Concert Review: Governor’s Ball Day 3 Roundup 6/7/26
- Samuel Leon
- 7 hours ago
- 17 min read
Part of the excitement with the music festival is in the wide range of acts that you can see on any given day. Friday alone brought the opportunity to see Lorde and Pierce the Veil within the span of four hours, something I never would've expected back to say in high school. However, equally important is the idea that the earlier you get there the greater a chance you have to see your next favorite artist…or the next artist to explode in popularity. There have been years in Governor’s Ball history where you've had a range of artists go from zero to hero, including now ubiquitous queer icons in MUNA back in 2016, or megastar Dua Lipa on the bottom of the 2017 lineup. In a more recent example, the now champion of pop music Chappell Roan was playing a quick 30-minute set to what seemed like half of New York.
In my travels to Day 3 of Governor’s Ball, I couldn't help but notice my excitement was mainly centered around the first half of the day as opposed to the back half. That's not to say I wasn't psyched to catch a lot of the main draws to the festival, such as New York native A$AP Rocky or BLACKPINK superstar Jennie. When I looked at the schedule, the combination of the already established lineup, in addition to the new arrival of Blood Orange, would keep me running to stages nonstop for about six and a half hours. Going into the festival for the final time this year, I hoped that the collective energies of the artists performing would translate into excitement for me and the countless audience members who were in the same situation. While I can't speak for everybody who was in attendance for June 7th at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, I personally think the exhaustion at the end of the day was more than worth it for the art I was able to catch on some of the biggest stages in New York.
Hemlocke Springs
One of my most anticipated artists on the entire lineup had to go to Isimeme Udu, popularly known by the artist name Hemlocke Springs. Ever since her music began receiving praise on TikTok back in 2022, Springs has been steadily growing her discography and her fanbase. This year has been massive for her thanks to the release of her new record the apple tree under the sea, with its neon synth-pop soundscapes providing a glorious backdrop for dancing and for singing. When the lineup was pushed to earlier in the day to account for Blood Orange’s set, Hemlocke’s show became the first of the day, and she set the bar ridiculously high.
Hemlock opted to trade in the bright pastel tones on her album cover for a gothic look, a choice that made the set feel unique while still keeping the fantastical backdrop surrounding the storytelling. Hemlocke’s backing dancers and instrumentalists came on stage with matching red wigs as the backing screen transformed into a storybook image of a dark, vampiric castle. Hemlocke walked on last donning a dark coat with dark red accents, along with red colored contacts on her eyes. Hemlocke played a lot of tracks from the apple tree, including “moses” and “the beginning of the end.” These normally pop-oriented songs came to life in explosive ways when played with live instruments, especially “the beginning of the end” whose drums were cranked up during the breakdown towards the end of the track. While the pop-centric production choices on the album are fantastic, the live setting brings out the songs and new and unexpected ways.
There was a great sense of theatricality throughout the show, as Hemlocke would take out props from a big box and utilize them during songs. One of the first examples of this was a cake mixer during the track “w-w-w-w-w,” and it turned what could be a simple live performance into a full on show. Normally, I'm quite hit or miss with backing dancers on stage, but for a performance like this where the energy is so high, the additional movement can be a welcomed addition. The dancers further developed the performance instead of hindered it with their playful choreography, building out the universe Hemlocke created for Governor’s Ball.
There's always discussion about artists who should and shouldn't be popular, and I'm genuinely confused how Hemlocke Springs isn't absolutely massive with her acute sense of world building and amazingly catchy tunes. Hopefully there will be many chances to catch her in the years ahead.
Hannah Jadagu
First on the roster for the Grove stage on Sunday was Hannah Jadagu. It takes a lot for me to get fully invested with artists merely on the basis of finding their music on social media platforms, but Jadagu is a rare exception, as I remember hearing “My Love” as the audio for a scenic drive and have been hooked ever since. After moving to New York to study music business, the bedroom pop mastermind has created an illustrious discography full of songs about yearning and built up quite the touring resume, having supported artists like Beach Fossils, Wild Nothing, and fellow Governor’s Ball performer Del Water Gap this past year. 2025 saw Jadagu release her sophomore album Describe, and she’s hit the road hard since then, making Governor’s Ball her third New York performance this year.
