The Governors Ball 2019

Attended GovBall in 2014 and 2015, and only the Saturday and Sunday of Panorama 2016.

During those two days of Pano,

-The sound quality was way better across the board.
-Crowd was much more chill and respectful (though it also helped that it was undersold).
-The large screens at the main stage.
-Screens in the Pavilion tent.
-Despacio.
-The air-conditioned trailer bathrooms, as well as the air-conditioned Parlor tent.

My only issue with GovBall was the obnoxious crowds. Easily the worst I’ve experienced besides maybe seeing The 1975 open for AM in 2014 at LouFest.
But the great shows are worth it

Somehow I’ve never given any shit about the crowds in festivals, and I include Lolla crowds to this.

Don’t get me wrong, I hate the talkers and immediately move to another spot if possible. For people who push up, I either flip them or try to watch from afar.

Flip off, I meant.

The best part about Pano relative to GovBall is also what killed it: It undersold every year, meaning the insane crowding was never really a thing. As someone else mentioned, the crowd was also more mature/less obnoxious - not, like, geriatrically so, but enough that the loud talking while camping sets and groups of teens in matching basketball jerseys bombing to the front of the stage en masse, only to decide to leave a few minutes later, was less of a thing. Panorama also offered more stuff to do when/if you weren't watching a set - Despacio the first year, the Lab, the Point, etc. Whether that's important is a YMMV situation, I'm sure - I dug it, but I also kind of like the way GovBall packs its schedule wall to wall.

I dunno. I've been to every GovBall since 2014, and went to Sunday of Pano in 2016, all three days in 2017, and both days that actually happened in 2018. GovBalls 2014-2016 were great, despite the cancellation of Sunday 2016. The lineups were stacked with artists I liked. The obnoxious kid factor was there, but as someone who lives in NYC, I've kind of gotten used to just letting insanity that's happening around me slide off my back and focusing elsewhere. Things felt like they were starting to shift in 2017 despite their booking of Tool, which was an awesome surprise, and this year, it feels like that shift is in full effect. Part of it is just me, getting older and liking music that isn't that popular, any more. I'm well outside the demographic any of these festivals are trying to court, age-wise. But I never felt that way, that much, in the first three years, and definitely have started to in the past two.

Panorama 2016 felt weirdly premium, despite the heat wave. Despacio was amazing, the air-conditioned bathrooms with working plumbing were a revelation...I mean, there were freaking chandeliers in the tent. And the lineup, for my tastes...*chef's kiss*. The 2017 edition also had a killer lineup, but you could feel the thread starting to fray, a little bit - some of those little touches that made it seem like AEG was really going all out to impress were gone...and while I know the Point has its fans, it just seemed so weak, to me, compared to Despacio. So, yeah, the lineup was great, and no mistake. All three headliners put on really special sets. But it was still undersold. Hell, even Frank Ocean couldn't sell out a day. Last year...what can you say? It was mishap after mishap, the rain left the field smelling like actual sewage, the decreased footprint led to sound bleed all over the place between the two stages, and even more of the amenities went downhill. I still had a good time, and Sunday's lineup, in particular, was stupid good (hard to beat a run of Mount Kimbie > David Byrne > Fleet Foxes > The xx > Odesza > The Killers), but it definitely felt like a last gasp.

I dunno. I'd rank 'em like this, I suppose:

- GovBall 2015
- Panorama 2016
- Panorama 2017
- GovBall 2014
- GovBall 2017
- GovBall 2018
- GovBall 2016
- Panorama 2018

But, again, the thing I loved most about Panorama - freedom from overcrowding by kids - is what ultimately destroyed it, so...*shrug emoji*.

Jesus. The dome sounds like a really dope idea but where the fuck did he think they're gonna put it, especially since Founders can't use Icahn. Why not just use a central platform like Frank at Pano. Fuck, Kanye

agreed.easy to come up with some insane idea to get out of performing. i feel like if this was planned out it could happen. you're not gonna have a full dome but take something similar to the umbrellas in mecca and you can expand a massive dome that wouldnt touch the ground and then take out the structure out the next day. 

But that’s not what his lordship wanted.

On the positive tip, Florence broke out a new tune on Saturday:

Could definitely be the case and I'd love Jones Beach to do one of those. It can actually accommodate a 2 stage fest pretty easily with that back part. 

Also I'm recently becoming obsessed with Jesse Reyez. Interesting that this is the only festival lineup she's on this year (so far).

The fact that Jones Beach now does a GA Pit AND sells booze has made that venue much more desirable.   Beforehand, it was so lifeless being all seated for rock shows and the fact that it's a huge pain in the ass to get from the city, especially since they stopped running that bus from the Freeport LIRR station.

Still a bitch but at least they have general admission and booze.    I actually recommend grabbing an Uber back to Brooklyn/Queens if you have 2-3 people.   Probably cost $60-70 total and, splitting it by 2 or 3, not that bad.