As the clock inched closer to noon in New York, the line of fans entering Flushing Meadows stretched as far as the eye could see. The second day of Gov Ball proved to have something for everyone as the staggered set times allowed the fans to see a little bit of everything with a lineup catering to fans of Rock, Hip Hop, R&B, Pop, and everything in between.
Performing early on the mainstage, local musical veterans Telescreens started the day with incredible energy as they kicked off the festivities with a high-octane performance that got the crowd moshing quickly. Frontman Jackson Hamm took advantage of every opportunity to converse with the crowd and show his appreciation, saying “It’s an honor, it’s a blessing” upon seeing the view of the grounds from centerstage. Hamm would go on to demonstrate the extent of the project’s tenacity in never giving up on their dreams as he claimed “This is our first music festival and we’ve been a band seven years.”
Bringing the heart and soul to the day’s lineup, a native of Queens, d4vd, performed a sincere and genuine set in the middle of the day. With a star-shaped sticker between his eyes, he quickly became the star of everyone’s hearts as his performance proved uniquely his own, featuring a series of edgy R&B ballads punctuated by the artist’s exhibition of athleticism as he leaped across every inch of the stage. The artist got more than a little sentimental as he expressed his gratitude for how quickly his career had taken off, revealing that he had been primarily recording his music on their phone only a few short years ago. In a gesture of gratitude for welcoming him to their day, the artist brought a member of his own family onstage to introduce to the crowd and invited his young sister Emily into the limelight. He then prompted her to thank the audience and asked her to join him in performing his 2023 single “Here With Me.”
Canadian Pop icon Carly Rae Jepsen played late in the day on the mainstage to an audience that came ready to treat the performance like a sing-along. The artist showed just how far her repertoire has come since the early days of her career and just how much she has evolved as a performer in the decade since debuting “Call Me Maby.” Committed to putting on a show for the ages, she thrilled the crowd with a full range of hits including “I Really Like You,” Cut To The Feeling,” and “Run Away With Me.”
Closing out the night on the GoPuff stage, Hip Hop icon 21 Savage packed the crowd as he performed with the setting sun. After a brief introductory set from hypeman DJ Marcb, the bass played so loud that the ground began to shake and the pyrotechnics lit off as the artist walked onstage to start his performance with his 2016 hit “No Heart.” With a stoic demeanor, he delivered a full performance with singles including “Bank Account,” “Glock in My Lap,” and “all of me.” Juxtaposed to the previous night’s headlining performance by Post Malone, the artist took the opportunity to perform his part from the two’s collaborative piece “rockstar.” The performance created a satisfying sense of completion to the setlist of the weekend. Addressing the crowd at the end of a long day, he asked “Y’all got any energy left? Aite, Ima play another song, then” before sending fans home with a rousing cover of his recent hit “redrum.”
Check out more photos from GovBall day two.
