Headstash

Headstash's GOVERNORS BALL 2012 Review Guide

Photo Credit: Cory Castellucio

Governors Ball 2012

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First Thoughts

Getting to Randall's Island was much easier than the previous year at Governors Island. This started the day on a high note, even though the tolls and parking fees are always rough in the Big Apple.

Upon entering the grounds I noticed a few of the sponsors’ tents and browsed those for a while collecting the free goodies (a bandana, snap bracelet and some Ben and Jerry's frozen yogurt).

Although shaded areas were a little far from the stages, there was plenty of cover to be had throughout the day. There was also rarely a line at the water refill stations, thus staying hydrated and cool wasn't too much of an issue.

The gourmet trucks created some nice buzz and there were lawn games and beer pong for those who could pull themselves away from the music.

The first act of the day to make an impact on the crowd was most definitely Big Gigantic. They played a bunch of tracks of their most recent album, “Nocturnal” including fan-favorites like “Beginning of the End” and “It's Going Down.”

Photo Credit: Cory Castellucio

Even with the sun blazing, Big G somehow got the crowd even hotter with heavy beats and thumping bass. The fast pace of the music and the short set time meant that everybody was trying to get down as much as possible in just 45 minutes.

Many people headed to the water refill tent throughout and following their show.  

Special Disco Version was a downtempo disco dance party. James Murphy got the crowd moving, but the heat of midday was a lot for the festivalgoers. The set was smooth and fun albeit incredibly hot. Murphy did his best to keep things moving and certainly succeeded.

During Major Lazer, the whole pit area was hooting, hollering and jumping for the
entire set, which culminated with their hit, "Pon de Floor.” At this point, every tiny girl got on someone’s shoulders and the crazy electronic dancing and arm waving continued.

By the end of their set, the sun was directly above the stage but nobody seemed to care and as the crowd dispersed to move on toward Atmosphere or elsewhere, the sweat level was its peak. Major Lazer was definitely the most high-energy show of the day.

It was unfortunate that when I returned to the Hype Machine Stage for Chromeo that the sun was directly shining in the eyes of the crowd. Dave One got the crowd riled up and dancing quickly and efficiently with "Don't Turn the Lights On."  They kept their setlist strictly to hits dropping "Hot Mess," "Needy Girl," "Night by Night" and "Bonafide Lovin'.”

Photo Credit: Cory Castellucio

The heat finally subsided as the crowd shifted toward the Honda Stage for Duck Sauce. Slowly the shadows began to creep over the field until the temperature felt noticeably cooler – but it was still certainly T-shirt weather. Duck Sauce got really bouncy with some house beats and eventually weaved into “Anyway" and "Barbara Streisand."

Passion Pit was an awesome sight to behold. It was a set filled with beautiful lighting, feeling and song selection. The flow of their show kept the pace relaxed but still had songs that got the crowd in a frenzy and happily singing and dancing along.

It seemed like the pit hardly stopped moving and you could hear that everyone knew and loved the band. By the end of the show there were smiles all around.

As Kid Cudi took the stage to close the night, things slowed down and he raced through old and new favorites.

Day 2

Cage The Elephant's lead singer, Matthew Shultz, had lost his voice the day before but made it through the whole set with relatively little problems except for some lessened volume. It was still an interesting heavier rock show and had everybody moving and batting beach balls. 

Explosions in the Sky played what I can only describe as the sounds that would be playing if the world was crashing down around you and the sky was exploding. Each song begins slow and patient and then creeps up to a huge crescendo before collapsing upon itself.

Photo Credit: Cory Castellucio

Modest Mouse stuck mostly to the hits and the highlights were "Dashboard," "Dramamine," and "Missed the Boat." The set ended abruptly with no encore but the was still lovely and well played. Of course, every comment I heard on the walk over to Beck was about how the setlist hadn't included "Float On.” . . . .

Beck came out strong and finished stronger. He opened with the bass-booming "Black Tambourine" and then got everybody dancing with "Gamma Ray." Even with the light rain, the crowd didn't seem like there was any hint of leaving the stage.

Beck kept us moving through "Girl" and "Modern Guilt," but then took it down a notch with the lovely and tear-jerking "Lost Cause."

Devil's Haircut" brought out his rocker side and he finished strong with "Where It’s At" and "E-Pro," which sent everyone home humming the familiar refrain.

Lowlight

Short sets. Forty-five minutes is barely long enough to get the ball rolling with some groups. Some groups took it as a challenge to throw down as hard as they could with the time they had. Longer sets would be great for next year simply because every act seemed to end so suddenly. Headlinesr should have at least double that amount.

Photo Credit: Cory Castellucio

Photo Credit: Cory Castellucio

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Check out our coverage of all your favorite summer festivals in our 2012 Festival Guide.

What did you think of Governors Ball 2012? Highlights, lowlights and surprises. Let us know in the comments below.