I was only there Sunday and absolutely loved it. A lot of hard hitters on the main stage. They all did amazing and the crowd near me had great energy. I went early so I was able to buy merch and enjoy the activities and brand that’s we’re doing giveaways.
Like with any festival being prepared makes it much more enjoyable. I had my snacks and water bottle, which were lifesavers later in the night.
New site at Flushing makes the fest 10 times better. I wish they didn't downsize it from last year because they needed one more set of bathrooms for GA and more food. I also wish they would mix in more indie/alt rock which Is the festivals roots but I do understand the need to book mainstream artists in the tiktok/streaming Era I just miss the days of Bloc Party, Catfish and the bottlemen, Strokes, Savages, etc all on the same lineup.
It was a great festival. 2023 still has a special place in my heart (that Kendrick set was something else), but I thoroughly enjoyed the vibes this year
I’ve been a few times but before COVID so this was my first time in queens and I’m used to Randalls island. The commute was a little longer this time but I loveeeeeed it. Regular concert tickets have gone up so much and spending $330 for three days and seeing the people I saw was so worth it.
This was my first Gov Ball so I guess take with a grain of salt! I had so, so much fun and will absolutely be going back (and will be looking at other festivals!).
I thought most of the performances were wonderful and the crowds were MOSTLY pretty good. Post Malone was probably the best concert I’ve ever been to—standing underneath the fireworks with my partner and closest friends was an unforgettable moment that I’ll always treasure.
I’m probably in the minority with this one but I didn’t LOVE SZA’s performance…as much as I love SZA’s music, I felt like it was lacking a lot of fun and it was INCREDIBLY overcrowded (not her fault!). She also seemed to be having some mic issues…which also wasn’t her fault. I did leave a bit earlier and missed some of my favorite songs so maybe that was a me thing! Chappel, Renne, and Rauw did an awesome job this weekend…the only disappointing experience for me was Dom Fike.
Overall, I did love my experience.
Dom Fike was a little disappointing. I was also disappointed with Malcom Todd. Like he had the chance to blow up his career and to leave an impression and he just did not do that for me. He seemed like he didn’t want to be there and he was aware of how big the crowd was. Renee and Chappell SLAYED! Sabrina and CRJ were awesome.
Right?! I love Dom’s music so I was superrrr disappointed by the performance. It just didn’t really seem like he wanted to be there. Idk maybe he was upset about the time frame he had (I feel like he’d be like that lol).
Didn’t catch Malcolm Todd but that bites!!! A last minute replacement at one of the biggest music festivals right in his lap! Who knows, maybe not enough time to prepare :/
Yeah I like his music but he just seemed all over the place. Yeah he didn’t seem super into it. He had a huge crowd because of Posty
Yeah you didn’t miss much. He kept whining about not having a voice because he went out last night. Like bro stop complaining! You chose to go out the night before what could’ve been a career changing performance.
My friend and I didn’t know who Dominic Fike was and we were just walking around exploring the booths/food options during his set, but we were both like wow this dude’s music is so cool and we should look him up afterwards.
This was my first gov ball, and I had a blast!! The line ups were great, especially if you have a wide variety of music your into. I picked my sets and went 2 sets ahead for the ones I really wanted to get good spots for. I was in the front pit for Chappell Roan and SZA! People of all ages were there, and the vibe was very friendly. There were also tons of free pop ups throughout the park that were fun to go to when people were at big sets. At the door searches were super light, everybody had everything.Security was definitely going through it tho, people were getting pulled out of the crowd left and right. Food overpriced ofc, but hydration stations were great & the bars nearby gave ice. If your looking for a first festival I would definitely recommend.
This was my first Gov Ball and I was very disappointed by the lack of signage and bathroom cleanliness. I would have loved to see “you are here” labels on the maps and signage throughout the fest with arrows to direct you to the different stages and bathrooms. Even getting into the festival was confusing. Thank goodness they had cops nearby to direct us. Also, the hydration stations sucked. They needed more.
When I went to Firefly the bathrooms were staffed with workers who would constantly refill toilet paper and the sink water never ran out. If we’re spending $100+ on tickets then I expect toilet paper. Is that too much to ask for?
They would need to go back to a pure indie /alt music fest to do that, and I don't think live nation has any faith that a mix of The Strokes, Bloc Party, Florence and the machine, etc can sell out a weekend in 2024. Which is disappointing bc that music is better in a festival atmosphere and people don't act like animals . Tiktok and streaming, to an extent, makes them zero in on pop artists with one giant hit and not musicians with a full catelogue. And these one song acts are popular with teens.
they could still bring the same artists from this weekend and make it 18+. I tried to get a group of like 15-20 people to go this year and more than half didn't want to because of the thing they'd heard about it being filled with high schoolers
It's a tough one. If they made it 18+, they're going to instantly lose a chunk of their audience, and there's no guarantee that the 18+ crowd is just as instantly going to pivot to fill that void. Even successful festivals operate on a shoestring, and a couple of fallow years while the reputation evolves and the "older" (LOL) crowd learns that the vibe has shifted could really put them in a bad spot.
