NYC's 2024 Governors Ball Day 3 Recap: Pop, Pride and Peso Pluma

Sunday, June 9, the final day of NYC's 2024 Governors Ball, brought out the best-of-the-best to finish the weekend with a bang, and Music Times was on site to catch every moment. Here are a few of the highlights from yesterday's performances and on-grounds activities as reported by our on-the-ground eyewitness.

Lesbian Pop Princesses Run the Main Stage

On Sunday, two of the hottest names on everyone's tongues, both of whom are out-and-proud lesbians, ran the main stage like they owned it: Chappell Roan and Reneé Rapp.

Roan kicked off the early evening with a transcendent set, which began with a backdrop displaying a Google search for "Am I gay?" She tapped into hits like the compulsive heterosexuality-centered "Good Luck, Babe!" and the situationship-ridden "Casual," all the while pausing to champion trans rights, women's rights and justice for "all oppressed people in occupied territories." Dressed as the Statue of Liberty, whom Roan called "the biggest queen of all," the Midwestern Princess and her performance paid a transparent homage to the queer culture of NYC.

Rapp, meanwhile, brought her self-proclaimed "theater kid" energy to the stage in full force, dazzling the audience while also playing with the cameras following her, ensuring that her performance was perfectly projected onto the massive screens flanking the stage. She flitted between highs and lows, playing classics like "Pretty Girls" and "Talk Too Much," but also calling herself a "slut for ballads" before singing slower tunes like "In the Kitchen" and "The Wedding Song."

"We're visible. We're viz," Rapp quipped, professing her excitement for pride and queer visbility. She questioned if there were any "token straight boyfriends" in attendance, followed by a handful of hand raises from the audience.

"I don't care," she joked.

Before closing out her set, Rapp asked the crowd to cheer if they "love lesbians," to which she was met with thunderous applause.

Peso Pluma and Rich the Kid Unite

Peso Pluma rocked the GoPuff stage with a massive accompanying band and a set of flashy dancers Sunday night. His stage presence was remarkable as he sang and danced about to the continuous whoops of the crowd. Pluma also boldly went where few artists dared to this weekend when he brought out a special guest: Rich the Kid.

Pluma introduced Rich the Kid, a native of Queens, N.Y., to perform their song "Gimme a Second." The two artists jumped around stage, feeding off of each other's vibes as they played the trappy, high-energy track.

"Flexin'/Wake up and brush my teeth, got on a flooded Cuban necklace/I was broke, couldn't buy no Waffle House, my pockets pregnant/Hold on, let me count it, give me a second," rapped Rich the Kid on the chorus before Pluma dove into his own explosive verse. Pluma then gave Rich the Kid a moment to shine on his own as the rapper hopped into his hit single, "Plug Walk," which was met with raucous cheers.

During a weekend of few surprise performers, Peso Pluma's choice to bring out Rich the Kid was a welcome breath of fresh air.

However, Pluma's performance wasn't without its own shortfalls. The 24-year-old singer fractured his foot while performing "IDGAF," but pushed through the pain to complete a stellar show. He later confirmed the injury in an Instagram story, writing "Fractura confirmada."

Indie-Rock Reigns on IHG Stage

Rock stars, both established and in the making, were aplenty at Gov Ball 2024. On Sunday, bands leaned closer to indie-rock than raw or alternative rock. The Hails, Geese and Beach Fossils all took to the IHG Stage to jam out with a (lightly) head-banging audience. Watching the bands in (almost) succession felt like entering another festival, sonically falling somewhere between Warped Tour and Bonnaroo. The Hails shouted out their home state of Florida, and their alma mater, University of Florida, at the beginning of their set. "Go Gators!" shouted the band to the cheers of those crowded at the barricade. Beach Fossils frontman Dustin Payseur's daughter stole the show in the late afternoon when the youngster was brought out to accompany the band. She rocked oversized yellow sunglasses and strummed a tiny guitar of her own. The crowd rumbled with soft "aw"s at the sight of the father-daughter duo.

Geese, meanwhile, were spotted wandering the press lounge with a statue of a goose after a successful show.

The 2024 Governors Ball took place June 7-9 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in New York City.

Tags

Governors Ball Music Festival, Pride Month, Chappell Roan, Renee Rapp, Rich The Kid