The Governors Ball Music Festival – GovBallNYC is now in its 9th year and it has evolved from a much smaller festival on Governor’s Island to a four-stage 3-day extravaganza with continuous music and activities from noon to past 11 pm. It boasts a stacked lineup of current hitmakers of all genres and this year there were 74 acts scheduled. It’s now held on Randall’s Island on two large fields; each field holds two stages that alternate acts all day. It’s a short 10-minute sprint from one end to the other – far enough so there’s no sound bleed but close enough that you can catch all the bands. This year had high expectations and the biggest hurdle from 2019, topping prior years, was, of course, the weather. More on that later, but first the music….
Friday
Friday morning dawned beautifully and by the time the crowds massed crossing the Triborough Bridge to Randall’s Island at noon, it was clear that it was ideal festival weather – breezy, sunny and a perfect 80 degrees – a far cry from the teeming thunderstorms just 12 hours earlier. All that remained were some soggy spots along the festival grounds and some mud oozing up from the newly laid sod. But once you got your kicks muddy, you could stop worrying about it and just enjoy the music and the festival vibe.
Deal Casino opened up the main GovBallNYC stage with their full expressive rock. An up and coming four-piece from Asbury Park, NJ, led by deep-voiced Joe Parella, they spread out over the huge stage, probably a far cry from the smaller clubs they more frequently grace. But they had the small but growing crowd rocking, ending with “Chocolate Cake” and “Color TV”. A short set, but enough to know you should check them out again when they play Mercury Lounge on Wednesday! As they finished, Hundredth started up at the Bacardi stage with a set of strummy atmospheric rock, a bit all over the place while I was there and different from their older harder stuff but a solid performance. At the second of the large fields that holds GovBall, Still Woozy kicked off the smaller covered American Eagle stage with his moody R&B and leggy dancing.
The rock offerings on Friday were limited. Australian Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, an upbeat 5-member rock band from Melbourne, was worth checking out. The Voidz got off to a decent start and alternated between their poppy and more hard-edged offerings but had trouble transitioning between the two. But that left a lot of time to check out other genres. Amber Marks held her own on the main stage with a strong voice that flowed out over the crowd. In the same time slot, Danish dance pop singer MØ kept the crowd moving and R&B Blood Orange offered a sultry set. Boy band Brockhampton provided the most theatrical entry with a single member singing their hit “Summer” high on a cherry picker sweeping out over the crowd before being delivered to the stage which revealed a stage-sized gold airplane held by blue fingers which released the rest of the band who traded leads for the remainder of their upbeat set. Lil Wayne had a great stage presence and deep catalog of songs, and his fans overwhelmed the smaller Bacardi stage, but like some musicians, he wasn’t the strongest live performance.
Jessie Reyez delivered a powerful, political and personal set. The crowd was packed with fans so her band took the stage to chants of “Jessie! Jessie!” and one admirer on the rail screaming “Jessie, I only came here for you”, and then she appeared in an oversized Toronto Raptors jersey. (They had just won the first game of the NBA playoffs the night before.) She introduced each song, and from that banter the crowd knew what was coming even before a note was played, and then sang along with each song. Her distinctive voice, commanding stage presence and strong songwriting punctuated by clear instrumentation from her band and DJ made each and every song worthy. Whether she was singing about noxious relationships, her experience as a women in the music industry, or the fucked up state of the world, or in English or Spanish, she was passionate. “Gatekeeper” was as potent as the first time I heard it at GovBall two years ago. After she told her #MeToo moments starting out in the music industry that inspired the song, she got the crowd responding to her chant of “Suck MY Dick” with “You Fucking Suck, Man!” She was on and off the amps lining the pit and over the rail into the crowd many times including once where she literally dove into the crowd like they were pool water. She ended the set with “Body Count” and “Figures”, each anthems in their own right. From there it was hard to watch Mitski on the Honda stage singing while doing exercises over a table and chair on center stage. When I asked a fan “Has she been laying across the table the whole time?” his answer was “I have just as many questions.”
Dennis Lloyd was a lovely surprise with a really pleasing set of hard to describe seductive music. Whether strolling along the stage crooning with his full-bodied voice, playing guitar or punctuating with a trumpet, and backed by a band featuring a saxophonist, drummer, guitarist and a 3-piece horn section, Lloyd’s produced R&B-ish music floated out over the main stage and kept the crowd swaying. The music is simultaneously dreamy, sexy, and modern but upbeat due to all the horns. His snarky yet somehow charming banter introed each very strong song. The too short set ended with his breakout hit “Nevermind”, the new “Never Go Back” and finally his cover of Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” which made an unlistenable pop song into something entirely different (and brilliant).