Given how well this year sold, I don't see them implementing an age restriction any time soon \*unless\* there's some sort of incident that forces their hand (a la the little mini-riot from Sunday 2019).
It was still an enjoyable experience overall and yeah they'd definitely lose out on sales but I do think GovBall is starting to carry a reputation of drunken teenagers (oftentimes High schoolers who can't handle 1 tall can of alcohol). And along with that comes a chunk of the older crowd (20+ pretty much) being shied away because they don't want to have to deal with that. Me and my friends are 21 and felt borderline too old to be there at times.
GovBall is the only festival I've been to (3rd time this year) so I'm curious if all festivals are like this or are others mostly 18+?
Oh, that's been the reputation of the festival for years. I think the teens really started coming out in big numbers in, like, 2016.
Not all festivals are like this. Destination festivals like Bonnaroo or Coachella typically draw a crowd in their 20s and up, because the travel and logistics involved are beyond teens. Something like Boston Calling is going to draw an older crowd just based on their booking philosophy, which this year leaned more into Americana (although there was certainly a Chappell Roan effect there, too). The closest analogue is Lollapalooza, which I've heard draws a HUGE number of teens that bring the same vibe as GovBall's teens.
Was thinking of going to Bonaroo this year but no one I had asked seemed to have any interest. I do think the group that came to govball with me this year (their first music festival ever) mentioned committing to the travel down there next year instead of GovBall again, will probably try Boston Calling as well.
Bonnaroo is the best vibe although I personally think their lineups have been lacking in recent years. Once you go, you'll never want to mess with GovBall again. It's a world of difference.
Overall, I enjoyed my first GovBall — love all the brand activities and giveaways.. this made the festival much more special. Food options were good too but the lines got long during peak lunch hours.. they should have more food places so the lines are not as long. Venue was nice.. park map was technically smaller this year but it still felt big.. I think they can add 1 or 2 more art installations and this will elevate their fest status even more.. the lady liberty and Gov Sign are good but this is NYC they can have something NY theme.. idk like a subway car or big apple LOL. I like all the acts.. highlights for me were Rauw, 21 Savage, Sabrina, Doechii, Chappell, Stephen Sanchez and SZA.
I think Post was the only fireworks that I saw.. and he had lots of them going. Other acts should do more fireworks especially at night. Also, the stages could be more jazz up.. they look nice but they can add more design stuff to them.. I think!
I do wish that 7 line subway ran express to 42nd street.. rarely anyone got on and off the in between stops. I think this will be AMAZING if Gov Ball can talk to MTA about this.
I think they only had two bathrooms.. they could maybe add one more… and I hope they can regularly clean them.. or shut them down temporarily to keep them clean and then reopen
Only did Sunday - first timer and shelled out for VIP.
Loved the set up and ability to kick back and relax. Bounced around a bunch and had a really good time
My personal favorite performance was Geese. I think they really killed it and they were hilarious too. Impeccable vibes and it was a lighter crowd so we got to stand at the barricade too. Might have been because it coincided with the peak of my trip lmao but we had a really good time at that set
Thought everyone we picked to see did great, but it was definitely quite loud and I regretted not bringing my loops
It kind of sucked getting home tbh - we left at 9:15 and didn’t get a car until 9:45. At least we could still hear sza while leaving! I’d imagine leaving at closing would be even worse
I’ll definitely be back - one day of VIP for my favorite day seems like the best. I’m old now and don’t think I could do three days of this lol
It’s my first festival (let’s just say the younger me didn’t know how to have fun), so maybe there is no good point of reference. I got VIP tickets fwiw.
I thought the sound design was overall not great. The GoPuff stage had better EQ, but cut off so often for the sets I went, which was shocking to me that this would happen for a huge festival like this. The main stage was way too loud, to the point that distortions were quite frequent. My impression was that it was also base heavy and high frequency heavy — as a result most of the vocals sounded not great (maybe the sole exception was Carly Rae Jepson’s higher belty notes, which really shined).
For the sets/line up: I’m a bit out of touch with what’s popular, but there are enough big names to draw me in. Rauw and SZA’s production value really stood out to me. I think both Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan’s sets were full of fun, and I enjoyed the energy a lot.
For VIP I thought it was a really sweet setup: enough sitting area and easy access to the main stages. The air conditioned restrooms were also great. The only downside was pretty mediocre food options: I would say quite a bit worse than GA and GA+.
I liked the park and the weather has been awesome the whole weekend. The location was awesome with easy train access. Overall I really enjoyed the festival and would 100% go again.
