Headliners brought the house or more likely, the park, down on Day Two of Governor’s Ball Music Festival on Randall’s Island.
Day One’s trend of almost perfect weather and relatively smooth logistics continued, aside from some struggling queues at the water filling station, thanks to intense sunshine and a policy of demanding pre-purchased water be poured out at the gate. Dehydration may have taken over drug and alcohol abuse as a large paramedic concern for the day, regardless of Governor’s Ball staff’s consideration of this to be a sensible policy.
While Tanlines’ equipment also fell victim to the heat, the crowds didn’t thin out at any point, with Saturday proving a virtual plethora of indie and electronic favourites, headlined by Skrillex and Jack White at either end of the park come 10pm. White, recently criticized for subpar live performances, delivered with an extended set that included favorites from both old and new works, while dubstep darling Skrillex incorporated an eclectic mix including Janet Jackson, The Lion King, Disclosure and Damien Marley.
Julian Casablancas returned to the Gov Ball Stage, this time alongside The Strokes, performing a set proving yet again that 90s nostalgia was very much a flavour of the week on the island; Spoon and RJD2 were also on hand to present some more blasts from the past,while Lucius ended their afternoon set with an homage to Whitney Houston in a cover of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”.
Electronic reigned supreme on Randall’s Island, with The Naked and Famous and The Glitch Mob lighting up both the Big Apple Stage and Gotham Tent. Representing for the hip-hop fans, Childish Gambino and Chance The Rapper brought their unique rap styles to the stage.
Flipping genres again, fan favourites Disclosure – with guest Aluna Francis of AlunaGeorge – turned up the heat even more with “White Noise”. Sleigh Bells fans were treated to one of the band’s only New York shows since the latest album’s release as the sun went down.
With an almost cloudless but very breezy sky, a high temp of 26 degrees and lots of freshly laid green grass, the scene’s been set for Day Three, which promises to top the rest with a envy-inducing lineup including Aussie beloveds Empire of the Sun, indie favorites Foster the People and Interpol, while an EDM crowd will be out in force for Axwell & Ingrosso, back for a post-Swedish House Mafia run. With Vampire Weekend closing out Sunday on the indie side, it’s clear there’s no better place to be on Sunday than at Randall’s island.