I parked under the tree adjacent to the Grove stage and caught Jadagu’s set in the shade. Jadagu’s groovy and chill songs for a great gateway for the rest of the action packed today, with tracks such as “warning signs” waking up the crowd in a glorious way. Equipped with a flower-decorated guitar, Jadagu went through the entire entirety of her set with the ease you would see from a seasoned performer. Jadagu mentioned this being her second Governor’s Ball but her first one as a performer, and she seemed ecstatic to see the large crowd showing up to her shows. During the song “all my time is wasted” Hannah gave the audience the lyrics to sing back to her, but little did she know the audience would sing them before she even taught them. It felt like one of the first real “I made it” moments of the day, and it certainly felt deserved.
Hannah Jadagu’s set was a great way to kick off the bedroom pop section of day three and a great display of her abilities as an artist. She tours quite relentlessly, so the odds of her being in the city are quite high, so make sure to catch her as soon as you can.
Rachel Chinouriri
Moving back over to the Snapchat stage, I found myself entranced by the amazing music of British singer-songwriter Rachel Chinouriri. Chinouriri has found a deserved level of success within her dreamy songwriting, including a fantastic debut album What A Devastating Turn Of Events, a stay at the female-led music festival All Things Go last year, and a smash hit with “All I Ever Asked.” Chinouriri is no stranger to giving a powerhouse performance, and her thirty minute set time at the Snapchat stage proved why she’s one of the success stories in the pop music realm to pay attention to.
The crowd began to move forward as Chinouriri came out in a beautiful light green dress swaying with the wind. As the music began to pick up and the sun came out, it was hard to find a moment where the artist wasn't smiling during the opening track “Garden Of Eden.” Rachel is no stranger to the big stages and she used the catwalk as much as she possibly could. Her ethos of going through the worst in life and dancing through it felt like a productive mindset in terms of what she was accomplishing in her music as well, and it seemed like a mentality the audience was quite responsive to. While I wish I could've seen more of her set, I had a great time with my first experience of her live show, and I hope to catch her again soon.
Slayyyter
In one of the more seemingly rapid ascents to success, Slayyyter’s crowd stretched far beyond the normal size of this time of day by the time I arrived at the main stage. I've always found Slayyyter's mix of punk and electronic to be a fascinating display of how those two genres go hand-in-hand from an energetic lens, especially on the live setting. Between her and Chappell Roan, it's fantastic to see so many fellow Missourians taking on stages and festivals. However, unlike Chappell, Slayyyter is originally from much closer to my former neck of the woods, so I was raring with excitement to support the Kirkwood superstar.
Unfortunately, as soon as the clock struck 1:45, a bright red warning indicating lightning in the area launched on the screens. It was déjà vu for everybody who had attended the day before, but thankfully the storm passed over within 10 minutes. While Slayyyter’s set was for the most part unaffected, it acted as a blessing in disguise, as it gave the audience even more potential energy to explode when it was time for them to dance.
As the backing screen morphed from the Governor’s Ball logo to shots of Slayyyter walking around a house, the artist made her way to the front of the stage donning a bright feather headband. She went straight into her surging “DANCE…” which had the massive GA crowd emanating energy. Usage of the stage felt less like a utilization of the catwalk and more of a transformation into a fashion runway strutting and posing at every opportunity available. However, there was nothing like the energy during “CRANK” where it seemed like every audience member was either jumping or screaming at the top of their lungs. During this song, she ended up switching out the feather headband for an “I LOVE NYYYC” hat, which one lucky fan in the general admission area got to take as a souvenir when she threw it to them. Slayyyter's screaming and bombastic instrumentation felt like they belonged both at an underground rave and also at a rock festival, further emphasizing just how similar these supposedly different styles and music really are.
Slayyyter’s set served as another chapter of something very special both for the genres she pulls from and for her career. Give it five years and there will be a fair number of folks talking about how they saw her set at Governor’s Ball before she got big…or bigger than she is right now.