Speaking of brilliant, headliner Tyler, The Creator put on a dazzling performance from the moment he entered the stage to the heavy buzz intro of “IGOR’s Theme” in a bright neon green suit with a platinum bowl cut wig and launched into four songs from his 2 week old #1 album IGOR. A quick dip behind the curtain and when it lifted he was in his usual outfit – a yellow fruit-patterned short sleeved shirt, shorts and cap – and on top of two gigantic tiers of pink speakers. From there he proceeded to strut the stage, do his spider-like dancing and offer up an honest, entertaining and positive performance. When he stumbled during “IFHY” he simply stated “Ah shit, I forgot the rest of the lyrics. I’m not gonna lie, but I know this part” and jumps back in for the chorus. His 85 minute, 19 song set never let up, even when clearly exhausted by song number 17 “Earfquake” from IGOR which had him “sweating from my eyeballs”. Most of the set it was only Tyler on stage in a single dramatic spotlight but the huge crowd was captivated. Late in the set he returned to new material with three more tracks from IGOR. He closed with “See You Again” which provided the earworm for the crowd as they made the trek back over the bridge towards home.
Saturday
On Saturday, trudging across the bridge seemed less exciting especially under the hazy humid skies, but the strong lineup demanded an early entry to the festival. Brooklyn-based Dreamers started up the main stage where a nice crowd had arrived in time to catch this first set of the day. Live, their poppy rock sounds edgier and features a prominent bass line. They closed with “Wolves (You Got Me)” and “Sweet Disaster”. Calpurnia was next on the main stage and were incredible. Not sure about their ages but this Canadian 4-piece with only an EP under their belts played some killer songs including the 60s-sounding woozy “Greyhound”. Of course, they had to add some covers and did a fantastic job with Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So” and Television’s “Marquee Moon”. They closed with their own also retro-sounding “City Boy” with its poppy “bah bah bahs” that then released into an extended hard driving guitar jam. Somehow they seemed both awkward and incredibly comfortable on stage. This is a band to watch for.
Punk-tinged rockers Sunflower Bean was excellent. Lead singer/bassist Julia Cumming, not hindered by boot heels or her bass, strutted the stage and was on and off the amps lining the photo pit in her white tulle dress and black stockings. “I Was Home” from their first album was a highlight especially when the band was in full out jam, Cumming leaning over backward with her bass and the keyboardist dancing around with his full sized keyboard off the stand (while still playing). Their newer songs from 2019 EP King of the Dudes were a bit poppier but luckily all their songs sound much harder live and on “Come For Me”, Cummings added some sneers that provided some edge. They also won the ‘most surprising’ award given their age (early 20s) and lack of (visible) tattoos – just a couple of inked words at guitarists Nick Kivlen’s ankle.
Lord Huron had a smaller crowd than expected, perhaps because many had gone to stake out real estate for headliner Florence + The Machine, but those that stayed got a good show. Their folky music had a big and driving sound, and with six musicians how could it not? Towards the end they slowed it down with “Ends of The Earth” and a song “to make out to”, “The Night We Met”.
The most packed and crazy show of the day had to have been Playboi Carti. Playing the smaller Honda stage, the crowd and the photo pit were overwhelmed even before his DJ came out 5 minutes late and Carti finally appeared 15 minutes later. By then numerous crushed and light-headed fans (who’d been crowding the rail since the prior show ended) had been pulled out of the crowd and into the pit for safety by a dynamite security team. Once Carti appeared, the crowd crush continued until they finally closed the pit early, kicking out the photographers. Oblivious, the DJ just yelled “Mosh Pit” and the crowd starting pushing in other ways. Nothing let up and the gunshot effects followed by police sirens were relentless until Carti decided he was done, having provided a full cadre of songs including his hits “Shoota”, “Magnolia” and “wokeuplikethis*”. This intrepid reporter emerged, energized and soaked through with sweat.\
Other strong shows included current country fave Kacey Musgraves who released globe balloons to the crowd and showed strong support for the LGBTQ+ community. Singer-songwriter Clairo was backed by a band. She had a beautiful voice but the delivery was a little monotonous which made it hard to distinguish one song from another for the novice listener. For her last two songs, she ditched the guitar and skipped/strutted the stage and the songs had a more produced feel, closing with “4EVER”. Brit pop singer Suzi Wu has a nice deep voice and was so happy to be playing on her first visit to the US. Rapper Vince Staples was engaging with the crowd, even accepting a GoPro sent through the crowd and filming from the stage. He kept getting hurried by his DJ to start his songs, and he stopped chatting and complied, but his set still finished a full 15 minutes early. I was less impressed with pop band The 1975 who seemed to be mocking themselves or their audience and just had a pretentious stage presence to go with their drony pop.
Another new element of this year’s GovBall was its active support of the LGBTQ+ community, especially on Saturday which is the first day of World Pride Month. This was evidenced by the throngs of proud and out LGBTQ+ teens and couples, three Pride parades through the grounds, Drag Queen performances in two of the side lounge areas, Bud Light Pride souvenir bottles and an all LGBTQ+ lineup on the Dive Bar stage, as well as visible shows of support from many of the musical acts.
