The festival closed with A$AP Rocky headlining the GovBallNYC Stage for the second time, his first in 2021. Originally slated for 8:45 p.m., Rocky didn’t start until just after 9 p.m., a signature pattern for the rapper at festival sets in recent years. When he did emerge, Rocky declared that he had come to get “disrespectful” before launching into “Grim Freestyle.”

The stage was bedecked in American flags stamped with Rocky’s face. SWAT-clad dancers swarmed around him in white shirts and ski masks, with Rocky commanding a raised platform in front of pyrotechnics and smoke. The first part of his set was filled with tracks from his new, 2026 album “Don’t Be Dumb” — “STOLE YA FLOW,” “HELICOPTER,” and “PUNK ROCKY.” Shortly after, Rocky performed his popular single, “Trunks.” The crowd then erupted during “RIOT (Rowdy Pipe’n),” where a megaphone replaced his usual mic and was directed at both the audience and his staged officers. Rocky’s stage design was equally intense — multicolored pyrotechnics, a helicopter looming above the stage, and an army of backup performers who made the whole setup feel more like an actual riot than a festival performance.

The biggest surprise of the night came when Dominican rapper Tokischa joined him onstage for the live debut of their collaboration, “FLACKITO JOYDE.” A mid-set performance of “Sundress” offered a welcome, upbeat breather, while “HELICOPTER” had the crowd swinging their T-shirts in the air. Unsatisfied with the lackluster energy, Rocky riled up the crowd by explaining that he did not see enough t-shirts, prompting a fresh wave of fabric into the sky.

Rocky’s performance was successful, but plagued with technical difficulties throughout. Crowd favorite “Fashion Killa” was cut short and the staging during “PUNK ROCKY” felt oddly disconnected due to microphone difficulties. Additionally, transitions between songs were unusually long, occasionally leaving the crowd standing in near silence with no entertaining visuals or recorded tracks to fill this gap.

These awkward hiccups spiraled into a total loss of nearly 20 minutes of set time due to the festival’s hard 10 p.m. curfew. Rocky found himself racing the clock by the end of his allotted time, telling the crowd that the organizers were “trying to shut [him] off.” The rapper insisted he wasn’t fazed and kept performing, finishing strong and sending the crowd home on a high with “Jukebox Joints” just before having his microphone feed cut off.

Rocky closed out the festival with arguably the loudest and most theatrical performance of all three days, which also contributed to the rowdiest crowd. The pyrotechnics, dueling dance crews, and sheer scale of production elevated the set from a typical festival performance — Rocky was indeed successful in starting a riot amongst the festival goers. Not to mention, Rihanna was in the crowd the whole time, watching alongside fellow Sunday headliner Jennie.

While the abrupt ending left some fans frustrated as their favorite songs may have been cut short, Rocky built enough momentum in the 40 minutes he had to leave a majority of the crowd satisfied and ready to say goodbye to Gov Ball.

For a festival that had spent much of its weekend battling weather delays and schedule shuffles, Rocky’s riot-themed finale gave Gov Ball 2026 the chaotic sendoff it seemed to be building toward.

—Staff Writer Julia J. Downey can be reached at [email protected].