Shaq (Diesel) photographed by Cade Callen.
Each June thousands flock to New York for a single weekend to attend the Governors Ball Festival. This year, attendees were able to enjoy the festival to its full capacity since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. While enjoying their concert experience, festival goers were able to grab a bite to eat from many of the food vendors or visit booths for various brands such as OGX Beauty, Weedmaps, or Coke.
DOWNTOWN’s Summer Interns attended Governors Ball last weekend. See what they had to say about the iconic music festival!
Cade: Governors Ball was an array of shooting stars with no point of culmination; one blast off performance quickly superseded the next and kept the revelers in the eternal excitement which only a summer in New York City can elicit.
It had been six years since my last Governors Ball, and I didn’t know what to expect; everything had changed: the line up, the location, the stage names, and so had I. I was a junior in high school the last time I attended Governors Ball , and all I had were dreams that I would one day find my way on stage. Little did I know, I would find my way on stage this time around…with Shaq.
I was backstage talking with Gus Dapperton’s band after their set (which was fantastic) when Shaq arrived. I greeted Shaq, who goes by Diesel on stage, with a fist bump before I snapped a picture of him with Gus Dapperton’s band. It was only moments later that I found myself walking on stage with his crew to what would certainly be one of the most unforgettable moments of my life. I’m not sure if there are words to express the feeling of being on stage with an NBA basketball legend, but the closest expression is “mind bogglingly unreal.”
The whole time I was up there I was filled with exuberance and momentary bouts of disbelief. I couldn’t help but wonder, “How the hell did I get up here?” I wondered if Shaq ever had that same question, and for that matter, if everyone else had that question from time to time. I think the question is natural to people; it’s as natural to people as unforgettable moments are to the ephemeral experience of being alive.
Greer: I thought Gov Ball was very interesting this year. It was my first time attending, and I it was really fun. There were a lot of artists who I had personally never heard of, but I really liked their sets and plan on listening to them in the future. Being in the photo pit was surreal because I was able to be so close to artists. I’m not a huge musical person, and I have only been to two concerts in the past, so it was really interesting to watch people perform. I am a fan of Glass Animals and Joji, so being able to see them was really cool. A few of my friends knew some of the artists like Still Woozy, Benee, and Soccer Mommy and were jealous that I was able to see the artists. COIN was a really fun artist because the lead singer ended up coming down and singing in the audience. I was really impressed by Shaquille O’Neal’s DJ performance. Overall, the festival was enjoyable and I hope to go again in the future.
Julia:
This weekend I joined hundreds of festival-goers at Citi Field for the Governors Ball Festival. Not only was this my first concert experience since the onset of the pandemic, but my first time attending the Governor\s Ball Festival. The festival was unlike any concert I had previously gone to considering I was able to be right in front of the stage, nearly reaching some of the artists performing.
Benee’s set was the first I watched at the festival. A New Zealand native, Benee was enthusiastic about performing at her first United States Festival. The singer was simply electric during her set, doing her best to engage the excitement of the crowd. She performed some of her hits such as “Glitter,” “Supalonely,” and “Find An Island”. After her set, I was able to catch up with her, congratulating her on her successful performance.
Another set I took time to watch was Clairo’s set, which unfortunately suffered technical difficulties. Clairo’s performance was interrupted by her microphone cutting out several times. However, Clairo was able to pull through her show, especially with the crowd’s encouragement. Her voice was as ethereal live as in her recorded songs. She played some hits from her 2019 album Immunity, such as “North,” “Sofia,” and “Bags” and from her recent album Sling like “Bambi” and “Amoeba”.
Chris: My first Governors Ball was a great experience overall. I only went on Sunday so I personally saw three artists perform: Duckwrth, Soccer Mommy, and Coin. Duckwrth’s set was awesome to see as the first one and set a high bar for the ones to come. He came out to a crowd with great energy who were really excited to see him perform. The next show I saw was Soccer Mommy, and the music was closer to what I usually listen to and had a great crowd, and the performance was electric! The final set I saw was Coin, which may have had the best show of the three. They certainly had the most dedicated fans, and their lead singer came down into the photo pit and even interacted with the fans, which was just awesome to see! All in all, it was a fantastic time and it was a great introduction to Gov Ball.