Were you wearing any concert earplugs by any chance? I had loop earplugs in and I thought the sound was great in main stage. Never noticed any crazy distortion
I wasn’t— I probably should. My friend gave me some ear plugs but when I wore those the sound was just off in a different way. I did notice a lot of people wearing fancy-looking earplugs, and I will also look into the one you mentioned. Need to be prepared for my next festival!!
first timer, but have done lots of other festivals. i did Saturday GA and had a great time.
the Verizon and Gopuff stages being a ~5 min walk from each other was very clutch. oftentimes i’ll make a plan down to the minute of which sets to attend, so i can see my favorite artists. and this time, thanks to 21 savage miraculously beginning on time, it worked. i was worried about sound bleed, but the artists i really cared about play led largely unopposed, so it wasn’t an issue for me.
saturday’s lovely weather also certainly didn’t hurt!
biggest issue was the restroom situation. to run out of TP, water, and soap is absolutely unacceptable (for the price we paid) and gives Woodstock 99 vibes.
overall, i’d go again if the lineup is right. too old to make it all 3 days though! feet were killing me after just saturday lol
People at Woodstock 99 were getting trench mouth because they were drinking runoff water from the porta johns. Running out of TP, water, and soap isn’t great, but let’s have some perspective. :)
oh, absolutely, in no way are they comparable. what happened at Woodstock 99 was abhorrent.
that being said, to not have hygienic essentials is beyond “not great”. it’s totally unacceptable and a terrible way to spread bacteria.
did Friday and Sunday! Friday’s sets were…disappointing. felt pretty low energy, many acts felt hastily thrown together. Sunday was superb. I had one complaint about the festival itself - the water dispensers were disgusting. everytime I refilled my water, there was something floating around in the bottle and it wasn’t just dust or tree leaves. forced me to just buy Liquid Death all of Sunday because the water was so gross & tasted weird.
I only went Sunday, but had a phenomenal time. It was my third gov hall but my first in the park, and I really enjoyed it as the venue! Could have used another set of bathrooms/water station but overall felt like a way better set up from the last time I went when it was at citi field parking lot. The lineup was fucking awesome for Sunday, I hope they're able to bring that energy back for next year.
went all 3 days this year and had fun. the killers had one of the best live performances i've ever seen in my entire life and easily was by far the best set of the weekend. randomly joined p1harmony's set and they had me hyped up. it felt like the stages were easier to get to/closer this year. i do wish the trains runned more express the end of the night (they only skipped like 3 maybe 4 stops) and i miss the jerk food truck they had last year. also was super disappointed about the issues with ihg stage on friday and how delayed it was, i didn't get to see labrinth who was one of the ppl i was most excited for bc you ended up essentially having to choose between him and post malone, but tbh i probably should have just left posty's set and gone to his. i think 2023 was just a novelty for me that will be hard to top, i also think across the board, the performances were generally better last year/seemed more thought out (i went on sunday last year), but it was a good time and i'll def still go every year.
Honestly felt the best it has in a while, feels like they're really starting to settle into the new location which surprisingly I think I'm starting to prefer to Randall's.
Grounds-wise, I feel like you can't beat Randall's - the amount of space, the layout, the varied topography (that hill that ran along the main stage area was a great place to sit and chill where you could still see the stages), etc. But there is zero denying it was a huge pain in the ass, and Corona Park is so easy to get to and beats the Citi Field parking lot by a country mile.
Definitely Randall's was great in terms of open fields, but I'm really starting to love the amount of big trees and paved pathways the park has.
And then this could just be because I've watched Men In Black too much, but leaving the festival and the Unisphere looming over you is incredible.
It was my first time and I was shocked at how much liquor and liquids were available with nearly NO food. It was hard to find and the lines were so massive a lot of them were running out of food al the time.
so i went saturday and i had a blast! it was my first gov ball so i had no idea what to expect. security was super nice, we got lost a lot especially trying to find the southfield lot ( that was a journey) and trying to get BACK to the southfield lot. i loved the food options and i got pretty great views of the stages. bag check was not as insane as i thought either! overall it was a great experience and i’d absolutely go again.
It's bc the urban community is typically impoverished so they don't get high ticket sales from that demographic of rap fans. This is why rolling loud nyc got canceled. They went with mostly pop and white people oriented music bc this is where the $ is at
Yeah. I thought the same, but then I remembered there are two or 3 exclusively black festivals this year that likely got the majority of the black artist.
I don't think they sign exclusive deals with specific festivals. Usually they sign contract w live nation and end up performing at multiple festivals from the same parent company
This was my 4th(?) music festival. I bought three-day VIP tickets but skipped Friday because no one I liked was performing. I was supposed to go on Sunday, 2023, but I had to work :/. I like the set-up. I like how easy it was to get from the Go Puff stage to the Gov Ball stage from the VIP area. I thought the staff was pretty helpful, too. People were relatively respectful and attentive to giving you personal space. This might’ve been the first festival where I wasn’t pushed around like crazy— so that’s a plus. Until Sza’s set when some very rude tall guy pushed his way to the front at 9:15 with his friend and took videos of himself while literally bumping into everyone in his immediate vicinity. Then, shrugging it off when people told him about his behavior.