Japanese Breakfast
The laid-back indie rock vibes returned next door with Japanese Breakfast. The musical project of multi-hyphenate artist Michele Zauner has been fascinating to watch, as her book Crying In H Mart caught more eyes on her talents outside of the musical landscape, and her more orchestral album For Melancholy Brunettes & Sad Women took Japanese Breakfast’s music into a more subdued yet ever as emotionally impactful direction. The first time I saw Japanese Breakfast was back in 2022 over at the final Citi Field edition of Gov Ball, so I was curious as to how her live performance had evolved since then.
In a moment reminiscent of my first Governor’s Ball, Japanese Breakfast opened up with paprika, the opener for her set in 2022. Zauner’s bright green outfit, along with the floral arrangement surrounding her gong, further emphasized the summary vibes of her music. While her latest record might not have been the most uplifting, cuts from Brunettes took on a new role under the sun, with “Honey Water” adding in these hazy, dreamy atmospheric sounds, and “Mega Circuit” finding an extra bit of twang from the guitars. From a sound perspective, Japanese Breakfast’s set was the best mixed set during the entire festival thanks to the equal representation of the higher end violins and bass tones. Every sound that came through those speakers could be understood, which is not an easy thing to do at a music festival.
It was fantastic to see Japanese Breakfast back in her element: playing to a massive festival crowd on a beautiful sunny day. I'm very glad I got to catch her on this tour cycle, and I feel lucky to see the changes of the weather accompany the changes in the live set.
Holly Humberstone
Continuing with the whimsical yet ever emotional rollercoaster of Sunday’s bedroom pop lineup was English singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone. Since her breakout in 2017, Humberstone’s discography has become increasingly fleshed out, with many viral hits such as “Falling Asleep At The Wheel” and “The Walls Are Way Too Thin” establishing her as a credible pillar in the scene. Fresh off her acclaimed record Cruel World, Humberstone has found a new level of popularity and a growing collective of introspective music fans ready to sink their teeth into her potent lyricism. My first encounter with Holly’s live show was back in 2024 when she played to a massive crowd in the pouring rain, so the inviting weather on Sunday provided an even greater backdrop for her performance.
For normal research on shows I cover, I try to listen to at least a few songs per artist in the days leading up to the show. This was no different for Holly Humberstone, but while I caught her set, I remembered a lot more of the words to each song that I was expecting. My memory is admittedly pretty bad, so the fact that her songs got stuck in my head as effectively as they did speaks volumes about her songwriting. In moments where she wasn't playing a guitar, Humberstone would walk down the catwalk and try to interact with fans in the massive audience. During her set, Humberstone mentioned how she had never played to a stage this massive before. You could see in her eyes there was a real sense of accomplishment when she heard the audience singing songs right back at her. Every artist dreams of having these moments, but when they come in spaces this size, the euphoria must feel out of this world.
Holly Humberstone’s set proved how her whimsical style of dream pop works in a variety of settings, between the intimate settings of her headlining tours to the grandiose stage setups of festivals. Her success feels quite earned, and I am very excited to see what heights she reaches in the future.
Blood Orange
In an almighty redemption arc for Governor’s Ball, Blood Orange found a spot on the Snapchat stage after his set the previous day rained out. Dev Hynes was responsible for one of my favorite albums of last year, Essex Honey, and I had been looking forward to catching his performance after experiencing massive FOMO from his in the round performances at Brooklyn steel last November. My interest was further intensified after multiple videos of his Coachella performance, also in the round, circulated around social media apps, with his hypnotic rendition of 2022’s Jesus Freak Lighter etching its way into the crevices of my brain. Going into his set at the Snapchat stage, I was curious how Hynes’ performance would translate without the now integral in-the-round configuration.
Even with the massive changes surrounding Blood Orange’s set, there was still quite a lot of interest in seeing the project on Sunday, as the crowd stretched quite far by the time 4:00 rolled around. Part of what makes Blood Orange so entrancing to watch is his laser focus no matter where he is on stage or what instrument is playing. Taking the stage with his now signature minimalist electric cello, Hynes went into a breathtaking solo, proving his mastery of miscellaneous instruments. The rest of the band soon followed onto the stage, going into 2018’s gorgeous “Saint.” Blood Orange put up multiple camera angles on the back screen, creating more opportunities to watch the musicality of the playing occur.
