Festival Recap: GovBall Day 3

Words by Ambika Verma

The third and final day of the Governors Ball Festival was nothing short of exciting and unexpected, from the potential of looming thunderstorms, to the closing headliners, J. Cole and Playboy Carti, which drew thousands of people on the final day. As per usual though, nothing can stop a New Yorker. Arriving at the venue, it appeared to be much more full in comparison to the previous days and festival goers had brought it all: umbrellas, ponchos, etc ready for whatever the day brought. However, just a few hours after the gates opened, the sky cleared up.

While photographing COIN, I asked a few fans near me at the front of the stage who they were most excited for on the day and the answers were synonymous - “Playboy Carti.” Most had gotten there at the festival’s opening, hoping for a spot at the barricade when the time came several hours later.

We were able to finally catch one of the acoustic performances with Bud Light Seltzer Sessions with Jax. We loved the intimate set; Jax had such a strong stage presence, singing some of her hit singles, "Like My Father," and "90s Kids." At one point, she even stopped and asked the crowd to sing along. After realizing she had a huge fan in her crowd who was singing along to every single one of her songs, she stopped the song to restart it, singing with the fan who became incredibly emotional by the end of the song. Her performance was empowering and it was a nice break from the crazy crowds.

We made the walk across from the Seltzer Session towards Glass Animal’s performance on the main stage, where a huge crowd had already gathered. Their stage had props lined up against the backdrop, and there was a massive countdown. It was a set as vibrant as their setup, with lead vocalist Dave Bayley interacting with fans throughout the set. 

Throughout the day, I asked those who had three-day wristbands what they had enjoyed so far about the festival. The answers ranged: “My favorite thing has been the energy,” “I’m just here for the vibes, it’s been such a good experience,” “Seeing Kid Cudi the first day was definitely a highlight,” “The food has been so good -- I really liked the gluten-free pizza and french fries here.”

Playboi Carti's spooky set complete with flashing lights and a large black triangle was nothing but insane and in fact, it felt like there was an earthquake in Manhattan with how much energy the fans brought to the set. Meanwhile, J. Cole attracted a huge crowd to close the festival, reminiscing about his past in Queens itself. 

Leaving the festival on the 7 train overlooking all that is Citi Field, we reflected on the incredible weekend; Governor's Ball was everything we could have expected and more. 

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