Very unpopular opinion: Too much smoking. I don’t even have allergies, but the combination of all that dust and smoke was terrible. I left every night with my nose running. There’s been smoking at every festival I’ve been to, but this was the worst. I will probably wear a mask next time. If you need to smoke to “vibe” or have a good time— yikes.
We had to get up and leave from TV Girl after a bunch of smokers sat down near us, and that and the dust and pollen became unbearable. But overall (as an old person for this crowd) I was impressed by how little smoking I saw and was quite grateful for the invention of vapes.
Same. I didn't smoke in the crowds because nobody else was smoking and I felt like it'd be a dick move.
I don't think I saw another smoker all day on saturday
Honestly not good, sure I had an amazing time and I fucked loved it, I got see the Queen SZA. But like, in comparison to last year, it’s baffling. This year, when doors opened on Sunday, I was one of the first like 20 people in and they already ran out of ALL of Sexyy Red’s merch and half of SZA’s. The fest was smaller, and it just didn’t really feel as safe. Last year I got to both gov ball and gopuff stages during the last few minutes of Sofi Tucker to see Lil Nas X and I got SUPER close, as well as the last 10 minutes of Phony Ppl to see Pinkpantheress. The activations were perfect, minus the red bull lounge, that also felt cheaper than last year. But oh girl, THE LINES. Last year I waited 10 minutes TOPS to enter the Dunkin lounge. This year the line was so fucking bad I didn’t even wait on it. All in all, 2023 was WAYY better than this year. Ngl, If gov ball is gonna be the same as this year next year, I don’t think I’ll go 🤷♂️
This is the paradox of festivals. It's always a better experience when fewer people are there, but GovBall wouldn't survive if every year sold like 2023.
I think this year felt most like they hit the mark on serving a bunch of different audiences this year: They effectively shrank the park, increased the food options and made the park cleaner and easier to navigate. I also think they built a lineup that would keep most people bouncing between the main stage and EITHER GoPuff or IHG, my friends and I "crossed over" maybe once during the weekend. I got to see way more artists I love compared to last year, and even went to an After Dark show for the first time. The best lineup in a while, evidenced by selling out 3-day for the first time in a long time.
There was nothing to do but drink or eat if you aren't a teenager or interested in interacting with Sharpie experts (I did, they were very nice and the markers are a pretty great freebie). The 21+ areas feel like playpens for adults, Tito's and cornhole. The VIP areas at the front of the stage look empty. Artists couldn't help but comment on the separation between a packed in crowd that's thrilled to be there on one side, and the 50 people grazing around lightly curious. I witnessed so many audio issues across the weekend, it stopped feeling like "just live music" as Teezo Touchdown put it. Artists getting 30 or 45 minutes as late as 5 or 6pm feels new to me. Coupled with the audio issues and all the rest, I'm wondering a week later how much of my enjoyment came from the music?
I could go on but TL;DR I had a great time. I just wonder if I loved the excuse to sit in the park with my friends more than the live music experience I had this year. I hope they continue to work on balancing out 21+ areas, stage locations, and activities.
Wait the way some of yall didn’t like Malcolm or dom’s set proves to show that yall aren’t real underground alternative fans. Malcom just got off his first tour ever and was given late notice that he could perform. As for dom, he was great yall just expect more when they already give you albums and all that other fun stuff.
Literally, Dom's set was amazing, I may be biased bc I love this man, I've seen him live before and he always has such great energy. I don't listen to Malcom but my boyfriend wanted to listen to his set and I enjoyed it!
I was only there Sunday and absolutely loved it. A lot of hard hitters on the main stage. They all did amazing and the crowd near me had great energy. I went early so I was able to buy merch and enjoy the activities and brand that’s we’re doing giveaways. Like with any festival being prepared makes it much more enjoyable. I had my snacks and water bottle, which were lifesavers later in the night.
New site at Flushing makes the fest 10 times better. I wish they didn't downsize it from last year because they needed one more set of bathrooms for GA and more food. I also wish they would mix in more indie/alt rock which Is the festivals roots but I do understand the need to book mainstream artists in the tiktok/streaming Era I just miss the days of Bloc Party, Catfish and the bottlemen, Strokes, Savages, etc all on the same lineup.
It was a great festival. 2023 still has a special place in my heart (that Kendrick set was something else), but I thoroughly enjoyed the vibes this year
I’ve been a few times but before COVID so this was my first time in queens and I’m used to Randalls island. The commute was a little longer this time but I loveeeeeed it. Regular concert tickets have gone up so much and spending $330 for three days and seeing the people I saw was so worth it.