Headliner Florence + The Machine played a delightful show to a full field of devotees – the rail was packed with adoring fans gazing up and singing every word, and the crowd was full of couples entwined in each other as they heard the soundtrack of their relationship. Florence Welch did not disappoint with an almost two hour, 18 song set. After her 8 piece band walked out in two lines like a church choir and took their place, Welch floated out barefoot in a sheer white dress with a cape that suggested angel wings, took the mic center stage and launched into “June”. As the song climaxed, she starting her signature spinning and skipping from one side of the stage to the other.
The crowd roared as she then hit with “Hunger”, and somehow despite the constant motion, she froze long enough to seemingly make eye contact with each of the fans. Gracious and genuine, she introduced her songs and acknowledged the impact that her personal songs had for the fans as well as the support her followers had given her crediting them with “saving my life. I’d be drunk all the time” as she sprung into “The End of Love” later in the set. She suggested that any fans thinking about buying a F+M t-shirt instead donate to the ACLU. “Patricia”, her homage to Patti Smith, was stellar. Later, in the middle of “Dog Days Are Over”, she gently cajoled the fans to put their phones away and experience the moment; most complied and the usual halos of square light no longer hovered over the crowd (for at least that song). The rest of her set covered her large repertoire, many from her newest album High As Hope, including a 3 song encore of “No Choir”, “Big God” and “Shake It Out”.
Sunday
By Sunday the weather gods were ready to wreak havoc – it is June in New York City afterall – and the predicted thunder and lightning storms forced a “Gates Closed Until 6:30” notice. So much for the plan to arrive early, check out brunch (another new GovBall feature), explore the activities and activist area, see the always excellent art installations, and figure out what the hologram selfie area really does.
But all one could do was lament the bands that had been cancelled – Jack Harlow, Ric Wilson and Soccer Mommy among others and rejoice that Bob Moses was not among them. And be at the gates when they opened which happily was slightly earlier than scheduled.
Rapper Noname and pop singer Chelsea Cutler led off the smaller stages with abbreviated 25 minute sets. Noname started late, didn’t have her earpiece in right and spent much of the early part of her set fiddling with it before eventually using one hand to grip the mic and the other behind her back holding the equipment. She joked throughout her set about the tech problem and short set quipping “I’m just gonna cut all the songs in half” before launching into her last one “Song 32”. Then across the field, the main stage sound system cut to chants of “Lily Fucking Allen” and the crowd that had been moseying in started to run towards the stage. UK pop singer stepped onto the stage and immediately dove into a series of upbeat and sassy songs with lyrics like “No you can’t have my number ‘cause I lost my phone. Go away”. She was wearing killer platform heels (which she eventually shed) and a pink flower-embroidered pants suit reminiscent of a 60s country singer, but when she removed the jacket and she was left in a see-through lace blouse for the rest of the set, you stopped thinking of Patsy Cline. She closed by dedicating her song “Fuck You” (reportedly written about George W. Bush) to President Trump.
The short sets, late starts and weather continued to thwart the festival as the 7:50 pm Taylor Bennett show rescheduled to the Bud Light Dive Bar seemed to not ever start and since the Bob Moses show got a mere 30 minutes, it’s practically over before it starts. For a brief moment at about 8:45 pm, GovBall seemed to regain its mojo as three stages were going at once (local female rapper 070 Shake on American Eagle, Louis the Child on Honda, and NAS on GovBall) but the moment was fleeting. Rapper NAS got to deliver his full set although the skies opened up for a few minutes about 9 pm. But as his time slot ended and the crowd amassed for Beast Coast (Joey BadA$$ + Flatbush Zombies) the festival closed unexpectedly with an evacuation order. This was not well received by either the crowd or the performers in this rap collective. As the crowd booed and a few chucked bottles and garbage onto the stage (and at the security guards who have protected them all festival), the musicians poured on to the stage most in basketball jerseys, and strut and pose, appearing to be going on as scheduled. Joey BadA$$ sat at the edge of the platform with a WTF look and shrugged and then just lay down on his back.
The crowd quieted down now thinking it was a joke announcement, but the other stages were dark and the crowds were flowing out. And the performers couldn’t get their mics to turn on, and production cut the lights as well and started to batten down the hatches. It’s 20 minutes since the announcement and at this point the disappointed fans started to chant “Refund” and “Fuck Gov Ball”, throw water bottles onto the stage, and even a few try to get on stage. Eventually the rain started up again and convinced the festers that this show is just not going on. As the crowds flowed towards the two exits, a small crowd of charged up youth started to trash the mirrored selfie area, videoing the mayhem and egging each other on. Not a pretty sight, but at least now I knew what that art installation was for.
It took the NYC Police to eventually enforce the evacuation order and soon the crowds were tromping through inches of flowing water, enduring the deluge from the skies, and heading back to their trains home. GovBall quickly announced refunds and perhaps that will soften the impact for the disappointed fans swearing they’ll never go back. (Until they see the always good 2020 lineup announced!)
