Top Moments from Governors Ball 2017

Leah Neuberth
Lorde at Governor's Ball
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 02: Lorde performs on day 1 of the Governors Ball music festival at Randall’s Island on June 2, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Burak Cingi/Redferns)

Governors Ball, produced by Founders Entertainment, returned to New York City for its 7th consecutive year this past weekend. The festival took place on Randall’s Island with a lineup that encompassed a broad range of music genres including top-known rappers, up and coming indie bands, and several prominent electronic and dance musicians. Among this year’s headliners were Chance the Rapper, Lorde, Childish Gambino, Wu-Tang Clan, Phoenix, and Tool, just to name a few. Here are some of the weekend’s best performances that left the audience screaming for more:

Francis & the Lights

Francis Farewell Starlite, of Francis & the Lights, performed early Friday afternoon in the intimate setting of the Bacardi Tent. The musician played songs from his latest album, Farewell, Starlite! and kept everyone moving and on their feet throughout his entire set. At one point the musician even began quickly climbing up the side of the stage, causing the crowd to roar with excitement. The audience then went wild at the end of the performance as Chance the Rapper ran out onto the stage to perform the infamous choreography from “May I Have This Dance” alongside Francis.

Phoenix

Phoenix, a rock band yielding from Versailles, France, closed out Saturday night’s show with an electric set. The band performed in front of an angled mirror that showed the group from above and a mesmerizing light show at their feet. The group seemed truly happy to be performing and included hits from each of their albums, allowing the crowd to sing along with fan favorites. Performing like a true rock star, lead vocalist Thomas Mars crowd-walked out to the middle of the audience during “1901,” causing fans to completely lose it before he made his way back to the stage and ended the show.

Chance the Rapper

Chance the Rapper attracted audience members of all ages to his headline performance Friday night. The crowd was tightly packed, but still managed to dance and jump throughout the entire set. Highlights of his performance included the Kanye West video tribute during “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” and “Ultralight Beam,” and “All Night”; as well as and Francis & the Lights performing on stage during “May I have This Dance (Remix)”. While there was quite a bit of talking from the artist between sets, it was nice to see the performer express gratitude and connect with his fans.

Lorde

Lorde mixed in crowd favorites such as “Royals” with songs from her new album during her performance Friday evening at the main stage. The young star performed her new single “Perfect Places” for the first time and closed out the show with fan favorite “Green Light.” She explained how her personal life had attributed to her music, and managed to impress every member of the audience with her poise and talent.

Saint Motel

Saint Motel, an American indie-pop band, brought extraordinary energy to the crowd at the main stage on Saturday afternoon, performing well-known hits such as “Cold Cold Man“ and “Puzzle Pieces.” The crowd was overjoyed with the smooth sounds of the saxophonist during “My Type” and went wild during “Sweet Talk” after front man A/J Jackson jumped over the barricade to dance with fans. The band’s energy combined with the blue sunny skies made for a perfect set to dance to.