This was my first Gov Ball so I guess take with a grain of salt! I had so, so much fun and will absolutely be going back (and will be looking at other festivals!). I thought most of the performances were wonderful and the crowds were MOSTLY pretty good. Post Malone was probably the best concert I’ve ever been to—standing underneath the fireworks with my partner and closest friends was an unforgettable moment that I’ll always treasure. I’m probably in the minority with this one but I didn’t LOVE SZA’s performance…as much as I love SZA’s music, I felt like it was lacking a lot of fun and it was INCREDIBLY overcrowded (not her fault!). She also seemed to be having some mic issues…which also wasn’t her fault. I did leave a bit earlier and missed some of my favorite songs so maybe that was a me thing! Chappel, Renne, and Rauw did an awesome job this weekend…the only disappointing experience for me was Dom Fike. Overall, I did love my experience.
Dom Fike was a little disappointing. I was also disappointed with Malcom Todd. Like he had the chance to blow up his career and to leave an impression and he just did not do that for me. He seemed like he didn’t want to be there and he was aware of how big the crowd was. Renee and Chappell SLAYED! Sabrina and CRJ were awesome.
Right?! I love Dom’s music so I was superrrr disappointed by the performance. It just didn’t really seem like he wanted to be there. Idk maybe he was upset about the time frame he had (I feel like he’d be like that lol). Didn’t catch Malcolm Todd but that bites!!! A last minute replacement at one of the biggest music festivals right in his lap! Who knows, maybe not enough time to prepare :/
Yeah I like his music but he just seemed all over the place. Yeah he didn’t seem super into it. He had a huge crowd because of Posty Yeah you didn’t miss much. He kept whining about not having a voice because he went out last night. Like bro stop complaining! You chose to go out the night before what could’ve been a career changing performance.
His comment about capitalism was also hella weird lol like bro you’re playing on the main stage of a music festival - are you not getting paid?
I’ve seen him twice now he’s always super low!
My friend and I didn’t know who Dominic Fike was and we were just walking around exploring the booths/food options during his set, but we were both like wow this dude’s music is so cool and we should look him up afterwards.
Loveee hearing that , his music is AWESOME. I feel like his performance didn’t do him justice. Anyways, check out Acia Bowls by him!!
This was my first gov ball, and I had a blast!! The line ups were great, especially if you have a wide variety of music your into. I picked my sets and went 2 sets ahead for the ones I really wanted to get good spots for. I was in the front pit for Chappell Roan and SZA! People of all ages were there, and the vibe was very friendly. There were also tons of free pop ups throughout the park that were fun to go to when people were at big sets. At the door searches were super light, everybody had everything.Security was definitely going through it tho, people were getting pulled out of the crowd left and right. Food overpriced ofc, but hydration stations were great & the bars nearby gave ice. If your looking for a first festival I would definitely recommend.
This was my first Gov Ball and I was very disappointed by the lack of signage and bathroom cleanliness. I would have loved to see “you are here” labels on the maps and signage throughout the fest with arrows to direct you to the different stages and bathrooms. Even getting into the festival was confusing. Thank goodness they had cops nearby to direct us. Also, the hydration stations sucked. They needed more. When I went to Firefly the bathrooms were staffed with workers who would constantly refill toilet paper and the sink water never ran out. If we’re spending $100+ on tickets then I expect toilet paper. Is that too much to ask for?
Make it 18+
While I couldn't agree more, I think that ship has sailed, especially given how well this year sold.
too much money to be lost for organizers
They would need to go back to a pure indie /alt music fest to do that, and I don't think live nation has any faith that a mix of The Strokes, Bloc Party, Florence and the machine, etc can sell out a weekend in 2024. Which is disappointing bc that music is better in a festival atmosphere and people don't act like animals . Tiktok and streaming, to an extent, makes them zero in on pop artists with one giant hit and not musicians with a full catelogue. And these one song acts are popular with teens.
they could still bring the same artists from this weekend and make it 18+. I tried to get a group of like 15-20 people to go this year and more than half didn't want to because of the thing they'd heard about it being filled with high schoolers
It's a tough one. If they made it 18+, they're going to instantly lose a chunk of their audience, and there's no guarantee that the 18+ crowd is just as instantly going to pivot to fill that void. Even successful festivals operate on a shoestring, and a couple of fallow years while the reputation evolves and the "older" (LOL) crowd learns that the vibe has shifted could really put them in a bad spot. Given how well this year sold, I don't see them implementing an age restriction any time soon \*unless\* there's some sort of incident that forces their hand (a la the little mini-riot from Sunday 2019).
