Sometimes, a band elicits such a strong emotional response following their performance at a music festival that it's difficult to put into words. We totally get it: After your brain's been massaged until it's a radioactive pile of goo thanks to Deadmau5's thunder-bass or your heart breaks from listening to Sharon Van Etten's brutally honest balladry or your body can't take it anymore because you stupidly tried to out-dance Sam from Future Islands, it can be difficult to form a sentence beyond "GOOD" or "BAD" or "NO" when the artists walk offstage and the house music comes on over the speakers.
That's why we opted to try something different this year. After a number of Governors Ball sets, we approached people who looked like they were having a great time at the festival to get their thoughts on these bands in action at Randall's Island Park. We asked them if they could sum up what they just saw and listened to in three words or less. This is what the people of Gov Ball had to say about how its 2015 lineup.
RAE SREMMURD
"Lord, The Swag" - Mike, 25
"What Crazy Fun" - Nancy, 53
"Energetic Hood Fun" - Erik, 29
"It's Pretty Ill" - Melanie, 25
J. RODDY WALSTON & THE BUSINESS
"Fierce, Friendly, Far-Out" - Michael, 30
FLORENCE + THE MACHINE
"Insane, Exciting, Off-The-Wall" - Chelsea, 23
BENJAMIN BOOKER
"Inspiring, Different, Familiar" - Matthew, 27
"Soul Rockin' Country" -
"Intensive Musical Love" -
DEADMAU5
"Moist, Fail, Bright" - Johnny, 34
"Pulled The Eight-Inch?" - Ryan, 34
"Really Fucking Fantastic" - Melissa, 23
"Lively, Repetitive, Awesome" - Sydney, 19
"Dancey As Fuck" - Tracey, 18
ST. VINCENT
"Dancy Talented Rock" - Alex, 24
"Captivating, Bad-Ass, INCREDIBLE" - Desmond, 23
"Electric, Weird, Life-Changing" - Andrew, 23
"Erotic, Cathartic, Explosive" - Amy, 19
FUTURE
"We In Here" - Paul, 26
"More Than Dope" - Maria, 29
"Dig The Beats" - Jimmy, 53
"I Love Commas" - Ariella, 18
"More Than Amazing" - Melissa, 23
KIESZA
"Energetic Dance Music" - Tracy, 26
"Energetic, Friendly, Real" - Hailey, 15
THE BLACK KEYS
"Breathtaking, Reeling, Excellent" - Christina, 25
DRAKE
"Inspires New Material" - Elazar, 32
"Hell Fucking Yeah" - Daniella, 24
"Cool, Crazy, Contained" - Lucas, 25
"Lit, Damn Daddy" - Sarah, 23
"Crowded, Funny, Player" - Lorenz, 22
"Epic, Sexy, Impressive" - Monica, 25
"I Guess Talented" - Brittany, 23
"Exciting, Hype, Lively" -
"Spectacular, Loud, Solid" - Joey, 21
"So Fucking Dope" - Madison, 22
BJÖRK
"Hit You Somewhere" - Jessica, 35
"Beautiful, Abrasive, Bonkers" - Greg, 43
LANA DEL REY
"Coulda Been Louder" - Matt, 22
MY MORNING JACKET
"Chill, Loud, Zen" - Roberto, 20
"Chill But Good" - Charlie, 17
"Relaxing, Vibey, Calming" - Alex,18
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MØ
"Interesting, Unique, Enticing" - Courtney, 19
VANCE JOY
"Tall Like Hozier" - Nicole, 27
TAME IMPALA
"Rambunctious, Heliotropic, Biblical" - Rob, 19
Note: Our sister paper, The Village Voice, spent the weekend at Governor's Ball. We're bringing you a few highlights from their coverage; to see much, much more, visit Sound of the City.
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