The rain had settled, just in time for all of the fields to turn into a muddy mess for day two of Governors Ball 2015. After a hip-hop fueled day one with sets from Drake, Future and more, Saturday (June 6) was filled with EDM. Led by superstar deadmau5 (who eventually flubbed his set with technical issues), NYC's GovBall turned into a major rave, with Flume, SBTRKT and more bringing the dance party to the Randall's Island.
But, that wasn't all, of course. We got everything from roots-filled rock (Ryan Adams, J. Roddy Walston & The Business) to pop-fueled dance music (Clean Bandit, Kiesza) and even some hip-hop (Atmosphere) and indie (Conor Oberst) thrown in for good measure.
Add booze, food, costumes and more, and you have our day at GovBall. Here's how it all went down...
1:40 - I walk by a group of people heading to the festival and they are playing Clean Bandit's "Rather Be." Do they know that the group is currently performing? - Ryan Middleton
1:45 - The lineup for day two of Governors Ball is not exceptionally amazing; rumblings of that sentiment can be heard on the train ride in. One of the glistening bright spots in the day, however, is Clean Bandit, who took to the main stage in the early afternoon. Bringing some pure dance music to this EDM-fueled day, everything about this set was glorious. From the capes on the singer's backs (so much twirling!) to the music itself. - Carolyn Menyes
.@cleanbandit brought the sunshine here with them at day 2 of #govballnyc #youredoinggreat
A video posted by Music Times (@themusictimes) on Jun 6, 2015 at 9:12pm PDT
2:00 - Festivals have been largely taken over by indie bands, but White Lung, who had just performed in Williamsburg earlier that morning, were a heavy dose of rock for the Honda Stage. The crowd was not ready for it. - RM
2:07 - Put a woman on the jumbotron, and she will flash the whole Governors Ball. 80085. - CM
2:27 - "Rather Be" live is the biggest singalong of the festival so far. And I'm right here with 'em. - CM
2:40 - So much hair at J. Roddy Walston & The Business. Classic rock music has to come with the appropriate look, or so it seems. -CM
3:12 - The Nugget Spot has consistently had one of the longest lines at Governors Ball, and I see why. You get, like, eight Cap N Crunch chicken nuggets for $10. Food here is ridiculously overpriced, but this ain't bad. And it's super tasty, too! - CM
3:20 - Moon Taxi are that summery indie rock that fits on the festival stage and the swaying crowd is with it. - RM
3:41 - Governors Ball had a fifth venue, the Silent Disco. Sponsored by some headphones company, the Silent Disco gives fans a pair of headphones and blasts EDM into their ears. Everyone is dancing, but outwardly, it's silent. I have to check this out. In the middle of the afternoon, there's not many people and very few are taking this seriously. Everyone except for one dude who's way out of it seem to be giggling at the concept. But it's sort of fun, if you like to boogie. -CM
4:05 - Lots of deadmau5 shirts spotted while walking the grounds. People are ready for his return to the Big Apple. The mud however is getting pretty outrageous here. Some parts of the field are just not usable. - RM
4:07 - Sharon Van Etten looks and sounds very pretty at the Big Apple Stage. Friends who are always much cooler than I am have loved her forever, and I can see why. The way her music blends together with her vocal is really enchanting. -CM
4:30 - The moment everyone at Kiesza was waiting for. She drops a live edit of "Take Ü There" with Jack Ü and then gets right into "Hideaway," which everyone loves. She manages to do a handstand and walk on her hands during "Take Ü There." Kiesza can sing and dance. - RM
4:50 - Angus & Julia Stone are totally fine. I wasn't lying when I said day two is uneventful, and this is why. This group has some nice harmonies, tender lyrics and good vibes surrounding them, but there's nothing spectacular here. -CM
5:49 - If you are looking for spectacular, look no further than Sam Herring's dancing at the Future Islands set. Best known for its performances on Letterman, Future Islands is a live act with so much passion, you can't miss them. Herring totally lets go and just feels the music, carrying the crowd with him. - CM