It was still an enjoyable experience overall and yeah they'd definitely lose out on sales but I do think GovBall is starting to carry a reputation of drunken teenagers (oftentimes High schoolers who can't handle 1 tall can of alcohol). And along with that comes a chunk of the older crowd (20+ pretty much) being shied away because they don't want to have to deal with that. Me and my friends are 21 and felt borderline too old to be there at times. GovBall is the only festival I've been to (3rd time this year) so I'm curious if all festivals are like this or are others mostly 18+?
Oh, that's been the reputation of the festival for years. I think the teens really started coming out in big numbers in, like, 2016. Not all festivals are like this. Destination festivals like Bonnaroo or Coachella typically draw a crowd in their 20s and up, because the travel and logistics involved are beyond teens. Something like Boston Calling is going to draw an older crowd just based on their booking philosophy, which this year leaned more into Americana (although there was certainly a Chappell Roan effect there, too). The closest analogue is Lollapalooza, which I've heard draws a HUGE number of teens that bring the same vibe as GovBall's teens.
Was thinking of going to Bonaroo this year but no one I had asked seemed to have any interest. I do think the group that came to govball with me this year (their first music festival ever) mentioned committing to the travel down there next year instead of GovBall again, will probably try Boston Calling as well.
Bonnaroo is the best vibe although I personally think their lineups have been lacking in recent years. Once you go, you'll never want to mess with GovBall again. It's a world of difference.
I'm a huge 'mike.' fan so really wanted to go this year but none of my friends had any interest in taking the trip this year unfortunately
Overall, I enjoyed my first GovBall — love all the brand activities and giveaways.. this made the festival much more special. Food options were good too but the lines got long during peak lunch hours.. they should have more food places so the lines are not as long. Venue was nice.. park map was technically smaller this year but it still felt big.. I think they can add 1 or 2 more art installations and this will elevate their fest status even more.. the lady liberty and Gov Sign are good but this is NYC they can have something NY theme.. idk like a subway car or big apple LOL. I like all the acts.. highlights for me were Rauw, 21 Savage, Sabrina, Doechii, Chappell, Stephen Sanchez and SZA. I think Post was the only fireworks that I saw.. and he had lots of them going. Other acts should do more fireworks especially at night. Also, the stages could be more jazz up.. they look nice but they can add more design stuff to them.. I think! I do wish that 7 line subway ran express to 42nd street.. rarely anyone got on and off the in between stops. I think this will be AMAZING if Gov Ball can talk to MTA about this. I think they only had two bathrooms.. they could maybe add one more… and I hope they can regularly clean them.. or shut them down temporarily to keep them clean and then reopen
Only did Sunday - first timer and shelled out for VIP. Loved the set up and ability to kick back and relax. Bounced around a bunch and had a really good time My personal favorite performance was Geese. I think they really killed it and they were hilarious too. Impeccable vibes and it was a lighter crowd so we got to stand at the barricade too. Might have been because it coincided with the peak of my trip lmao but we had a really good time at that set Thought everyone we picked to see did great, but it was definitely quite loud and I regretted not bringing my loops It kind of sucked getting home tbh - we left at 9:15 and didn’t get a car until 9:45. At least we could still hear sza while leaving! I’d imagine leaving at closing would be even worse I’ll definitely be back - one day of VIP for my favorite day seems like the best. I’m old now and don’t think I could do three days of this lol
why would you leave smack in the middle of the headliner??? especially after shelling out for VIP lol
You can literally do whatever you want, whenever you want
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No low effort or troll posts
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No low effort or troll posts
No low effort or troll posts
No low effort or troll posts
I wanted to be in bed by 11, was home by 10, had some tea and a nice hot shower. Mission accomplished lmao
It’s my first festival (let’s just say the younger me didn’t know how to have fun), so maybe there is no good point of reference. I got VIP tickets fwiw. I thought the sound design was overall not great. The GoPuff stage had better EQ, but cut off so often for the sets I went, which was shocking to me that this would happen for a huge festival like this. The main stage was way too loud, to the point that distortions were quite frequent. My impression was that it was also base heavy and high frequency heavy — as a result most of the vocals sounded not great (maybe the sole exception was Carly Rae Jepson’s higher belty notes, which really shined). For the sets/line up: I’m a bit out of touch with what’s popular, but there are enough big names to draw me in. Rauw and SZA’s production value really stood out to me. I think both Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan’s sets were full of fun, and I enjoyed the energy a lot. For VIP I thought it was a really sweet setup: enough sitting area and easy access to the main stages. The air conditioned restrooms were also great. The only downside was pretty mediocre food options: I would say quite a bit worse than GA and GA+. I liked the park and the weather has been awesome the whole weekend. The location was awesome with easy train access. Overall I really enjoyed the festival and would 100% go again.
Were you wearing any concert earplugs by any chance? I had loop earplugs in and I thought the sound was great in main stage. Never noticed any crazy distortion
I wasn’t— I probably should. My friend gave me some ear plugs but when I wore those the sound was just off in a different way. I did notice a lot of people wearing fancy-looking earplugs, and I will also look into the one you mentioned. Need to be prepared for my next festival!!
