The first Governors Ball was in 2011 (headliners Pretty Lights and Girl Talk!), and it’s still going strong in 2025. That’s an eternity in music festival terms, especially a music festival held in New York City, where you can catch the biggest artists in the world every night of the year. A key element to Gov Ball’s success is the festival’s something-for-everyone ethos.
“We were all from the Napster generation, I guess,” co-founder Tom Russell recently told GQ. “You have access to so many different types of music at any point in time. We felt like consumers had a very, very eclectic music taste. We wanted something for everybody at our event.”
That was especially true during the stylish 2025 iteration, held this past weekend at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York (go Mets). There was a little something for everyone. Here are some of our favorites.
Mannequin Pussy
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: every music festival should have at least one punk band on the bill. Governors Ball understood the assignment with an early Friday afternoon set from Mannequin Pussy, one of the most vital bands around. And one of the only acts to explicitly call out the country’s “descent towards Christian fascism.” (Hozier deserves special mention here, too.) MP’s set, however, was a safe space for the punks, the freaks, the social miscasts to mosh, and, as per singer Missy Dabice’s request, let out a cathartic scream that could be heard all the way in the band’s native Philadelphia.
Tyler The Creator
There’s a reason Tyler The Creator is at the top of so many music festival posters: he’s a really good headliner! That might sound obvious about someone who literally has his own festival, but the man’s magnetism needs to be seen in person. Tyler stood atop a lime green Chromakopia shipping container while performing high-energy favorites both old (“Earfquake” and “Yonkers”) and new (“Rah Tah Tah”). After being accompanied by a virtual Doechii on a screen behind him during “Balloon,” a sweat-drenched Tyler closed things out by having the crowd sing much of “See You Again.” Whenever we see him next, it’s not soon enough.
Marina
Saturday got off to a late start due to a weather delay: doors didn’t open until 4:30 p.m. But when they did, there was a muddy rush to the main stage, not only to set up for that night’s headliner (Olivia Rodrigo), but also to get a good spot for her “opening” acts. Conan Gray’s set was full of charming whimsy, but my millennial-ass was most excited for Marina. The Tumblr-generation queen released a new album the day prior, Princess Of Power, but half her set was dedicated to older electro-pop material, including “How To Be A Heartbreaker” and “Bubblegum Bitch.” She might’ve convinced a few Livies to add a black heart to their sticker collection.
Car Seat Headrest
Car Seat Headrest value quality over quantity. They planned to play only (“only”) six songs during their 45-minute set, a stark contrast from other festival acts who try to cram in as many hits as they can. But each of those half-dozen songs was a journey — from verbose, tightly-structured epics “CCF (I’m Gonna Stay With You)” and “Gethsemane” to perennial favorite “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales.” When Will Toledo & Co. realized they had enough time for a bonus seventh song, they busted out a scrappy version of “Stop Smoking (We Love You).” It was a thrilling finale to a rock opera.
Benson Boone
It took Benson Boone less than 30 seconds to do his first flip. With that physical feat out of the way, he… flipped at least a half-dozen more times. Boone is more than just his (admittedly neat) party trick, however. He’s a powerhouse performer with an impressive vocal range and a likable presence; the delighted smiles from both the kids and middle-aged folks around me when he sang “Beautiful Things” and “Mystical Magical” were all the proof I needed. Come for the flips, stay for the songs.
Olivia Rodrigo
While waiting for Olivia Rodrigo to take the stage at Gov Ball (one of a staggering 18 different music festivals she’s headlining this year), I started thinking about my favorite song of hers. I settled on “Brutal” at the time, but this answer kept changing during the area rock star’s sensational set (which included a cameo from David Byrne). It’s the dizzying “Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl.” No, it’s the vitriolic “Vampires.” No, it’s the peppy “Love Is Embarrassing.” No, it’s actually “Brutal” or “All-American Bitch” or “Good 4 U.” Rodrigo makes every song of hers sound like your favorite song.