Gov Ball 2025: Day Two

Banner Image Photo Credit: Dusana Risovic

Review by Gwyneth Moe

Day Two of 2025’s New York’s Governor’s Ball Festival had a rocky, or should I say rainy, start. 

Roughly 10 minutes after the gates were scheduled to open, Gov Ball announced on instagram that the festival was to be delayed by a whopping four and a half hours. Because of the late timing of the post, many concertgoers, myself included, were already either en route or waiting near the entrance of the festival. 

So, for me, the first set of the day took place inside a Raising Cane’s in Flushing, Queens.

Gov Ball attendee Alexandra Montgomery, described her experience at Cane’s as “so mystical and magical–it was like dancing at the movies.”

Unfortunately, or fortunately, Benson Boone did not make an appearance during our Canes residency. However, Gov Ball did post an updated schedule for the day on Instagram. In this updated schedule, most acts set to perform before 4:00 p.m. were cut. Many fans voiced frustration with the festival in the comments, asking for refunds and expressing dismay that their favorite band had been unfairly cut. Outside, rain poured down. 

While I understand, and share, the frustration people were experiencing, it is important to keep in mind that having to evacuate the festival after it had started could have led to even greater chaos. Would organizers have been able to regroup quickly enough to allow thousands back in time for the evening’s headliners? It’s quite likely that in that scenario the festival would have been cancelled outright. 

So, three hours, and many chicken strips later, we trekked back to Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Upon our arrival, we joined thousands of eager fans in an ever-looping line to get into the festival grounds. Though the revised schedule said doors would open at 4:30 p.m., they were moved up to 4 p.m., presumably to get attendees in before Artemas and The Lemon Twigs hit the stage at 4:45 p.m.

This effort, however, was largely unsuccessful. The lines were unruly and uncertain. With no festival staff in sight, fans cut in line freely and many waited hours before finally making it through security. 

Luckily, I made it into the festival around 5:15 p.m., just in time to catch the end of MARINA’s set. We raced across the grounds to the tune of “Primadonna,” bursting into the crowd at the main stage just as the chorus kicked in. The energy was electric, the sun had come out for the first time all day, and we were ready to sing our hearts out along with our favorite artists. 

With the release of her sixth album “PRINCESS OF POWER,” just the day before, her set was a blend of new songs and classics, including hits from her iconic 2012 record “Electra Heart.” She closed out her first performance at Gov Ball in a decade with “Bubblegum Bitch.” 

MARINA is a tough act to follow, but Wallows certainly did not disappoint. With their energetic and charming indie vibes, they immediately had the crowd dancing along. The sun shined with enthusiasm during the majority of their set, until they began to play “Remember When.” The skies suddenly darkened, and rain poured down. Fans who hadn’t purchased a pre-show poncho (myself included) were drenched. The band took the rain in stride, performing with more energy than ever, even as they became equally as waterlogged as the audience. 

Thankfully, that would be the last of the rain for the day. After Wallows closed with “Are You Bored Yet?,” we raced to the Kiehl’s stage for Young Miko. Until that moment, I had never heard of her, but I was immediately struck by her charisma and stage presence. Her interaction with the crowd was engaging, even for someone like me who needed a friend to translate if I wanted to understand anything in Spanish. 

Next, we headed to the Verizon stage for Conan Gray’s first live performance since announcing his upcoming album “Wishbone,” set to release Aug. 15.

If there’s one thing that’s true about Conan Gray, it’s that he always has an outfit worth talking about. He took the stage ready to sail some stormy seas. The stage production was more than a stage, it was a theatrical scene. Decked out in a sailor outfit, he began by singing his new release “This Song” from the mast of a constructed ship. 

Despite becoming Role Model’s latest Sally the day prior, Gray’s set was filled with just as much yearning as ever before. From emotional ballads “The Cut That Always Bleeds” and “Memories” to dancey anthems like “Bourgeoisieses” and “Maniac,” he enchanted the crowd. He also delighted the crowd with a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” 

While I appreciate that he was experimenting sonically with his 2024 record “Found Heaven,” I am looking forward to the return to form that “Wishbone” is anticipated to be.

The next artist to grace the main stage was none other than headliner Olivia Rodrigo. She and Conan Gray are longtime friends and both artists expressed their appreciation at playing the same stage back to back. 

Originally slotted at 8:30 p.m., Rodrigo’s set was delayed by an hour due to the earlier weather issues. While some fans were nervous her set could be cut short due to New York’s noise curfew, she played until around 10:45 p.m., delivering an incredible performance all around. 

Rodrigo opened her set with “obsessed” and “ballad of a homeschooled girl” off of her latest album “GUTS (spilled).” The intense energetic anthems wasted no time in getting the crowd jumping up and down to the beat and screaming along. 

She then took fans back to her first album to play some slower hits. After “vampire,” she paused and made her way over to take a seat at a piano. Rodrigo told the crowd she views her life in terms of before and after this song. The song in question is, of course, “drivers license.” 

Four years ago, in early 2021, at only 17 years old, Olivia Rodrigo released the song that would end up becoming the first single off of her debut album “SOUR.” Her album went on to become one of the defining works of the year, with multiple songs becoming mainstays on the charts. Since the release of “drivers license,” she’s gone on to sell-out shows, complete tours all across the world, and, more recently, headline festivals. 

As she sang, you could feel the emotion in her voice, but this time it feels more reminiscent of her personal journey over the past few years rather than who it was originally written about. 

In the middle of her set, she was joined by none other than David Byrne of The Talking Heads to sing “Burning Down The House.” Rodrigo has previously talked about how much alternative rock has influenced her writing and production, and this collaboration spoke directly to that. 

Unfortunately, many of Rodrigo’s younger fans had no idea who he was, and I could hear the confused comments from fans around me. After the show, many were questioning on social media why Rodrigo would pick this guest, knowing her target audience might not know who he was. And, to that I say: if you were one of the people who didn’t know David Byrne at Gov Ball, maybe you should give some of his music a spin.  

After returning to the stage she Rodrigo closed out her first Gov Ball with a truly formidable encore lineup. Playing first “brutal, followed by “all american bitch,” during which, she flashed her glittery silver bra to reveal “I ❤️NY” in sync with the lyric, “perfect all american tits.” She then went on to play “good for u,” and proceeded to climb up a part of the stage, megaphone in hand, to sing her final song, “get him back!”

It was clear she had rehearsed and performed her set down to a T. During her first tour in 2022, she was criticized for playing smaller venues when she could have easily sold out arenas, but as someone who was lucky enough to snag tickets to her SOUR tour, I believe her evolution as an artist and performer greatly benefitted from a smaller start. She’s dedicated to delivering a production with each concert, and throughout her relatively short time as a touring artist, Rodrigo has managed to solidify her place as one of Gen Z’s most iconic pop artists.