The Governors Ball Music Festival (colloquially known as Gov Ball) welcomed another K-Pop act to its stages for the second year in a row – this time inviting its first-ever boy group, P1Harmony. The highly anticipated annual event took place in the same iconic location as last year, Flushing Meadows Corona Park in New York City, with a variety of performances from over 60 artists including Post Malone, Peso Pluma, Sabrina Carpenter, The Killers, SZA, and more across its three large stages. Amid their trail-blazing North American tour, P1Harmony stopped in the Big Apple to make the most of their fun, festival-filled weekend.
P1Harmony consists of members Keeho, Theo, Jiung, Intak, Soul, and Jongseob, and they officially debuted in October 2020 with their first EP, Disharmony: Stand Out. After subsequent releases of both Disharmony: Break Out and Disharmony: Find Out, they set out on their inaugural U.S. tour, 2022 P1Harmony LIVE TOUR [P1ustage H: PEACE]. Since then, they’ve added several EPs and singles to their discography, including their recent full-length studio album Killin’ It, and completed two full tour runs – the 2023 P1Ustage H: P1ONEER Live Tour, and their wildly successful 2024 P1Harmony LIVE TOUR [P1ustage H: UTOP1A].
Their fans, known as P1ECES, unsurprisingly began to show up hours before the set. Despite the hot, sunny weather, they lined the barricades with light sticks, handmade posters, and other stylish accessories to secure a great view of the group’s performance later that day. P1Harmony was also excited to welcome back member Jiung, who had been absent for most of the North American tour due to an injury. Fans were overjoyed when he dropped hints across social platforms that he may return to the stage for their highly anticipated festival appearance.
Dressed in a more casual version of their western-inspired ensemble from day one of the festival, P1Harmony arrived at the stage in a coordinated mix of white, blue, and black attire. The sparkling embellishments adorning their outfits glimmered in the late afternoon light when they moved and danced. Backed by complementary graphics to match each song – though on a smaller scale than their usual tour production – they wasted no time hyping up the Gov Ball crowd. They kicked off their set with the explosive opening track, “Emergency,” which featured Theo’s famed guitar solo midway through, followed by the equally energetic, “Everybody Clap.”
Pausing for a break, each member took a moment to introduce themselves. Fans greeted Jiung with deafening cheers upon his long-awaited return, “It’s our first time being here at Gov Ball,” he mentioned, “And I’m so excited! I’m going to ask everyone to take their hand and put it where your heart is. Do you feel your heartbeat? Follow my lead!”
He then recited the opening lyrics to “Heartbeat Drum,” encouraging the audience to echo it back. With every round of the chorus the crowd repeated, another P1Harmony member joined in until the entire group was singing, leading into the beginning of the commanding song.
At the end of the track, Keeho spoke next, “That was a good warm-up, right? You guys feeling the heat? It is our first time at Gov Ball and we didn’t know what to expect, but thank you for showing us so much love and support! We have a very special set for you guys, and I need everyone to be as hydrated and energized as possible. Thank you guys so much for having us!”
Jongseob asked if everyone was ready to move on to the next song before giving a brief introduction of “Killin’ It” – the title track from their recent studio album Killin’ It. Notably, the full-length album marks two major milestones for the group: their first No. 1 album in Korea, and their first win on KBS’s “Music Bank.” Between their high-energy formations, intricate rap lines, and powerful vocals, P1Harmony continued to turn up the heat and really showed Gov Ball attendees what they were all about. P1ECES bopped along to the chorus and even mirrored many of the dance moves, screaming in excitement each time a different member came closer to showcase their talents during the catchy song.
“You guys know how to kill it, yeah? I can hear all of your voices through my in-ears!” Keeho exclaimed as he caught his breath. “Thank you so much for singing along. Who here is seeing us live for the first time?” he inquired. Many audience members responded to his question by raising their hands or cheering. “Thank you – are you enjoying it so far? I know many of you are also seeing a certain member for the first time on this tour!”
The crowd went wild once more as Jiung stepped up next to speak. “I was injured for a while, then I came back to you and my members. Backstage I was thinking that I’m really blessed to be in front of you – to enjoy our time [together] and make this our moment. So, thank you so much for being here. I hope you enjoy the rest of our show!”
The group then proceeded to skim some of the fan signs throughout the crowd. “It’s national BFF Day today?” Keeho read off one of the posters. “Who is here with a friend? I want everyone – even if there’s someone you don’t know next to you – to say hi for National Best Friend Day! Mingle, make some friends, because P1ECES are all very nice people!” The audience responded by turning to greet new friends around them as the group continued to read off the various signs and wished a few fans happy birthday.
“For the next few songs, we’re going to change up the vibe a little bit,” he continued. “We’re going to bring more of a sweet vibe to you guys. These songs are all going to be in English, so if you know the lyrics I want you to sing along!” With super smooth vocals and carefully synchronized moves, P1Harmony gave off a traditional “boy band” feeling as they serenaded fans through two of their more low-key tracks, “Gotta Get Back,” and “Fall In Love Again,” while P1ECES passionately sang along as requested.
After the two slow, melodious songs, they began to transition everyone into the latter part of the set. First up was their 2022 hit track, “Doom Du Doom,” and with mesmerizing choreography and memorable verses, P1Harmony immediately brought the energy back up to full speed. P1ECES put their hands up and bounced as they loudly sang along to the well-known lyrics.
Coming to the end of their set, Jiung commented, “I see everyone is enjoying this, but I think it’s time to jump together! I want to see your energy!” The audience was more than ready to jump with P1Harmony, cheering at the request.
“It’s now really time for you guys to follow us,” Keeho hinted. “This song is only fun when you guys are involved. I have two rules for you – when I say sit down, you sit down and when I say jump, you jump. Can you do that for me, Gov Ball?!” The crowd screamed in agreement as “Follow Me” began playing. The energy peaked near the end of the finale as P1Harmony asked the crowd to crouch down and then jump together, creating a wildly unified moment among P1Harmony, dedicated P1ECES, and their newly acquainted festival fans.
At the end of their performance, the group quickly expressed their gratitude while saying their final farewells, “Thank you, everyone, for your time! You were an amazing crowd, and we’ll see you again soon.” Keeho hilariously added in one final comment before rushing to depart, “Bye! I’m trying to go to Sabrina’s set!” In the same thought, fans also began running towards the other stage to catch her set, which had slightly overlapped with P1Harmony’s time slot.
Throughout the busy weekend, P1Harmony captured the attention of multiple major music platforms, including MTV, Rolling Stone, Billboard, iHeartRadio, Paper Magazine, radio stations, and more. They were the highlight of an abundant amount of social media content in the form of games, photoshoots, TikTok side quests, and interviews. In their downtime the members were also spotted checking out numerous sets during all three days, sharing personal photos of their NYC adventures across social media, and connecting with other artists backstage.
Even though their set only lasted roughly forty minutes, P1Harmony has undoubtedly instilled a lasting impression on attendees and fellow artists during the festival weekend. The group has earned many new fans and followers thanks to their dynamic performance, charming personalities, and entertaining social media presence. It can be expected that P1Harmony will remain unstoppable as they continue to achieve major musical milestones throughout their rapidly evolving career. With a full tour and major festival appearance already accomplished this year, P1Harmony and U.S. P1ECES are looking forward to the group’s next stateside performance at KCON LA 2024 next month.