with her experience level.
Central Cee
The UK rapper has a controversial reputation online, but Central Cee’s crowd on day two was all in. Despite the fact that the set started 10 minutes late, more and more fans piled in to hear the iconic question “How can I be homophobic, my bitch is gay?” in the flesh. Complete with an intro video detailing his struggle to make it to the top and a pair of Statue of Liberty shorts, Central Cee knew exactly what Gov Ball asked of him.
Ari Lennox
Ari Lennox might as well be crowned the queen of modern-day R&B. Even for an avid fan, her vocals always catch me off guard. This was a great set to kick back and relax while listening to Lennox’s soothing melodies. She provides comfort in her set that allows the audience to sway along to the music before the evening revved up in intensity.
Sofi Tukker
Sofi Tukker kept the audience moving with a fierce energy competition between Coachella and Gov Ball (of course, invoking the fierce East Coast v. West Coast rivalry). The crowd played along as we danced to everything from ‘Purple Hat’ to the White Lotus theme song. The duo’s set was like a playground as the two swung from monkey bars and twirled on rotating spirals. It certainly didn’t hurt that NYC took home the gold by the end of the set.
Lil Nas X
Despite the fact that Lil Nas X revealed that he “[didn’t] want to be [there] right now” (due to a series of technical difficulties at the beginning of the set, he put on a spectacular show. With his usual showmanship, Lil Nas made up for the faux pas with his stage presence, talented background dancers, and danceable tracks that everybody in the audience knew by heart.
Kendrick Lamar
The fireworks at the end of the night felt fitting for this near-perfect set. If there’s one thing Kendrick Lamar knows how to do, it’s wow a crowd. Pulling mostly from his older works (including Damn. and To Pimp a Butterfly, Lamar had the audience dancing from start to finish. Complete with a Baby Keem performance, it felt like Lamar read the collective minds of his audience. From the high schoolers to the old timers, the old fanatics to the newbies, everybody came together to mosh at the end of the evening.
Despite the fact that the Governors Ball will make a 23-year-old feel like a senior citizen, it still proves an enjoyable, lowkey festival experience. If you’re a festival newbie looking to join the ranks, Gov Ball is small enough to manage but still large enough to see a plethora of great artists ranging from local to superstar. It doesn’t hurt that the festival is full of free stuff––M&M bucket hats, ice cream, and Coca-Cola––to entice you to the grounds.
