Words by Andrea Regina Esperon
After one of our other contributors caught Friday’s artists, which included rising pop star Audrey Hobert, indie-pop superstar Del Water Gap, alternative indie musician The Dare, Atlanta’s R&B and hip hop artist Mariah The Scientist, pop punk’s Pierce The Veil, LA-based girl group KATSEYE, indie rock band flipturn, and a life-changing headline set from the Australian singer-songwriter Lorde, it was time for the incredible weekend sets from some of music’s best.
SATURDAY
My first-ever Governor’s Ball experience kicked off on Saturday around 11:30AM, and the grounds were already swamped with passionate Stray Kids fans. I headed straight to wristband pickup before making my way over to the Verizon stage for JimmyBoy. Despite the grueling midday heat, he had the rapidly growing crowd moving. Immediately following his set, I had the opportunity to sit down with him for an interview; you can read it here! I heard Gov Ball was known for their various festival activations, so I decided to check some of those out. The Patrón activation was a stunning two-story setup, and a representative there told me they took this exact experience to various stops on the festival circuit, expressing how excited they were to be back. I also stopped by the 7-Eleven’s Slurpee Street and the Depop stand, which both looked incredible, but the lines across all activities were massive, so I unfortunately couldn’t get into most of them. After catching Spacey Jane, which I also wrote a separate review on, I headed straight over to watch 2Hollis. I have been a fan of his for about a year and last saw him at Lollapalooza. His set faced a bit of a hurdle because a massive crowd of “Stray” fans were camping out at the front for Stray Kids. This seemed to interfere with his performance dynamics since his actual fanbase was pushed to the back, so I ended up joining the crowd in the rear to catch the real vibe.
As the heat became unbearable, I went back to the press lounge to find some friends. It was there we learned that an impending 8:00 PM storm had completely upended the Saturday lineup. Blood Orange was pushed to Sunday, and Kali Uchis was canceled entirely. I felt terrible for the fans who had camped out for seven hours just to see her perform. On my train ride home later, I even met people who had traveled all the way from Texas specifically for her set. Because of the schedule shift, Major Lazer was moved from the Verizon stage to the Snapchat stage to allow Stray Kids to perform earlier. I packed up my gear and caught his set before heading over to Stray Kids. I completely understand why their fans wait for hours, because the energy they brought to the park was insane. They performed with the presence of a sold-out arena act, even though the festival occurs in a park. But, sensing the storm was closing in faster than anticipated, I decided to leave about 15 minutes into their set. On my way out, I saw crowds of people sprinting through the gates. The last-minute schedule change understandably agitated fans who arrived later just to see them, resulting in adults and kids alike running to catch whatever was left of the performance before the weather turned. The downpour hit hard on my commute home, leaving me wondering how the late-arriving fans managed to escape the open fields.
SUNDAY
I returned to the festival around noon on Sunday and caught Rachel Chinouriri. Though I was unfamiliar with her music beforehand, her set was incredibly wholesome. She effortlessly blended her great songs with synchronized dance choreography as she got the crowd doing a little right-left boogie in the sun.
Next up was the rising pop star Slayyyter. However, just minutes before her scheduled set, organizers announced that there was lightning in the area and paused all performances. Luckily, my friends and I were able to shelter in the press lounge, but I felt for the crowds of fans stranded in the open field, determined to hold their ground for their favorite artists with nowhere to go. Once the storm passed about 15 minutes later, Slayyyter took the Verizon stage. I only knew her hit song “CRANK,” but she absolutely blew my mind. Despite the early time slot, she drew a massive crowd decked out in bunny ears and custom, matching merch, and the energy was impressive when she finally performed her hit.
I walked around, caught up with some college friends, and checked out a few activations I had missed the day before. I stopped by to see Khamari, and his crowd surprised me in the best way. In a mainstream festival dominated by chaotic, high-energy pop and hip-hop, Kamari’s set provided a beautiful space of peace and tranquility. Having followed him since November 2025, seeing him perform his music on such a massive scale was incredibly rewarding.
After grabbing a quick hotdog, I caught glimpses of Dominic Fike and JENNIE. I’ve seen Dominic Fike before and mainly wanted to hear his new tracks, but his ability to completely let loose and remain vulnerable on a massive stage. As for Jennie, my friend and I had an ongoing debate based on TikTok videos we’d seen, but her performance completely won me over. She commanded the stage effortlessly. Backup dancers are often the most underrated part of festival production, but JENNIE made sure to spotlight each of hers, calling them out by name as she smashed through hits like “Mantra” and “Dracula.” It was incredible to see her evolution into a powerhouse solo artist.
Lastly, A$AP Rocky was scheduled for 8:45 PM but faced about a 15-minute delay. The wait was entirely worth it because his production was unmatched. The set began with warnings regarding strobe lights and simulated SWAT personnel, and the staging featured a real helicopter, a mega-microphone, and Rocky performing in briefs that read “Harlem.” The crowd was completely vibing, and the highlight of my night was actually seeing one of my own friends on stage with him. When he performed “Helicopter” at the start, he told everyone to spin their shirts over their heads like helicopter rotors, and the entire barricade eagerly followed suit.
RECAP
One major takeaway from this weekend was the crowd behavior. At past festivals, I’ve noticed a stigma where people film on their phones and stand completely still, failing to live in the moment. Here, people were filming while dancing and moving, while keeping up the energy. The demographic diversity was also beautiful to see, especially for Stray Kids, A$AP Rocky, and Jennie. There were so many young kids experiencing their very first festival alongside their parents, especially for Jennie. They were screaming her name, dancing her choreography, and waving the lightsticks around. Nevertheless, as my first experience at this festival, I highly recommend Gov Ball, especially for festival newcomers. The layout strikes the perfect balance because it is large enough that you feel the grand scale of a major event, but compact enough that you won’t get hopelessly lost. It simply has the perfect amount of ambience. I hope to come back next year to experience a full weekend of festivities and music.
Photo: Rich Fury
Loudspeaker Collective 