6:21 - Yes! And here it is: one of the best songs of 2014, "Seasons." Herring does not disappoint, completing the performance with that signature fist bump! -CM
Grooving along with @future_islands at #govballnyc at the #gothamtent A photo posted by Music Times (@themusictimes) on Jun 6, 2015 at 9:14pm PDT
6:25 - There is a distinct lack of weed smell at Atmosphere. Maybe I was in the wrong section of people. Props to the rapper for rocking a Black Lives Matter t-shirt and the trio drew a very big crowd who wanted some chill hip-hop. - RM
7:20 - Bjork is known for her weird antics and GovBall was no different. Dressed in a black fur suit with yellow wings and a purple chest, she sang, yelled and danced around the stage with a full orchestra in white. Her visuals were close ups of bugs and I hate bugs, so that was a big problem. She did bring some pryo, which was nice to see. - RM
7:28 - Conor Oberst's new album Upside Down Mountain is worth checking out, but his solo material doesn't play nearly as well as his Bright Eyes discography, as seen at his Honda Stage set. "Old Soul Song (For the New World Order)" still elicits tears all these years later. -CM
7:45- Even Oberst scolds his crowd for not seeing Bjork. But, he's on one, sounding as good as ever and eventually wrapping up his set with the boot-stomp worthy "I Don't Want to Die in the Hospital," after admitting even he has to take antacids most days. Good to know even indie stars aren't immune to bad tummies. -CM
A photo posted by Music Times (@themusictimes) on Jun 6, 2015 at 9:15pm PDT
8:30 - SBTRKT is crushing the Gotham Tent. The live setup is incredible with a drummer, his frequent collaborator Sampha on vocals, keyboards and drums plus the man himself playing a variety of different drum machines, synthsizers and keyboard, sometimes more then one at a time. The signature SBTRKT face mask is on display. - RM
8:38 - If it seems like the festival grounds are empty, it's because almost everyone is over at Flume. It's loud, chaotic and a total rave over at the Big Apple Stage. I've never seen it this packed. I'm scared and looking for an alcove to hid in. -CM
8:50 - After appearing yesterday with Chromeo, Ezra Koenig comes out to sing his collab with SBTRKT, fittingly titled "New Dorp, New York." - RM
9:10 - Notice the crowd starts to thin some as people leave to get a spot for deadmau5. They are really missing out on some goodness in the Gotham Tent. - RM
9:15 - Ryan Adams' "Gimme Something Good" is overlapping with the last song of Flume's set, as the DJ goes over. Waiting for this outspoken rocker to pop off. -CM
9:30 - deamdau5 starts, or tries to, with technical difficulties dominating the first 15 minutes of his set. The star-spangled banner was sang to pass the time, which your author joined in enthusiastically. I guess the Thunderdome still has some kinks to work out. - RM
9:40 - Oh, god. What have I stumbled on to? These technical glitches at deadmau5's set are making me feel really uncomfortable. People are starting to leave in droves. - CM
9:50 - Things are back to normal as he contineus to more remixes from the 5 Years Of Mau5 compilation. - RM
10:17 - And here he goes! Adams in for the dis on Deadmau5, who is experiencing technical difficulties while playing to an insanely massive crowd across the way. "Try and make this song on your f*cking iPhone. It's like we're living in a terminator nightmate over there," Adams tells his audience before launching into an acoustic jam. Relatively speaking, I can't disagree. The main stage looks like a DayGlo war zone, with flashing lights and mobs bouncing to the beat. It's spooky. But not here, it's safe and cool and all rocking over at the Honda Stage. -CM
10:26 - A long piano, drum intro to "The Veldt" with a transition to the Tommy Trash remix after the full original plays. Pure bliss.... Only elevated by "Strobe." What.A.Track. Full recovery from the initial stumble. - RM
10:45 - Zimmerman takes a seat on a couch in front of his with a man in a shart suit and an inflated palm tree. Rather odd moment here. - RM
11:10 - Feet and legs hurting bad and covered in mud, but day 2 was a good one. - RM
