Concert Review: Governor’s Ball Day 2 Roundup 6/6/26
- Samuel Leon
- 11 hours ago
- 12 min read
Photo Courtesy of Governor’s Ball
After a day of nonstop action at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, a common enemy of music festivals around the world began to rear its big, ugly head. Mother Nature acts as friend and foe to music festivals, with the latest example in Governor’s Ball history being the infamous Saturday of 2025. The doors didn't open until 4 o'clock because of the lighting, and many fans of the lineup ended up making it into the shortened festival absolutely soaked. The forecast called for a chance of rain at some point in the later evening, but for most of the day, the downpour aimed to hit after the festival was over. While festivals always advertise rain or shine, it never includes the threat of lightning. Thankfully, the skies were clear and the sun was beaming for most of the day, as was the case when I arrived at Mets-Willets Point on the 7 train for day two of Governors Ball.
After about three minutes of walking, I noticed that the atmosphere was already different from the previous day. The distance between the train station and the entrance is about a half mile, so it was quite surprising to find a large number of people had already started gathering in a line just outside the Mets-Willets stop. When I asked a young lady what they were waiting for, they confirmed it was indeed the general admission line for the festival. I ascertained this was mainly because the headliner of the day was Stray Kids, a popular K-pop act with a massive legion of fans across the globe. As soon as the gate opened, there were hundreds of fans who ran towards the main stage to get a good spot for their headliner. The orientation of the stage had changed to fit Stray Kids’ setup as well, giving additional room for fans to plant themselves at the barricade.
Chanpan
The first band on the docket for Saturday was the Queen's based trio Chanpan. The alternative pop group have been making waves since their days of busking in Chinatown, and they brought forth the fervent energy you can only find in working artists. The group are gearing up for the release of their next project titled “autogratis,” and the Governor’s Ball Snapchat stage served as a celebratory platform for the group to demonstrate what they do best.
From the moment that Chanpan walked (or, in the case of singer Grace Dumdaw, crawled) onto the stage, you could tell the energy was going to be set at a really high bar from the get go. Dressed in shoulder pads, Dumdaw moved with the freedom allowed by a headset microphone instead of a handheld. Twin brothers Matthew and Lance Tran played their instruments with a matched excitement, showcasing a different side of their normally electronic programmed music, especially on songs like “election year” and “jungle.” The group utilized their platform in the way that all artists should by highlighting the hunger strike in the Delaney Hall Detention Facility, utilizing their time to call for social justice chants. It got down to the root of art as activism, one of the driving reasons for art in the first place.
Chanpan is a group that can take over the largest or smallest stage as possible at any given moment and give the exact same amount of energy. They are certainly one of many artists on this lineup today to keep an eye on in the future.
Radio Free Alice
After Chanpan’s electrifying performance, I made my way to the main stage to finally catch Radio Free Alice. I say “finally” because the Australian based rock group has been on my radar for a little bit now with their success in the alternative rock scene, and their smash hit shows in New York last year looked like one of the most electric displays of their style you could ever hope to witness.
Taking the stage at 1:06 due to some technical difficulties, the group found their stride quite quickly thanks to an addition of a saxophone during their beginning track. The group went into “Paris Is Gone” which brought up the energy in the field even more than they already was. The rock band wasn't just confined to the energetic side, as they went into a more heartfelt ballad type “lunch money,” and their strategic switches of instruments kept the members from feeling locked into stereotypically pidgeonholed roles. The group showcased a lot of range for their half hour set, and hopefully they saved enough energy for their 10 PM Gov Ball After Dark show at Baby’s All Right.
The Indie rock sphere, especially the New York scene, has its fingerprints across the world, but that doesn't mean that it has to feel derivative. Radio Free Alice was a perfect example of how to craft exciting grungy rock tunes without feeling completely influences by any one source, and their journey will be exciting to watch as time goes on.
Flowerovlove
Beginning a run of chill, more whimsical artists on the Saturday lineup was a new discovery in the lineup named Flowerovlove. The artistic project of British-based Joyce Cissé was born out of a quarantine project after a successful run of modeling, and her smart blend of fashion with dream-like pop music felt like a match made in heaven. Cissé is far from a stranger at a music festival, having made her debut as Flowerovlove at the illustrious Glastonbury Festival, and her persona was something out of a storybook as she took the stage.
Hopping out of a bright red staircase, Flowerovlove immediately immersed the audience with her dream-like world with a vibrant color scheme and immense, reverby drums. Flowerovlove’s set felt incredibly heartfelt and inviting during a moment in the day where the heat could feel punishing thanks to a series of wistful tracks, handdrawn backgrounds, and an ever optimistic persona. There were multiple moments where the music played hand in hand with reality, especially with tracks such as “I've seen your ex,” which had a stagehand bring out a telephone, saying there was a call from Governor’s Ball telling the audience to say fuck you to anybody who did them wrong. It was a beautifully empowering set and a great introduction to Flowerovlove for many who may not have been aware of the world she created.
