For most of us, when we think of music festivals, the ever famous Coachella or Bonnaroo come to mind. But any New Yorker knows the festival that’s close to home is the one and only Governor’s Ball. Situated on Randall’s Island, Gov Ball is an annual music festival with performances from all your favorite artists, as well as some newcomers on the scene. The festival brings various genres of music and a diverse group of people together, in an unforgettable 3-day event.

Speaking of rising artists, Texas Native Kacey Musgraves played directly before The 1975 on Gov Ball day 2, at the appropriately named ‘Gov Ball Stage’. Her loyal fans sported pink cowboys hats and insane amounts of glitter in hopes of being noticed by Musgraves. She put on a wonderful set, with her accompanying band whose talent is out of this world. Towards the end of her performance, Musgraves sang her hit ‘High Horse’ while dancing around the stage with a rainbow flag- in the true spirit of pride month.

Also gracing the Gov Ball main stage on day 2 was Calpurnia, the teen rockers being a part of the youngest acts of the entire festival. The band put on a mind-blowing set when they covered ‘Love Buzz’ by 90s grunge band Nirvana. Calpurnia are one of the bands to watch not only because of their incredible technical musical ability, but for their insane energy on stage.

One of the last acts of day 2 was The 1975, who drew one of the biggest crowds the festival has ever seen, that stretched from the barricades all the way back onto the lawn and up the hill where the ‘GOV BALL’ entry sign was situated. The indie pop band played some songs off their newest album A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships like ‘Too Time’ as well as some of their oldest songs like ‘Sex’ and ‘Chocolate’.  The band performed a total of 16 songs at the festival, making their set one of the longest of the night. 

Overall, Gov Ball was not a complete and total failure, despite the bitter recounts of the third day fiasco, and days 1 and 2 can prove that. If you’re contemplating attending next year’s festival, start saving your money now, and don’t miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime to see all your favorite bands with all your friends. 

Check out our latest playlist of all the bands at Gov Ball.