One of my favorite aspects of Blood Orange’s set was the sense of communal strength akin to most group performances. There were multiple songs in the set including “Jesus Freak Lighter” and “Best Of You” that required Hynes on another instrument and not necessarily on a microphone. What I found fascinating was his Trust in the backing vocalist to essentially sing this song for him, Effectively transforming a project that’s normally packaged as a solo endeavor into Something far beyond the term. It felt like a microcosm for live performance as a whole, with these pieces of music creating a symbiotic relationship between fans and artists. As a result, it becomes something more than it could ever exist as on the record. It felt like a special relationship between Dev, his team and the fans watching, and it began to make me think about the human relationship of live music as a whole.
Geese
If there was any one band that’s drummed up the most discussion over the last year, it easily goes to New York’s own, Geese. Ever since the release of their 2025 album getting killed catapulted them into the mainstream whether it was through on stage antics, talkshow performances, or accusations of being psy-ops, the group has not been able to escape the spotlight. Thankfully, their appearance at Governor’s Ball put them at a home-field advantage, with thousands of attendees flocking to the main stage to catch whatever craziness Cameron Winter and company were about to impart.
Geese kicked off their set with their new mainstay opener “Husbands” before launching into a ruckus inducing version of “Getting Killed.” Anytime a song would hit the speakers, there would always be some kind of movement happening, whether it was a banging of the head, a big old mosh pit, or a sway from side to side. All of the artists got their chance to shine, whether it was their bassist Dominic DiGesu with his bass solos on tracks like “Bow Down,” guitarist Emily Green’s frequent distortion inducing playing styles on the guitar, or Max Bassin’s thunderous improvisations on the drums. Cameron Winter was joyfully in his own world during the majority of the set, from welcoming everyone to “Governor’s Island” (the former location of Governor’s Ball) to walking the entirety of the catwalk with an almost robotic pace. Winter found the catwalk especially interesting, even if his completely monotone face wouldn't be able to tell you what that fascination came from, with the singer asking “who put the catwalk there” before breaking out into their final stretch of songs.
Geese’s stage presence had less to do with any sort of theatricality many other artists have: the dissection of the façade is what felt so thought provoking, utilizing the ever changing structures in their music in the same way other artists would use a highly decorated stage design. Parts like the extended bridge of “Cowboy Nudes” or the now famous song interruption in “2122” would feel like rookie mistakes if they weren't executed so perfectly. However, the band’s toying with preconceived notions of their recorded songs came to a head during their final track “Trinidad,” which would feel almost psychedelic from its hazy guitar passages and Winter’s muttering voice if not for the chaos inducing crashes during the chorus. Winter ended up dedicating Trinidad to the kids, and as the screen in the back shifted from the bands to the crowd, multiple mosh pits would come to life during every scream from the vocalist. “Trinidad” was by all accounts an incredibly climactic finish, leaving new fans with an exhausted yet ever so positive impression of the group.
Hot Mulligan
After catching the first part of Clipse’s set on the Snapchat stage, I went over to the Grove to see the pop-punk superstars Hot Mulligan. The Michigan-based quartet’s success story has been amazing to watch, having caught them for the first time back in 2019 as an opener in the tiny White Eagle Hall in Jersey City. Now, with a boost in the popularity of pop punk in the mainstream as well as a run of successful records, the band has designated 2026 as their festival circuit year, with appearances at Governor’s Ball, Coachella, Lollapalooza, Shaky Knees, and a Warped Tour performance.
Even after seven years of seeing them, hot mulligans on stage, banter has not changed in the slightest. After walking on stage, guitarist Chris Freeman asked what was up, while vocalist Tades simply screamed before going into “How Do You Know It’s Not Armadillo Shells?” The group played a fair amount of tracks from The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still, which was, in their words, the record with the worst titles on it. However, they also played a fair number of crowd and personal favorites, including “Drink Milk and Run,” “Shhhh! Golf Is On,” and “Equip Sunglasses.” In between songs, the group proceeded to intermittently badger the VIP section for not getting into the groove, along with inciting the general admission area to boo them at miscellaneous pockets of the set.