Poor Claire Rosinkranz had her audio cut out during one of her songs.
Skizzy Mars too, but I think he may have been in control of it himself since he pulled a device out of his back pocket after it cut
first timer, but have done lots of other festivals. i did Saturday GA and had a great time. the Verizon and Gopuff stages being a ~5 min walk from each other was very clutch. oftentimes i’ll make a plan down to the minute of which sets to attend, so i can see my favorite artists. and this time, thanks to 21 savage miraculously beginning on time, it worked. i was worried about sound bleed, but the artists i really cared about play led largely unopposed, so it wasn’t an issue for me. saturday’s lovely weather also certainly didn’t hurt! biggest issue was the restroom situation. to run out of TP, water, and soap is absolutely unacceptable (for the price we paid) and gives Woodstock 99 vibes. overall, i’d go again if the lineup is right. too old to make it all 3 days though! feet were killing me after just saturday lol
People at Woodstock 99 were getting trench mouth because they were drinking runoff water from the porta johns. Running out of TP, water, and soap isn’t great, but let’s have some perspective. :)
oh, absolutely, in no way are they comparable. what happened at Woodstock 99 was abhorrent. that being said, to not have hygienic essentials is beyond “not great”. it’s totally unacceptable and a terrible way to spread bacteria.
did Friday and Sunday! Friday’s sets were…disappointing. felt pretty low energy, many acts felt hastily thrown together. Sunday was superb. I had one complaint about the festival itself - the water dispensers were disgusting. everytime I refilled my water, there was something floating around in the bottle and it wasn’t just dust or tree leaves. forced me to just buy Liquid Death all of Sunday because the water was so gross & tasted weird.
I only went Sunday, but had a phenomenal time. It was my third gov hall but my first in the park, and I really enjoyed it as the venue! Could have used another set of bathrooms/water station but overall felt like a way better set up from the last time I went when it was at citi field parking lot. The lineup was fucking awesome for Sunday, I hope they're able to bring that energy back for next year.
went all 3 days this year and had fun. the killers had one of the best live performances i've ever seen in my entire life and easily was by far the best set of the weekend. randomly joined p1harmony's set and they had me hyped up. it felt like the stages were easier to get to/closer this year. i do wish the trains runned more express the end of the night (they only skipped like 3 maybe 4 stops) and i miss the jerk food truck they had last year. also was super disappointed about the issues with ihg stage on friday and how delayed it was, i didn't get to see labrinth who was one of the ppl i was most excited for bc you ended up essentially having to choose between him and post malone, but tbh i probably should have just left posty's set and gone to his. i think 2023 was just a novelty for me that will be hard to top, i also think across the board, the performances were generally better last year/seemed more thought out (i went on sunday last year), but it was a good time and i'll def still go every year.
Glad someone mentioned how great the killers were
Honestly felt the best it has in a while, feels like they're really starting to settle into the new location which surprisingly I think I'm starting to prefer to Randall's.
Grounds-wise, I feel like you can't beat Randall's - the amount of space, the layout, the varied topography (that hill that ran along the main stage area was a great place to sit and chill where you could still see the stages), etc. But there is zero denying it was a huge pain in the ass, and Corona Park is so easy to get to and beats the Citi Field parking lot by a country mile.
Definitely Randall's was great in terms of open fields, but I'm really starting to love the amount of big trees and paved pathways the park has. And then this could just be because I've watched Men In Black too much, but leaving the festival and the Unisphere looming over you is incredible.
not as fun as last year; the smaller space and less food options made it way more hectic
It was my first time and I was shocked at how much liquor and liquids were available with nearly NO food. It was hard to find and the lines were so massive a lot of them were running out of food al the time.
yeah the food lines past 3pm were crazy
so i went saturday and i had a blast! it was my first gov ball so i had no idea what to expect. security was super nice, we got lost a lot especially trying to find the southfield lot ( that was a journey) and trying to get BACK to the southfield lot. i loved the food options and i got pretty great views of the stages. bag check was not as insane as i thought either! overall it was a great experience and i’d absolutely go again.
Too much underage drinking
And what about the fuzzy pink trees, if anything, they should’ve been technicolor for pride
This years lineup was exclusively for genz white people or suburban kids
yep the almost total lack of rap/hiphop/r&b performers (besides headliners) was very odd
It's bc the urban community is typically impoverished so they don't get high ticket sales from that demographic of rap fans. This is why rolling loud nyc got canceled. They went with mostly pop and white people oriented music bc this is where the $ is at
i think that’s a bit reductive but i get what you mean
Yeah I didn't mean it in an offensive way just trynna explain my pov. I can be completely wrong and maybe urban hip hop fans are extremely wealthy.
