Gallery: 6 Acts We're Still Not Over From Governors Ball 2017

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Gallery: 6 Acts We're Still Not Over From Governors Ball 2017

Check out photos from our weekend on Randall's Island!

Reviews

Jun 25, 2017 | Taylor Irwin

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If you stepped foot onto Randall's Island this year between June 2-4, chances are you were living your best life. Governors Ball 2017, much like the six editions that came before it, brought the crème de la crème to the table, offering festival-goers the ideal live music experience. Featuring acts from every genre under the sun, the weekend was overflowing with mind-boggling performances, some of which we'd waited years to see (cough, Wu-Tang Clan, cough).

While the festival has come and gone, we've rounded up a list of the sets we can't stop mentally clicking "Rewind" on. Check it out below, then re-live the entire weekend by viewing all the photos we snapped onsite!

1. Chance The Rapper

Acid-rapper turned Top 40 hitmaker, Chance the Rapper is in every way, shape, and form what 2017 needs right now. Both his music and live sets are brimming with good energy, and never has this been more apparent than at his headlining Gov Ball set on Friday night. Wizzing in on a motorcycle to "Mixtape", the Chicago native melted minds and hearts as he moved through bangers off his latest album, Coloring Book. Fans in attendance who'd been rocking with him since day one were ecstatic to hear "Cocoa Butter Kisses", which he followed up with "All We Got" and "May I Have This Dance". Francis and the Lights joined him onstage for the latter track to dust off their infamous, choreographed dance for fans, who could be seen mimicking the duo's moves throughout the crowd. My personal favorite moment, though? When he broke into a robot voice, saying, "Would you like to turn up right now?," switching to an English accent, "Would you like to turn up right now?" before leading into the song of the summer, "I'm The One".

2. Mac Demarco

Anytime Demarco kicks off a set with "Salad Days" you know his fans are going to lose all sense of chill. Showing no signs that he had jetted overseas for the mid-day performance (he had just played at Primavera Sound in Spain two days earlier), the goofy multi-instrumentalist jammed in the rain to songs of his latest LP, This Old Dog alongside his backing band. Halfway through the show, a fan threw an alien doll onstage, prompting the Edmonton native to use it as a prop throughout his set. "Alien—aw, he's sleepy. It's okay, take a nap," he joked before letting it rest in front of his mic. The best-moves-of-the-entire-weekend award, however, would have to go to his guitarist/keyboardist, Andrew White, who managed to perform while also prancing around onstage, one leg in the air at a time.

3. Wu-Tang Clan

Holy. Hip. Hop. This performance, which marked the 20th anniversary of their iconic album, Wu-Tang Forever, was a celebration in every sense of the word. Champagne, surprise appearances (shout out to Redman), and a recreation of the Park Hills Projects—this set blew the lid off Gov Ball 2017. With W's in the air for as far as the eye could see while anthems like "C.R.E.A.M.", "Shimmy Shimmy Ya", and "Triumph" blared through the speakers, Wu-Tang looked stronger than ever in the presence of their hometown crowd. Closing out the show with an a capella rendition of "Protect Ya Neck"? Absolutely priceless.

4. Childish Gambino

When Donald Glover waltzed in front of what appeared to be the largest crowd that amassed all weekend, I did not know that his only set of 2017 would soon be one of my favorite shows of all time. Dressed in an monochromatic ensemble complete with a matching headwrap, he jumped right into it with "Me And Your Mama", the opening track off his 2016 LP, Awaken, My Love. A cosmic take on his album artwork appeared behind him, as he addressed the crowd for the first time speaking about his choice to perform in New York City, saying, "This is the only place I wanted to do it. I'm so grateful and proud that you guys are here. I'm going to try to blow the sh$t off this motherfu#$%r." I can now say with confidence that the "Riot" musician/actor/writer is a man of his word. Leading us through songs off his latest LP and a few off of Because The Internet, Gambino dazzled the crowd (and later all of YouTube), before admitting that his next album would be his last. My advice? The next time he announces a show, whether it's in 2018 or beyond, run, do not walk, to a computer to purchase tickets.

5. Charles Bradley

Three words to describe Charles Bradley in a live setting? Soul, sequins, and sass. Since releasing his debut album at the age of 62, the "Changes" musician has been dominating the festival scene, exuding the same, if not more, onstage finesse than musicians half his age. His awe-inspiring set at Randall's Island was everything I was hoping for and more—filled with passion and funky bass lines. At one point towards the end of the show, after he belted through fan favorites like "How Long" and "Nobody but You", he began tossing red roses in the crowd, one by one. This man is a class act, through and through.

6. Logic

The Good Vibe Express Train was driven by the Maryland rapper on Sunday night, and we were all lucky to be onboard. Logic used his headlining set to preach about positivity, acceptance, and the importance of "one-love" before taking time to thanks fans individually for being there. This core-shaking performance was made even more special after the "Take It Back" musician informed the crowd that this was the first time he would be performing music from his May LP, Everybody, in a live setting. The cherry on top? When The Fault in Our Stars star, Ansel Elgort joined the emcee onstage for "Killing Spree", giving rise to one of the most Instagrammable moments of the weekend.

See More Photos From Governors Ball 2017 Below!

Arizona

ASAP Ferg

Barnes Courtney

Cage the Elephant

Car Seat Headrest

Franz Ferdinand

Judah & The Lion

Kehlani

Local Natives

Lo Moon

Lorde

Michael Blume

Majid Jordan

Mondo Cozmo

MUNA

Phoenix

Rae Sremmurd

Ron Gallo

Saint Motel

Schoolboy Q

The Orwells

Tkay

Tool

Tove Lo

Vant

Warpaint

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