Review: Governors Ball 2012 @ Randall's Island (Day 2)

Fiona Apple

Governors Ball 2012 @ Randall's Island - June 24, 2012

Photos: Chris / Review: Damien & Chris

Damien's Thoughts:

It says a lot about my sense of optimism when I wake up on the morning of any music festival and assume that it's going to be a maaaaaassive shitshoooooow, but as it turns out I had absolutely nothing to worry about when I got to Randall's Island for Day 2 of Governors Ball 2012.

Transportation from my uptown lair to the island itself was a breeze (in the form of a hipster-filled X80 bus to Randall's), and upon retrieving my VIP wristband ably provided by VIP Of Life James MacFie, I found myself staring down into a field containing two massive stages and dozens of tents full of swag and tacos and tacos (and tacos). I lowered the elbows that I was expecting to have to throw on my way in and strutted off to the VIP area at the Hype Machine stage to meet up with Jamie and Chris to chill on beers and air-conditioning before checking out Freelance Whales. Yes, that last sentence sounds bougie, but damn if I don't love some VIP treatment.

Freelance Whales put on a good set for sure, but I quickly forgot about it as we were using the area essentially just to meet up before heading to the other side of the Ball to get our minds rocked by NYC-via-Saratoga Springs indie rock / electronica duo Phantogram on the Honda Stage. I'd seen Jamie rocking their album and EP on Spotify and been intrigued, but their live set took their shoegaze-meets-J. Dilla beats musical style to a completely different level. Perhaps benefitted by the Honda Stage's intense bass setup and touring drummer Tim Oakley, tracks from the Eyelid Movies LP like "Running From The Cops" and "Mouthful of Diamonds" took on a slinky and infectious life of their own. The beautiful Sarah Barthel let her vocals soar over the near-chiptune stylings of Nightlife''s "Don't Move," and by the time the band ended the set with "Futuristic Casket" the crowd was in full dance party mode. Definitely a band to catch when next they rock a venue or festival near you.

As evidenced by the number of beards sported by the crowd, Sunday's audience was definitely here to catch the '90s indie power players that were set to rock the stage: Built To Spill, Fiona Apple, and muh-fuckin' Beck. And really, how many different ways can I affirm the inevitability that YES, THEY ALL COMPLETELY KICKED ASS? I saw BTS rock through "Virginia Reel Around The Fountain," I saw Fiona kick her absolutely electrifying set off with "Fast As You Can" and end it with "Criminal," AND I saw Beck - who we honestly had no idea what he was going to do - rock through the bulk of Odelay and get thousands of people chanting the lyrics of "Loser" into the summer night sky.

All that and I ate nearly a half-dozen Hill Country BBQ brisket tacos. Props to the Governors Ball staff for near-flawlessly pulling off a Sunday in NYC that I won't soon forget.

Who will fill Mogwai’s slot at ATP?

Late yesterday, Scottish post-rockers Mogwai postponed their tour (again), this time due to medical reasons. We’re hoping everything is okay, but in the meantime we can’t help but wonder who will fill the gaping hole between Sunday’s 8:15pm – 9:15pm slot at this weekend’s ATP I’ll Be Your Mirror Festival. Mogwai would have been playing Convention Hall in between Public Enemy and headliners (and curators) Portishead, which means it will have to be a pretty big act to fill their shoes. Here are some artists that are in town this weekend who just may step up to the plate…

Asobi Seksu – the Brooklyn-based shoegaze group certainly would fit in with a lot of the bands on the bill. Don’t know how well they’d be received after Public Enemy, but you never know. They play Brooklyn Bowl the night before, with nothing on their schedule until October 15.

Tapes ‘n Tapes – hey… remember Tapes ‘n Tapes? They put out that really great album The Loon in 2006 and then… I don’t really know what happened. That record still stands the test of time and I probably would have gone seen them at Bowery Ballroom on Friday if it were not for ATP. TnT play Maxwell’s on 10/1, but have nothing on their schedule until Monday in North Carolina.

Elvis Costello – who wouldn’t want to see Elvis Costello at ATP? It would be killer. Elvis will be playing United Palace in New York City on Saturday, and Count Basie Theatre on Monday, but nothing on Sunday. If they twist his arm to play This Year’s Model in full, there will be a lot of happy concertgoers.

Explosions in the Sky – Don’t quote me on it, but I’m almost certain Explosions in the Sky played ATP last year, and would definitely fill the void post-rock fans are yearning for. EITS play Wellmont Theater on Monday, October 3, but have nothing scheduled beforehand. There is a very good chance they will take the slot.

Radiohead – We’re probably the only ones who have been suggesting this might happen, but we don’t really care. Portishead’s drummer Clive Deamer also happens to be touring with Radiohead now (as seen on SNL), and aside from Wednesday and Thursday’s Roseland Ballroom shows, the band have nothing on their schedule. An announcement of Radiohead playing ATP will certainly sell out Sunday’s tickets (and possibly the entire festival), making it one of the most memorable weekends of recent times. We’ve been praying every morning when we wake up and every night before we go to sleep that this happens, but honestly, it would be a bit of a stretch. Stranger things have happened…

Anyone else in town you think might show up? A friend of mine suggested Bruce Springsteen yesterday, which would be ironically funny and actually really amazing. Until ATP actually announces something, anything is possible.