Governors Ball Festival 2022
at Citi Field in New York City, NY
photos and words by Evan Albuck

It’s festival season, and Governors Ball NYC did not come to play games. From June 10-13 we were hit with huge headliners such as Kid Cudi, Halsey, and J. Cole, and was an absolute blast!

As everyone made their way to the front gates of the festival, lines built at ticket, media, and V.I.P. collection. Day one had officially begun. As I made my way through media check in, I was greeted by the rest of the media team and got right to work.

Right outside the media tent was the Bacardi Stage, hosted at the time by Between Friends’ 45 minute set. Later in the evening, I got a chance to catch Quinn XCII’s set, where he brought out fellow artist and friend, Chelsea Cutler. The two were also found at Louis the Child’s set later in the night where they performed together. Headlining act for day one, Kid Cudi, gave an incredible and nostalgic performance at the GOV BALL stage on the far side of the venue. With hits such as; ‘Day ‘N’ Night’, ‘Pursuit of Happiness’, and ‘Mr. Rager’, Cudi drew in a very large crowd to finish off the night.

Day two was nothing less than spectacular, with what seemed to be an even larger crowd than day one. To start off the day, I was drawn to the Go Puff stage to catch DEHD. Their set was like nothing I had ever heard live before. With such a mellow, yet hardcore sound, they were not your typical opening act. Moving over to the GOV BALL stage, I was able to catch Almost Monday, a band that not only has a very nice on stage presence, but they’re also an incredible group of guys to talk to. I had a chance to sit down with the boys and get some portraits.

Another artist I was able to get portraits with, was the very talented Tom Odell. Odell played at the Bacardí stage for a 45 minute set that blew my mind. When photographing Tom for his portraits, we were able to change it up a little, having Tom (who was wearing a white suit), lounging in a beach chair, admiring Citi Field and Governors Ball. Shaquille O’Niel (aka Diesel) was another eye-catching set. He had an hour DJ set where he had the crowd jumping and dancing at every moment. Outside his DJing, Diesel is more popularly known for his NBA career from 1992-2011, he has 4 NBA Championships, 3 NBA Finals MVP awards, and countless other achievements. He has been active under the name Diesel since 2016, but his music career doesn’t end there. Shaq has released other music since 1993 as a side hustle to his NBA career. To end the night, I visited Flume’s set, where he gave an incredible performance for a little over an hour. The light production was out of this world, and with such incredible DJing, Flume was able to keep his crowd engaged, and excited for each song. Flume wrapped my night for day two, as I headed back to the media tent to prepare for day three.

Day three is here, everyone is filing in off the trains and prepping for the very exciting day that is to come. To start off my day one, I made my way over to De’Wayne’s set at the Go Puff stage, where he put on a performance of punk and pop music. I moved on to Bacardí where I got to watch JAX. She is well known for her TikTok videos where she writes songs on her piano, and performs them. JAX also performed her cover of ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ by Wheatus, where she brought out lead singer of the band, Brendan B. Brown (aka BBB). The crowd loved the performance as it wrapped up her set. I did get a chance to shoot some portraits with both De’Wayne and JAX, both of which are such down to earth, heartwarming people.

Later in the day I made my way over to the Go Puff stage to get a few shots of COIN, known for hits such as; ‘Talk Too Much’, ‘Crash My Car’ and ‘Boyfriend’.

I also got a chance to cover Japanese Breakfast at the Bacardí stage. Known for their hits, ‘Be Sweet’ and ‘Paprika’, the band has made a name for themselves and proved that with their mind blowing performance. Another amazing set, Glass Animal, bringing the heat to the GOV BALL stage. Drawing in a humongous crowd, these animals had a huge dance party with their Dreamland props and set.

To finish off Governors Ball 2022, with my most anticipated set of the festival, J. Cole. Cole is known as an icon in the rap and hip hop industry for his hits such as; ‘No Role Modelz’, ‘Work Out’, and ‘Wet Dreamz’. He has made such an impact on the hip hop community and has paved the way for many younger artists, looking to be as successful as he has been in the industry. Photographing Cole’s performance, personally, has been a long term goal for me, and to have gotten the chance to photograph such an icon in the music industry at Governors Ball has been such an honor.

To wrap up my overall experience of Governors Ball 2022, I had a wonderful time getting to shoot and talk to all of these artists. I can easily put these performances and experiences down in the hall of fame for the best shows that I’ve shot. A huge shout out to Avi Warren, Ambika Verma, and Deanie Chen, for all the help and support throughout the three day festival. Thank you to Square One Magazine for giving me the opportunity to cover such an amazing festival.