New York City’s own music festival is just three years old, a fairly new edition to the summer circuit, but its size and budget have swelled immensely in a short amount of time – with a capacity of 45,000 people, four stages, and three days, Governors Ball has entered the ring of jumbo-sized festivals that feature decked-out lineups and sky high ticket prices. These gatherings have reached a certain level of both anticipatory and cynical expectations, and this year’s Governors Ball seemed to encompass both ends of the spectrum.

Four stages were set up on the island, giving guests the option to choose who they wanted to see, whereas in the past, two stages promised no overlapping sets. The lineup for this year was stacked high with diverse and notable names, so here’s how Governors Ball both hit its stride and fell flat in its biggest weekend yet.

Highlights:

– Kanye’s Sunday night set. What do you expect me to say? That Kanye might be the world’s biggest divo? That he’s on that next level shit? Well, yes. And um yes. After showing up late, he weirdly did live up to his hype, at least in the moment. I did lol a little bit during one of his new songs off of Yeezus, which is literally titled “I Am a God,” and includes the line “Now hurry up with my damn croissants.” And don’t forget his usual mid-set rant, intro’d by: “Here’s the part when I start complaining about shit.” Like, STFU and sing bitch.

– Guns N’ Roses + fireworks. On Saturday night, GNR came out in full force. Even if you’re not a huge fan, it was still refreshing to see a good old-fashioned rock show, complete with a fireworks display over the NYC skyline.

– The Gov Ball NYC Main Stage. The biggest stage not only sat atop glorious pavement, but it showcased some of the best experiences throughout each day’s scheduled performances. Japandroids (who introduced themselves to the crowd as Guns N’ Roses), the real Guns N’ Roses, Foals, Grizzly Bear, Kings of Leon (they graciously played a rescheduled set on Saturday evening), and more enjoyed the view from the best stage on the island.

– The lineup. They went all out for this one. If you missed the full lineup, check it here.

– People watching. One of the most entertaining parts of the weekend was judging all the crazies who came out for the festival. This includes hula hoop dancers and dudes doing yoga while showing off their spray-painted chest hairs.

– No beer gardens. Those clutching 24 oz. Foster’s oil cans weren’t shepherded into a corral of chugging and shame, but free to roam within society. It was magical.

– The SKYY Vodka Tent. While the arching pavilion did nothing to preserve the muddy ground beneath it, it did manage to enhance the performances housed there. Icona Pop, Azealia Banks, Yeasayer, and Bloc Party were a few that stood out under the tent.

– Food trucks. The best restaurants and food trucks of NYC were out in full force for the festival, providing tasty relief to a long day out in the (awful) elements. Unique offerings including coconut-crusted corn on the cob, jalapeno corn dogs, vegan curry ‘goat,’ and more.

– New York City itself. The concrete jungle where dreams are made of was just a bridge away, making the entire weekend, not just the festival, an adventure. There’s nothing you can’t do! (Never spotted Jay-Z though.)

Mehs:

– The HondaSTAGE and You’re Doing Great Stage. These two newly added stages seemed to flop in terms of catering to a huge festival. For most performances, the sound didn’t cast a broad enough reach for all of those who showed up to catch a set. Unlike the other two stages, where a casual back-row linger would grant you a relatively full experience, these stages seemed to include only the frontmost crowd. Anywhere further, and the songs were lost amongst chatter and other distractions, resulting in a disconnect that seemed to hang over that side of the island.

– Unfulfilling sets. This is most likely linked to their placement on the two lesser stages, but certain artists’ sets especially faltered when it came to commanding the large crowd’s attention. Alt-J dissipated into background noise for anyone more than 25 feet away, while Animal Collective, Beirut, and The Lumineers couldn’t quite encompass the sprawling venue in front of them. The lack of engagement was a shame for these bands, who just didn’t seem to be able to live up to their own talent and potential. Shoutouts to Nas for owning his shet on Saturday night and Kendrick Lamar for breaking it down in a weird little sweatsuit outfit. (Non-shoutout to the overzealous bros behind us for rapping loudly in our ears.)

– Overlapping sets. By having a bill that included 60+ acts, overlapping sets was a given. Options are a good thing, but it was hard to fully enjoy one set when another artist was close behind – so you would leave early to find a decent spot, just to realize you already missed your chance. Plus, navigating back and forth between stages was not easy. Which leads us to the…

– MUD. (Optional titles: Puddle of Mudd, Mud Bath, Shitshow, Diarrhea Park.) Though it might be unfair to criticize Governors Ball for this (though they didn’t do much to help the situation), it’s impossible to talk about the past weekend without mentioning the ankle-deep sludge that attendees had to trek through. It was hard to focus on anything else but creating a strategic plan to get to the next stage without getting fkn stuck in the mud. (jk that was impossible.)

And I can’t even talk about the emotional trauma I suffered from after having to throw my brand new boots in the trash.

– Hilary Milnes and Christa Metropolis

All images courtesy of Facebook.