Wisp
If there was any first time watch on Saturday that I was looking forward to the most, it had to be the rising alternative artist known as Wisp. The artistic project of Natalie R. Lu has grown far beyond the ever expanding boundaries of the shoegaze world, with multiple viral TikTok songs, slots on festivals like blank and a headlining tour playing venues like NYC’s own Webster Hall. Her crossover appeal is quite magnetic, with her style fitting in nicely with pop-centric festivals like Gov Ball while simultaneously opening for nu-metal titans System Of A Down in stadiums like MetLife and Chicago’s Allegiant Stadium. Her reputation has preceded her music, but her style of warm yet crushing guitar driven soundscapes brought a cooldown after a fiery beginning to the day.
Underneath a thematically appropriate cloudy sky, Wisp took her already monumental sound and amplified it with the speakers in the mainstage. The backing screen morphed into chromatic reflections in one minute, then deeply desaturated images of eclipses further, bringing out the beautifully nihilistic aspects of her work. Even with the number of people who were at the front of the pit for Stray Kids, many of whom might not have been aware of this music, there were plenty of people in my section who were singing along to the almost unintelligible lyrics, a true sign for Wisp’s reach as an artist.
Wisps' entrancing soundscapes felt like a great break in the middle of the day. It would be interesting to see Governor’s Ball incorporate more shoegaze acts into their future lineups, and with the way the world of hazy guitars and reverb vocals has ingratiated itself with the mainstream, it doesn't seem far out of the realm of possibility.
2Hollis
Midway through the day, the vibes from the more relaxing sounds of Wisp and Flowerovlove gave way to a double serving of explosive electronic chaos, kicked off by none other than 2Hollis. The underground trap scene has been riding a wave of popularity for quite a long time, and 2Hollis is one of the newer leaders who has gained momentum thanks to a steady stream of output as well as a viral moment with the song “Jeans.” Maybe there’s a soft spot in my heart due to Ken Car$on acting as my first set at my first Governor’s Ball, but there is a peanut butter and jelly type of combination with music festivals and trap music. You could attribute this to the hype that surrounds these environments or to the artist themselves, but whatever the case may be, there's at least a modicum of excitement whenever I hear some over-the-top beats at a massive outdoor stage. I know I’m far from the only one who feels that way, especially with the way the crowd came to life during the set.
3:15 might have been objectively early in the day, but judging from the number of people with 2Hollis related merch (including a hilarious show about his Roblox show), it was clear a fair number of the people showing up on Saturday were showing up just for this set. 2Hollis took to a smoke filled stage and immediately launched into a bass-heavy rage track, shaking not only the audience members but the ground beneath them. 2Hollis took audiences through a lot of his hype-filled hits including tracks like “flash” and “two bad,” all of which were met with raised hands and bouncing all around. One of my favorite details of 2Hollis’ set was his interpolation of 2010s hit songs, like “I Want You To Know” by Selena Gomez as well as “Gold” by Kiiara. My excitement for these interpolations could come from this generation of new musicians lining up with my age, but I found it to be quite exciting to see 2Hollis looking towards the past to create the futuristic music of today.
This is the part of the day where I found myself using a new measuring tool called the Festival Dust Cloud Index or FDCI for short. The index measures the correlation between the cloud of dust kicked up in a crowd to how rowdy the mosh pit gets. The only artist on day one that properly made it onto the index was Pierce The Veil, hitting around two out of five for most of the day, with the exception of “King For A Day” receiving a respectable three. For 2Hollis, the section on average had a three out of five, with some moments like the very beginning creeping up to a four. However, there was soon to be a challenger to the throne of the dust index, and they happened to be getting ready for their set down the field at the Grove stage.
Jane Remover
As 2Hollis began to finish his set, what seemed like hundreds of festivalgoers rushed over to the Grove stage to catch another unstoppable force in the experimental trap scene, Jane Remover. What makes Jane Remover such an interesting artist is the variety of sources of inspiration that are apparent within their music, ranging from video games apparent in their samples to dubstep to post hard-core, which is especially apparent on their side project Leroy. I was fortunate enough to catch Jane’s TURN UP OR DIE performance about a year ago at Music Hall of Williamsburg, a venue that felt packed out no matter where you were in the building. Going into their performance in Flushing Meadows, I was curious as to what the experience would be like when the audience far expanded a 600-cap room.
Going back to the FDCI, Jane’s set kicked off with a strong five out of five for the first three songs. As soon as the track “angels in camo” started to play over the speakers, the crowd began to throw themselves around in the mosh pit. Whether it was the constant bass drops that were further accentuated by the massive speakers or crowd chants like the iconic “B A B Y B O Y” in “Music Baby,” Jane had the entire audience primed and ready to go. Most of Jane's music came from their fascinating REVENGESEEKERZ album from 2025, including bangers like “Dancing with your eyes closed” and the aforementioned “TURN UP OR DIE.” However, few months ago, Jane dropped remixes of some of their work under the alias Leroy and they played the remixes for both experimental skin and music, baby, the Ladder of which received a massive cough sing-along from the audience.
