Gov Ball 2019 as we lived it

Jun 4

Jun 4 Gov Ball 2019 as we lived it

The 9th edition of Governors Ball was one of the most anticipated music festivals of the last summer of the decade. The lineup included The Strokes, The 1975, Florence + The Machine and many others.

The festival, which is held on Randall Island in New York, offers a variety of genres and music styles, including rock, electronic, hip-hop, indie, pop, folk and much more. Apart from that, Gov Ball is a playground offering breathtaking city views, great food, art installations, and a stacked lineup.

Friday – May 31

Mitski took the stage with her moves over the white table, laying across and flipping over it. Striking poses, she performed Dan the Dancer, and Drunk Walk Home without breaking her choreographed character. The festival goers got it clear that she lays her music and expression to an equal level of importance. Mitski sang some of her latest songs; after that the indie rock experimentalist gave the last few notes of Happy, and left the stage with a simple "Thanks, bye!"

The Voidz put on a solid show filled with '80s distorted rock, VHS videos, looped footages on the screens, and a solid lighting work projected over the crowd. The band is well-versed and experienced in that experimental sound to freak out over. The audience had an obvious respect for them, which made it feel like this show could've been played in any Lower East Side underground club. The Voidz opened with The Eternal Tao, followed by a good amount of songs from their first album "Tyranny". Later Beardo played the riff from Stairway to Heaven and Julian sang along for a little while. However, The Voidz' set got some technical glitches. Casablancas walked off stage followed by his band, while the fans pleaded for one more song. The epitome of rock'n'roll.

Tyler, the Creator crushed it in a neon yellow suit, blonde bob wig, and black sunglasses. Going through I Think, New Magic Wand and Puppet, he then disappeared to reemerge in a different outfit - a patterned shirt, shorts and a baseball hat. He went forward, playing Boredom, Yonkers, Tamale, and She. The crowd’s reaction was ecstatic to every bit of Tyler’s show. His performance got a massive celebratory feeling, especially when he sent that cheerful message: "I want y'all to trust your ideas and be your biggest cheerleader, alright?"

Saturday – June 1

The 1975 brought their signature sound, while the sun was beginning to set. Matty Healy went moving across the stage like he owned it, and he surely did. The visuals of glitchy texts and video footages were stunning. The crowd kept dancing through Chocolate, Sex and The Sound, which made it very clear why The 1975 are so good.

Florence and The Machine brought a magical energy to the Saturday night. In her bare feet and sheer gown Welch went running along the barricades while singing Delilah and What Kind of Man. Her presence left the crowd glowing as she sang Shake It Off.

Sunday – June 2

And then Sunday happened with the storm approaching quickly. People were not leaving the Gov Ball grounds, as the festival goers were staying almost exclusively for The Strokes and SZA. Under the heavy rain the stage screens went black and announced:

Due to approaching severe weather, all persons should move quickly and calmly to the nearest exit and seek shelter for your safety.

The crowd quieted down thinking it was a joke, but eventually the weather got so bad, making it clear that this show is not going to happen. While the festival management was forced into make the decision to cancel the performance, the crowd booed and chanted “We want Strokes! We want Strokes! We want Strokes!”

The evacuation wasn’t the smoothest, but Gov Ball quickly announced refunds, which perhaps softened the impact. Among the scheduled artists that did not play on June 2 are The Strokes, Charli XCX, Parcels, SZA, and others. It's hard to compete with the Mother Nature, and some attendees even sweared they’ll never come back. (For sure. Until they see the next Gov Ball lineup, which is always a stunning list of artists!)

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