Governors Ball Friday pics (Chance, Lorde, Schoolboy Q, more)
The 2017 edition of Governors Ball kicked off yeserday (6/3). Unlike previous years that have been plagued by rain and storm related cancellations, Friday’s weather was nice all day, except for a brief interlude of rain in the middle of the afternoon. (Some people ran to take cover under trees and tents, while others raged all the harder to Charli XCX, who was singing “I Love It” during the squall.) People who have been attending the festival for the past few years will find the setup familiar, but there are a few changes. The Honda Stage has been revamped and switched places with the Big Apple Stage, and the Bacardi Tent stage is also higher than it’s been in previous years. Fewer food trucks are on the hill stage right off the GovBall NYC stage, which means more tree-shaded area to sit in. There’s also a new “Best Kept Secret” 21+ area near the West Gate Entrance that promises shade and craft cocktails (we didn’t make it over there yesterday – did you?)
In the wake of a terror threat at German festival Rock Am Ring and the recent attack in Manchester, security presence has been beefed up quite a bit this year, as well.
Chance the Rapper, who last played GovBall in 2014 and made a surprise appearance at Williamsburg club Schimanski on Thursday night for a GovBall After Dark event, headlined Friday. His set included a version of his verse on Kanye West’s “Ultralight Beam,” guest appearances from Ty Dolla $ign (for “Blessings”) and Francis and the Lights (for “May I Have This Dance”), and fireworks. Like he did recently at Boston Calling, Chance made an appearance during Francis and the Light’s set earlier in the afternoon, as well.
Friday at GovBall also had sets from Lorde (who, like Chance, ended her set with fireworks), Flume, Majid Jordan, Beach House, Schoolboy Q, Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem (DJ set), Danny Brown, Michael Kiwanuka, Tove Lo, Bleachers, Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires, Charli XCX (who brought out CupcaKKe for “Lipgloss”), Kehlani, Francis and the Lights, and more. We also caught popup performances from a Mariachi band and Bollywood dancers. Pictures from some of those sets in the gallery above; more pictures from Friday HERE. More from the rest of GovBall still to come. Watch videos of a couple of Friday’s special guest appearances below.
During Lorde’s set, she brought out Bleachers main member Jack Antonoff (who co-wrote and co-produced a handful of songs on her upcoming album Melodrama and recorded it at his studio) to cover Robyn‘s “Hang With Me” (not for the first time). Video of that is below.
GovBall continues today with sets from Phoenix, Childish Gambino, Kevin Parker vs Mark Ronson, Wu-Tang Clan, Local Natives, The Head and the Heart, A$AP Ferg, YG, Rae Sremmurd, Stormzy, The Range, Car Seat Headrest, and more. Check out the set times HERE. For more on NYC festivals, see our NYC Festival Guide.
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most photos by Amanda Hatfield; Beach House photos by Toby Tenenbaum