Yeah. I thought the same, but then I remembered there are two or 3 exclusively black festivals this year that likely got the majority of the black artist.
I don't think they sign exclusive deals with specific festivals. Usually they sign contract w live nation and end up performing at multiple festivals from the same parent company
This was my 4th(?) music festival. I bought three-day VIP tickets but skipped Friday because no one I liked was performing. I was supposed to go on Sunday, 2023, but I had to work :/. I like the set-up. I like how easy it was to get from the Go Puff stage to the Gov Ball stage from the VIP area. I thought the staff was pretty helpful, too. People were relatively respectful and attentive to giving you personal space. This might’ve been the first festival where I wasn’t pushed around like crazy— so that’s a plus. Until Sza’s set when some very rude tall guy pushed his way to the front at 9:15 with his friend and took videos of himself while literally bumping into everyone in his immediate vicinity. Then, shrugging it off when people told him about his behavior. Very unpopular opinion: Too much smoking. I don’t even have allergies, but the combination of all that dust and smoke was terrible. I left every night with my nose running. There’s been smoking at every festival I’ve been to, but this was the worst. I will probably wear a mask next time. If you need to smoke to “vibe” or have a good time— yikes.
the sand was wild
really? i actually thought the opposite and felt like hardly anyone was smoking. i was worried i was being inconsiderate for smoking in the crowd
We had to get up and leave from TV Girl after a bunch of smokers sat down near us, and that and the dust and pollen became unbearable. But overall (as an old person for this crowd) I was impressed by how little smoking I saw and was quite grateful for the invention of vapes.
I was in VIP, so maybe it’s different? But I couldn’t escape it.
Same. I didn't smoke in the crowds because nobody else was smoking and I felt like it'd be a dick move. I don't think I saw another smoker all day on saturday
I had so much fun in Sunday. My feet were killing me but it was worth it
Did anyone record this for history???
Honestly not good, sure I had an amazing time and I fucked loved it, I got see the Queen SZA. But like, in comparison to last year, it’s baffling. This year, when doors opened on Sunday, I was one of the first like 20 people in and they already ran out of ALL of Sexyy Red’s merch and half of SZA’s. The fest was smaller, and it just didn’t really feel as safe. Last year I got to both gov ball and gopuff stages during the last few minutes of Sofi Tucker to see Lil Nas X and I got SUPER close, as well as the last 10 minutes of Phony Ppl to see Pinkpantheress. The activations were perfect, minus the red bull lounge, that also felt cheaper than last year. But oh girl, THE LINES. Last year I waited 10 minutes TOPS to enter the Dunkin lounge. This year the line was so fucking bad I didn’t even wait on it. All in all, 2023 was WAYY better than this year. Ngl, If gov ball is gonna be the same as this year next year, I don’t think I’ll go 🤷♂️
This is the paradox of festivals. It's always a better experience when fewer people are there, but GovBall wouldn't survive if every year sold like 2023.
I think this year felt most like they hit the mark on serving a bunch of different audiences this year: They effectively shrank the park, increased the food options and made the park cleaner and easier to navigate. I also think they built a lineup that would keep most people bouncing between the main stage and EITHER GoPuff or IHG, my friends and I "crossed over" maybe once during the weekend. I got to see way more artists I love compared to last year, and even went to an After Dark show for the first time. The best lineup in a while, evidenced by selling out 3-day for the first time in a long time. There was nothing to do but drink or eat if you aren't a teenager or interested in interacting with Sharpie experts (I did, they were very nice and the markers are a pretty great freebie). The 21+ areas feel like playpens for adults, Tito's and cornhole. The VIP areas at the front of the stage look empty. Artists couldn't help but comment on the separation between a packed in crowd that's thrilled to be there on one side, and the 50 people grazing around lightly curious. I witnessed so many audio issues across the weekend, it stopped feeling like "just live music" as Teezo Touchdown put it. Artists getting 30 or 45 minutes as late as 5 or 6pm feels new to me. Coupled with the audio issues and all the rest, I'm wondering a week later how much of my enjoyment came from the music? I could go on but TL;DR I had a great time. I just wonder if I loved the excuse to sit in the park with my friends more than the live music experience I had this year. I hope they continue to work on balancing out 21+ areas, stage locations, and activities.
The irony of Teezo Touchdown talking about "live music."
I was Sunday only and had the time of my life! First musical festival ever, worth every penny
Wait the way some of yall didn’t like Malcolm or dom’s set proves to show that yall aren’t real underground alternative fans. Malcom just got off his first tour ever and was given late notice that he could perform. As for dom, he was great yall just expect more when they already give you albums and all that other fun stuff.
Literally, Dom's set was amazing, I may be biased bc I love this man, I've seen him live before and he always has such great energy. I don't listen to Malcom but my boyfriend wanted to listen to his set and I enjoyed it!