Food has predictive powers. It can unveil what your gravestone will read, your special social media superpower, and your “Gossip Girl” BFF. Moreover, food can reveal which GovBall headliner you should be bumping and grinding to this weekend, June 1-3. GovBall, NYC’s most baller music festival and the unofficial kickoff to the summer of our teenage dreams, bonds game-changing musicians with the most innovative food vendors in the game. I know, all this awesomeness can get overwhelming. Here’s a guide to which GovBall headliner you should make sure you see, based on your favorite dessert.
Apple Pie: Shawn Mendes
Much like apple pie, Shawn Mendes is a real crowd pleaser. His dulcet tones, smooth acoustic sounds, and swoon-worthy lyrics provide the same feeling as a bite of tried-and-true Dutch apple. When you’re craving something classic, like a no frills pie complete with a lattice, turn to “Handwritten,” his debut album filled with that kind of timeless soft rock. Or, if you like your sweets tinged with a twist, like these apple pie donuts, look no further than his latest release, where Shawn melds the classic guitar melodies with “groovy R&B funk.” Either way, Shawn’s set is going to provide exactly what a good slice of apple pie should: a little bit of nostalgia, a bite of something sweet, and a whole lot of fun.
#SpoonTip: Admittedly, nobody’s serving apple pie at GovBall. However, the Melt Shop is your go to spot for food just as comforting, like grilled cheese, tater tots, and milkshakes.
Fried Cookie Dough: Post Malone
In age of Lil Whatevers and the same four Drake songs on every playlist, Post Malone is a breath of fresh air. His brand of country twang tinged rap makes him the ultimate cross over star; his melodic musings about being famous (I mean, what else could be a more apt subject?) fit just as nicely next to a Mötley Crüe song as they do Nicki Minaj’s latest banger.
In this same way, deep fried cookie dough is the Post Malone of desserts. It combines the best of fair foods with the decadence of unbaked cookies to create a dessert that transcends genres. It’s both quirky and refined. Grab a box of Big Mozz and DŌ’s fried cookie dough bites after Post’s set for a night filled with sweet surprises.
Rainbow Layer Cake: Halsey
A listen through one of Halsey’s albums connotes a whole spectrum of feelings. With her second release “Hopeless Fountain Kingdom” being a concept album with an emotional tone mirroring the highs and lows of a Romeo and Juliet-esque relationship, Halsey’s music will have you crowd-surfing one minute and slow dancing with a cute stranger the next.
A rainbow layer cake encapsulates all that is Halsey in one slice. Each layer unfolds her complex musical profile, from the pink associated with fangirling over mainstream pop to the deep blue of 90’s alt rock. Moreover her performances leave you feeling fulfilled, bubbly, and covered in color, kind of like the aftermath of baking a cake.
#SpoonTip: GovBall has no shortage of vibrant rainbow desserts. So while you may not be able to stick some candles in a birthday cake, you can get a sugar rush from donut ice cream sandwiches, and killer freakshakes
Soft Serve: Khalid
The quintessential “American Teen,” Khalid makes music for late night drives down suburban streets, backyard parties, and everything in between. His easy flowing songs combine the euphoria of a party’s climax with the melancholy of growing up and apart from your high school clique, graduating and moving on. In other words, Khalid creates forward feeling nostalgia.
A swirl of thick, creamy soft serve dolloped on a sugar cone and covered in sprinkles connotes that same feeling. It’s the dessert most synonymous with childhood, but choosing your toppings can sometimes feel like a distinctly hard, adult decision. Much like soft serve, Khalid’s music bridges the gap between adolescence and everything after and I have a feeling you’ll leave his GovBall set feeling a little more woke and very hungry.
#SpoonTip: I get it, you’re a New York City kid, so the soft serve that gets you feeling all sentimental has to be cool. Meet Tayaki, GovBall’s premiere soft serve vendor and home of the fanciful fish cone.
Fried Twinkies: Eminem
Eminem wants you to know he’s grown up, but he also wants you to know he’s still the same Slim Shady at heart, disregarding political correctness with a cartoonish wit and indisputable flow. Expect his GovBall set to be nothing short of time travel, with early 2000’s iconoclast hits like “Just Lose It” and “Real Slim Shady” paired with a political conscious and maturity that can only make sense in 2018.
In 1999, President Bill Clinton placed a packaged Twinkie in a time capsule, forever cementing it as an emblem of America’s tongue-in-cheek and delightfully gluttonous mentality. Eminem’s a lot like a Twinkie in that sense: fun, but with a complex underneath.
In short, GovBall is a festival that combines music and food to create an experience baked in good vibes, happiness, and a whole lot of confetti. To see these headliners, and eat some of the trendiest food on the east coast, hop on over to GovBall’s website to buy some last minute tickets.