Before the humdrum reality of life fully sets in and while this is still pretty fresh in my mind, let me recount for you the absolute whirlwind of magic I experienced last weekend — at The Governor’s Ball music festival in New York City!
As if I wasn’t already excited enough to reunite with my lovely friend Cara for the first time in 2 years, the Gov Ball powers that be decided to have three of our favorite artists perform at the festival all in the same day? Consecutively? What kind of crazy dream come true is that?! The stars had aligned and we knew it was way too good to pass up.
So last Saturday, on the first of June, we put on our cutest summer outfits, took a bumpy bus ride from Brooklyn to Randall’s Island, and had ourselves a ball (groan-worthy pun intended).
The following day may have been a washout that unfortunately resulted in a mass evacuation, but I am so glad we went when we did because the weather was warm and picture perfect for us from start to finish! Since we knew we were going to be parked at the main stage all day and didn’t have to navigate the crazy crowds as much as other festival-goers, we took care of all our “necessities” first — food, drinks, merch, Instagrammable photos, you know the deal.
My only regret was making the rookie mistake of wearing long pants and a sheer white duster that touched the ground because yep, they both have big mud stains on them. Silly me, thinking that just because it hadn’t rained for 2 days that Randall’s Island would be dry! But in an unusual move for someone as typically high-strung as I am, I took a deep breath and let it go. We were so stoked we were to be there and my main focus was on the triple threat of music that awaited us.
Kacey Musgraves
First up was the “yeehaw queen” herself, Kacey Musgraves! Now I don’t consider myself a country fan by any means, and I never thought I’d willingly be in the same place as people unironically dressed in cowboy hats. But when Golden Hour dropped last year, its dazzling pull was undeniable. The record has genuine mass appeal. It’s taken the world by storm ever since and practically swept the Grammy Awards, and with good reason! Every time I listen all the way through, I emerge more connected to nature, love, and humanity. Golden Hour is a refreshing reminder to slow down, sit with ourselves, and take in the simple wonder that exists in this world, and Kacey’s set did exactly that! Plus a lot of Pride love, which was awesome!
My main takeaways from her easy, breezy, beautiful performance (which I wish could have been longer than an hour):
- This was my first time seeing her and of course she was going to be great, but when the artist sounds even better live than they do on the studio album, you KNOW. She looked and sang like an actual angel!
- I’ve only ever listened to Golden Hour by myself, so I was amazed to be in a crowd full of people who resonate with it just as much as I do! The peaceful, laid-back vibe spread everywhere and it honestly felt like I was on an island, without a care in the world. We sang the words to every song and jammed out and just had a grand old time!
- The ultimate bops for me were “Butterflies,” “Slow Burn,” Velvet Elvis,” and the best choice for a closing song, “High Horse!” We are all about a sassy disco country anthem! Also, I fell in love with her even more and I want her to be my BFF and I need to see her again ASAP. I’m in this for life!
P.S. At one point Kacey led us in her famous yeehaw chant and we did it way better than the crowd at Coachella, just sayin’. It was epic.
The 1975
I’ve seen The 1975 in concert a few times before and each time was special in its own way, but I honestly think the band was at the top of their game at Gov Ball! Especially with the release of their most recent album ABIIOR — the title is too darn long but if you know, you know — their stage presence has been insane!
I was so eager to hear my favorite new and old songs and Matty’s charisma on stage was phenomenal for ALL OF THEM! I don’t understand how the man can sing and play his heart out, execute flawless choreography with the backup dancers (which I am all about — he’s officially a pop star now, haha), casually sip cocktails and chat with us, and rouse the entire crowd to the point of screaming and jumping for several minutes straight. It’s truly beyond me. Matty, you’re doing great, sweetie!
The colors on screen, those iconic ’80s synths and guitar riffs, the passionate lyrics, everything I’ve loved about The 1975 for years now was amplified, and it was a blast! They’re another band that I highly recommend listening to or seeing live, especially if you just need to feel invigorated, ya know? My favorites were “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You),” “Love It If We Made It,” “She’s American,” and “The Sound.”
As the girl standing next to me said as we both cried it out, “It’s nice to feel, isn’t it?” That sums it all up.
Check out this jaw-dropping video their record label owner & manager took of everyone jumping during the last song! I can’t believe we were in there somewhere! CHILLS.
I was on a major adrenaline high after The 1975’s electric performance, the sun was setting, and there was a delicate cool breeze in the air. I thought things couldn’t get any better.
And then, finally, the headliner…Florence + the Machine.
Whether you’re a huge FATM fan or someone who has never heard of them before (in which case, get out from the rock you’ve been hiding under and look them up ASAP), my proclamation is the same to all of humankind: If you have not seen Florence Welch in concert before, I am begging you, DO IT!!! I was lucky enough to have seen her for the first time back in October, but she still absolutely blew me away last weekend!
I could go on and on about Florence — and I have before, in a very heartfelt post on my old blog, if you want to check it out — because she deserves it, but I’ll keep it brief for today. Simply put, I am convinced this woman is a faerie witch goddess from another plane of existence. She creates such a transcendent experience with every airy note she sings and every mighty leap she takes across the stage that it captivates the entire audience. It’s like we were in our own mystical universe for that hour and 45 minutes and everything else faded away except raw emotion and life, and it was perfect.
I adore all of the songs she played (including “Jenny of Oldstones” from Game of Thrones, a nice surprise!) but the ones that really struck me that evening were “Only If For a Night, “The End of Love,” and “Shake It Out.” Oh, and also that secret moment during “Dog Days Are Over!” I cried too many times to count…I can’t really explain it, but Florence + the Machine concerts are sort of like a big group therapy session in their own way. The icing on the cake was looking around from my little place in the sea of tens of thousands of people and seeing blissfully beaming faces, enchanted by the mysticism unfolding before them.
I gathered you here to hide from some vast, unnameable fear.
“No Choir”, Florence + the Machine
And with that glorious finale ending the festival on the highest note possible, our day on Randall’s Island came to a close. We trudged back to hydrate and board the bus and try to comprehend what had just happened to us. A weekend away was exactly what I needed, and Gov Ball helped me reconnect with my truest self so she could shine! I am eternally grateful and still in a state of disbelief that we really saw three of the most positive, uniting forces in popular music right now all in a row…what a way to kick off the summer! I can’t wait to attend my next festival. Thank you, Gov Ball 2019, for an extraordinary day full of song, dance, love, and memories I will treasure forever!