Inside Governors Ball 2019

BROCKHAMPTON appeared to their set in bright silver jumpsuits and let it loose on stage. Eagle photos by Jonathan Sperling.

By Victoria Merlino

Governors Ball brought thrills and chills all weekend long, from electrifying sets from the likes of rapper Tyler, the Creator and Florence + the Machine, to Instagram-ready eats to a stormy Sunday that left the festival-goers soaked. Through the mud, glitter and tunes, read on to see the Eagle’s top moments from this year.

The Internet strummed their way through some of their most popular jams.

The Internet Dials In

An offshoot of the revolutionary hip hop collective Odd Future, The Internet brought its unique fusion of rap, R&B, jazz and funk for a smooth set, playing favorites like “Curse” and “Get Away.” Lead vocalist Syd gave a special shoutout to the band’s guitarist Steve Lacy’s newly released album “Apollo XXI,” which marks the 21-year-old debut solo studio album.

BROCKHAMPTON appeared to their set in bright silver jumpsuits and let it loose on stage.

A Costume Ball

Somewhere between *NSYNC and ASAP Mob sits BROCKHAMPTON, a band whose set volleyed somewhere between frenzy and collapse in the best possible way. The six band members, including breakout solo star Kevin Abstract, appeared on stage in silver jumpsuits with a giant golden airplane prop, at times jumping on the wing, crawling into the plane body or sitting defeated on the steps, dancing,  rapping, rapping and commanding the crowd to put their hands up with such an intensity that it felt like something earth-shattering was going to happen if they didn’t. “You are now watching the greatest boyband in the motherf***ing world,” said Abstract during the set, and in that moment, who could deny him?

Tyler, the Creator rocked the Gov Ball main stage.

Tyler Makes an Earfquake

“Who thought an album about your heart being broken be this f**king turnt up man,” Tyler, the Creator asked amid cheers at his Friday night headlining set. His newest banger “Igor” — a messy breakup album that sonically marks a new direction for the rapper — debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts last week, and his set seemed like icing on the cake. Tyler, otherwise known as Tyler Okonma, came prepared with his inhaler and songs from the new album like “Earfquake,” as well as older jams, such as “911 / Mr. Lonely” from his last album “Flower Boy” and “Yonkers,” the track that many credit with kickstarting his fame.

Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine danced barefoot through her headlining set on Saturday.

A Woman and Her Machine

Florence Welch, the lead vocalist of the band Florence + the Machine, delighted fans with an ethereal set that featured the singer twirling barefoot across the stage to some of the band’s most well-known smashes, such as “The Dog Days Are Over.” Welch has a voice that could power cities, but it’s her stage presence that stole the show — the dancing up and down the stage, then dedicating a song to “Game of Thrones” character Arya Stark and repeatedly voicing support for womankind, saying at one point: “American women you deserve much better!” She urged the audience to, if they could afford it, donate to the ACLU.

“If you are here with us this evening, you must support women!” she said.

Art installations dotted the festival as perfect picture backdrops.

Beyond the Music

Gov Ball featured art installations for that perfect Instagramable moment, as well as  a bevy of trendy food options, like the “ramen burger,” DŌ cookie dough and festival favorites like corn dogs and fries.

Rain truncated the final day of the festival, with festival-goers evacuated off the island before the night’s headliners could play. Festivalgoers enjoyed superb weather on Friday and Saturday, however.

A Rainy Sunday

The festival was plagued with problems on Sunday, with a chance of thunderstorms pushing the show’s start time back from the afternoon to the evening. The festival called a full evacuation after thunderstorms and rain threatened festival-goers at night, cancelling headlining sets of R&B songstress SZA and band The Strokes and leading thousands to try to escape the island in between lightning flashes and torrential rain, drawing criticism. Gov Ball staff offered attendees who were slated to be there on Sunday a full refund.