Event Review: Benny Benassi & Friends Invade Governor’s Island NYC 6/9/12

Benny Benassi & Friends

Thousands of people flooded Governor’s Island on Saturday night for a chance to see DallasK, Bingo Players, Hardwell, and the legendary Benny Benassi. Unfortunately, for anyone trying to see DallasK or more than a few minutes of Bingo Players, they probably missed that chance.

One of the main problems with this event was the INCREDIBLE wait. My group of friends and I arrived at the Governor’s Island Ferry at approximately 4:00 PM, but it was not until after 6:30 PM that we actually made it into the venue. As someone who has been to numerous festivals, shows, and concerts from many different types of music, NEVER have I ever had to wait for so long to get into a show. One summer earlier, the wait for the Benassi show (accompanied with Laidback Luke) was not nearly as lengthy as this one was. It is unsure as to why this show’s wait was so absurdly long, but it is definitely something I hope they improve on before I return to Governor’s Island to see Dash Berlin in a few weeks. The only things that could have made things worse on top of this was the hour and a half wait, we all faced exiting the island. Poor restroom facilities and overpriced drinks on top of this created a very frustrating environment for me, personally.

On the other side of the table, the performances were great. I was lucky enough to catch a little bit of Bingo Players set as we entered the venue and relaxed on the beach before Hardwell took over. They packed the same amount of energy they have been known for and the crowd was teeming with excitement as Hardwell started his incredibly high-energy set for the night. He integrated a lot of songs I would not have expected to hear into his set and it paid off.

His energy carried the crowd easily into Benassi’s set. Although Benassi rocked the venue until it closed, it was apparent that Hardwell seemed to receive the best reaction from the crowd at a lot of points. Although I loved the tunes Benny was dropping, the crowd just lacked the same amount of energy as Hardwell (maybe it was the two and a half hour wait tiring us out?) by the last hour of his set.

Hopefully, Made Event can work out a lot of the kinks it seemed to have with this event for the future. Between the large beach, the neon trees, and the gorgeous view of downtown Manhattan, the venue is a lot of fun, but steps need to be made to make getting to it a bit more bearable.

Article by: Daniel Shaw

About the Author

Daniel Shaw Economics student by day, raver by night - Dan hails from Poughkeepsie, but tries to make it into New York City when classes aren't in session to catch a DJ set. Dan is overcommitted and usually sleep deprived, but that wave of emotion sparked by the best of tracks keeps him going. Twitter: @thedanielshaw

Made Event

Thank you for sharing your feedback about our first Governors Island event last week. We have passed your concerns about lines and restrooms on to Governors Beach Club, as they are responsible for all island operations, ferry, security and bathrooms etc. We are working closely with them and sharing your feedback to ensure that they make a number of improvements this week and that your experience at Laidback Luke’s Super You&Me this Saturday, June 16, is a smooth and smashing success!

To start, Governors Beach Club will provide larger-capacity ferries to transport partygoers to the island. Their security staff will also be increased to speed the process of bag and ID checks, and ticket scanning points. They have also assured us they are hiring a dedicated bathroom clean-up team.

Thanks for your patience as we continue working with this new venue for the summer. These issues are important to us and we will to our best to make sure the high standards of Made Event are met at Governors Beach Club.
- http://twitter.com/thedanielshaw Dan Shaw
  
  Thanks for such a great response! Excited for the 30th!