After a high-energy run of excitement on Day One and Day Two of Governor’s Ball 2014, We steered clear of Vampire Weekend’s vapid ditties and Tyler The Creator’s antagonistic claptrap to bring you the lowdown on who stole the show at Governors Ball’s relatively low-key final day.
Pumped up kids: Foster The People
It was late on the third day but the kids crunched in at the main stage were still willing to pull out the crazy. This time it was for Foster The People. Singer Mark Foster looked overjoyed as he gazed wide-eyed over the audience. He took a moment to score brownie points, commenting on what he referred to as the “indomitable spirit of New York” before shouting “How you guys doin’ out there?” The hoards of shrieking girls seemed to be doing quite well indeed.
The overcast skies had cooled the air, but the temperament of the fans remained hot. Foster bounced around the stage, his permeating falsetto cries abound during “Are What You Want To Be”. Tracks from this years Supermodel were well received but it remains to be seen whether or not these guys will revisit the success that one massive single brought to them. And when the familiar dead-bass line of “Pumped Up Kicks” commenced, the kids did the crazy dance, hanging on every word.
Mutant offspring
Governors Ball has managed quite successfully to swipe Coachella’s balloon strands and Bonnaroo’s silent disco, but the free ice cream was a unique flavor.
They’re back: Interpol
It’s tricky to see Interpol anymore. Perhaps, with a new album the way we can expect to see more of these guys. Hair slicked, and formally dressed, the New York group took the stage to an adoring audience, awarding them quickly with the infectious “Evil”. Singer Paul Banks looked quite pleased with his situation as they played “C’Mere”. They closed out the tight hour and a quarter set with “Obstacle 1”.
Sludge rock perfection: The Kills
From the moment The Kills took the stage and chugged into “U.R.A Fever”, singer Alison Mosshart was a tantalizing blur of blonde. Having ditched the drum machine and instead opting to pick up four synchronized percussionists brought more thunder to the to the soundstorm as they began to draw from 2009’s Blood Pressures. Jamie Hince’s sludge guitar preluded the sultry dual vocals of “Future Starts Slow”.
He began to beckon the audience and shouted “c’mon” as the busted out “Satellite”, a raucous romp, as the audience insistently waved their arms in unison. Mosshart pulsated at the edge of the stage, finding a dance partner in her microphone stand as the tore through “DNA”. “We will not be moved by it”, she screamed as the late afternoon sun beat down on the Big Apple stage. They closed out the one-hour set with the bluesy “Monkey 23”.
Topless kitty
Vampire Weekend was pop-rawkin up the main stage, but we opted instead to beat the looming absurdity of final mass-exodus from Randall’s Island. Day 3 was a bit tame when pitted against the madness we experienced on Day 1 and Day 2, but overall, New York’s answer to the Coachella’s and Bonnaroo’s out there just keeps getting better. See you next year.