As the set went on, the crowd got bigger and bigger to the point where it was reaching far beyond the typical constraints of the Grove stage. Jane was just as involved throughout the set as the audience, whether it was a sway of their body or jumping with the crowd. Another aspect I appreciated from Jane's show was their simplistic yet homage-filled set design. Standing behind Jane’s ever-moving body were DJ Dazegxd, his DJ setup, and two lighting rigs akin to that of a fallen structure or parts of a warehouse. While Jane Remover may not be as on the radar on the popular music sphere just yet, these festivals are building their profile to the point where they will be unavoidable in the future. However, there are elements that feel very DIY and underground in their nature, like the set design and the ever experimental music, that stay in line with Jane’s ethos even with the skyrocketing fame.
Jane’s set at Governors Ball was undoubtedly a highlight of the day, even with the amount of dust that went into my nose. Here's hoping that this festival run will get them into bigger and better rooms to showcase their experimental edge.
Wet Leg
Arriving on the main stage after Jane Remover’s chaotic performance was a favorite within the art rock scene, Wet Leg. After a highly successful headlining run supporting their latest record moisturizer, with venues such as New York Central Park Summerstage and Brooklyn Paramount making an appearance on their routing, the English band have made their way back stateside to run the festival circuit. The group’s dry sense of humor and unique presence among the crowd have kept audiences invested since their debut self-titled, and their crowd at Governor’s Ball was proof they have the popularity to match their vision.
Kicking off their set with the song “catch these fists,” vocalist Rhian Teasdale had ample opportunity to move around the stage and contort her body to the rhythm of the song. Since the release of moisturizer, the image of Teasdale flexing her muscles has become synonymous with the live show, and there were multiple opportunities where she kept her streak going. From a song structure standpoint, I've always been fascinated with Wet Leg’s use of abrupt endings to some of their songs. I understand how it can feel anti-climatic most of the time, but from the perspective of these artists, these songs feel more like memories, coming and going as they please without any set stop and start. In that regard, Wet Leg’s set felt like a collection of memories on full display to a field of onlookers, cultivating the ideal outcome when they replay those memories in their minds. It was a great set that showcased some of the best that the current wave of rock has to offer outside of the initial constraints of the genre.
Thee Sacred Souls
At around 5:15, as the chords of Wet Leg’s “Chaise Lounge” rang out, a notification popped up on my phone signaling the changes in the schedule due to an incoming thunderstorm expected to hit around 8:00 PM. In an attempt to keep Stray Kids from getting rained out, Governor’s Ball pushed the K-pop group earlier and moved Major Lazer's set from the Main Stage to the Snapchat stage. Unfortunately, the last-minute changes required removing a handful of the sets originally scheduled for later in the day entirely, including punk rockers Amyl and the Sniffers, the cosmic R&B of Blood Orange, and the ever-graceful sub-headliner Kali Uchis. As the minutes passed after the news broke out, festival goers made their way to the main stages to queue for Stray Kids or dance with Major Lazer. However, a fair number ventured into the forested area of The Grove, where Thee Sacred Souls would close out the stage. In an attempt to discover some new music, I also made my way towards the side stage to see if the surprises of the festival would turn into something serendipitous rather than nihilistic.
As opposed to the nonstop energy of Jane Remover set at the same stage three hours ago, Thee Sacred Souls’ glistening soul music captivated the audience from beginning to end. The trio of singer Josh Lane, bassist Sal Samano, and drummer Alex Garcia took their places among an extended backing band filled with horns, bongos, and backing vocalists. The sense of community was really there with all of the members of this band, swaying along with the audience to the music. There's a natural charisma to Lane’s performance, partially coming from the comforting music itself but also from his consistent attempts at connection with the audience. During the song “Will I See You Again,” for example, Lane made his way through the entire barricade in between the crowds, giving high-fives and singing directly at fans.
In one of the final moments of the evening where art intersected with social justice, Lane introduced the song “In My Mind” with a reminder that life is a series of moments through the good and the bad, specifically calling on the issues happening within the government as a catalyst. The moment was quite powerful in a very uplifting set, as it was a reminder that even with the good and the bad, we still need to be kind in the unrelenting world that we live in. It's tough to hear about the atrocities of the world when you're trying to enjoy all of the activities at a music festival, but the recognition of that privilege, and moreover the actions you take to uplift those who might not, is hopefully something folks attending music festivals worldwide can take away. These are celebrations that stem from active resistance, a history lesson that more will hopefully learn as the Governor's Ball grows each and every year.
While the conclusion of Saturday's festivities may not have been anywhere close to what attendees were hoping for, there was still a lot of buzz in the air for day three. In an announcement late on Saturday, the festival was able to get Blood Orange to appear for a short set on Sunday, but hopefully Kali Uchis and Amyl & The Sniffers will be back sooner rather than later. The festival may have passed the halfway mark this year, but there was a sneaking suspicion that the excitement was just getting started.
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