Even if the VIP section wasn't getting down to the pop punk sounds of Hot Mulligan, the general admission crowd was having the type of their life, constantly jumping and moshing at any given moment. As far as the festival has gotten with their rock offerings and subsequent rock music etiquette, there is still a crucial aspect to primarily pop-punk and metal bands that's missing: the crowdsurfing. Pierce The Veil had a few attempts, but during Hot Mulligan, I only caught one successful surf. Hopefully the numbers go up in 2027 if the lineup includes more music within this lane, but for a festival making its way into the pop-punk sphere, this is still a good place to start.
A$AP ROCKY
After a much-needed rest, I bounced around the stages to catch parts of the final artists on the lineup. The solo project of BLACKPINK superstar Jennie had some incredible dancing, a really great set design and showcased the solo power of a K-Pop act on one of the biggest stages imaginable. Concluding the Grove stage for the year was the fantastic collaborative efforts of Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist, whose onstage presence was as fearless as their recorded work on Alfredo and last year’s Alfredo 2.
Headlining the evening at the main stage, and effectively concluding Governor’s Ball 2026, was Harlem’s own A$AP Rocky. Rocky’s had a banner year thanks to the release of his first album in eight years, Don’t Be Dumb. Alongside the record, Rocky announced a massive tour, with preview images consisting of a helicopter and SWAT performers, further intensifying the excitement surrounding his homecoming festival headlining slot. His set consisted mainly of tracks from Dumb, including a lot of strobe lights, cryo and pyro every moment, and a massive bullhorn for his microphone. A pivotal moment in the beginning of a set was Rocky’s call for people to take off their T-shirts, causing hundreds of audience members to start waving their shirts around like a helicopter. While all my time with these artists was brief, they were monumental ways to conclude their respective stages and sent out the spirit of Governor’s Ball on a stratospherically high note.
During Sunday's festivities, I started to form a hypothesis for why rock music was having such a moment at a festival mainly geared for pop music. My vision zeroed into the ideas of permanence and the attraction of the music festival as a whole. The world is full of disinformation and the removal of human experience within everyday life, so lots of people (specifically the younger demographic the festival caters to) are constantly looking for something that is new and real. Music festivals provide a fertile environment to witness reality in the popular musical landscape, even if it may come with weather alerts and faulty gear, as in the case with Kali Uchis and Turnover respectively. To take it a step further, part of the reason people gravitate towards live performance in the modern era is because music fans KNOW what they are seeing is real. Even artists who aren’t playing any instruments, like 2Hollis, Jane Remover, Clipse, and A$AP Rocky still form that sense of communal understanding and trust in them physically being present and matching the audience’s excitement. It’s something a recorded version of a track could never fully reach.
The idea of “rock music” has been adjacent to the festival for a while, but this is the first time when there were multiple acts that could primarily be classified as such. Rock music primarily focuses on these loud sounds, energetic responses, traditionally live musical instruments like electric guitars and booming drums, and crowd participation, all of which come in droves at gatherings such as Governor’s Ball. Take an artist like Slayyyter, an artist whose recorded music is primarily based on these programmed beats and loud sounds. If you showed her performance to someone who had never heard her music before, they would assume she had more rocky elements in her recorded music because of how energetic the crowd was and the usage of instruments to create the sounds. It's no wonder why audiences are gravitating more towards rock music in this regard, embracing the crossover appeal rather than rejecting it.
Rock music is encoded in the DNA of popular culture, and festivals can serve as an invitation for a reawakening of that love in a new form. The musical representation of the energy in modern life is something that truly connects with younger audiences, hence why so many were excited to see acts like The Beths, Wisp, Pierce the Veil, Geese, and every single act within that rock moniker. Judging from the positive reception of many of these acts conventionally associated with the genre of rock, there is certainly a demand for more. There are plenty of options from the pool of exciting projects for Governor’s Ball to choose from in the coming years as well.
However, it's important for events like Governor’s Ball to keep the multi-genre aspect front and center in their lineups, as the representation of all genres is vital for a festival ecosystem. Genre crossovers are a multi-lane highway, not a one-way street. That said, if this year was indicative of anything, it's Governors Ball’s willingness to take risks with their lineup instead of playing it safe. I can't wait to see what tricks Governor’s Ball will have up their sleeve for next year's festivities.
Day One Here
Day Two Here
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