Summer in New York doesn’t really begin until Governors Ball weekend. Every year, the long-running festival takes over Randall’s Island Park in the middle of the Harlem River and brings with it some of the biggest stars and buzziest new acts. This year was no different with headline performances from Jack White, Travis Scott, and Eminem, plus unforgettable appearances from Wolf Alice, Slaves, N.E.R.D., Billie Eilish, Diplo and Mark Ronson‘s Silk City, and so many more. Check out the live action from Governors Ball 2018 below.
Slaves
Slaves kicked things off in fiery form on Friday (June 1), with a ferocious and funny performance on the Main Stage.
Slaves
When the duo were done, they took a novel approach to making their exit – climbing off stage and skipping through the crowd to a nearby bar.
Maggie Rogers
The much buzzed about Maggie Rogers previewed new music and recent singles ‘Fallingwater’ and ‘Split Stones’ during an impressive and emotional debut performance at the New York festival.
Wolf Alice
Wolf Alice closed their US tour with an early afternoon performance on the Bacardi Stage, showing no matter what time they play they’re always an unbeatable live force.
Shawn Mendes
Canadian teen pop star Shawn Mendes drew one of the biggest crowds of the weekend as he mixed tracks from his self-titled new album with older hits like ‘Stitches’.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs continued their celebration of 15-year-old debut album ‘Fever To Tell’ by returning to the city that birthed the record.
Jack White
Jack White headlined the Main Stage on Friday night, bringing White Stripes classics and his own complex blues-rock solo tracks to NYC.
Travis Scott
Saturday night (June 2) headliner Travis Scott teased his upcoming album ‘AstroWorld’ for an enormous crowd, opening his set with the unreleased ‘Stargazing’.
Silk City
Diplo and Mark Ronson debuted their Silk City project, which pays homage to “great dance music cities” like Paris, Detroit, Chicago, and London, on Saturday night (June 2).
2 Chainz
Georgia’s 2 Chainz was on top form as he brought recent EP ‘The Play Don’t Care Who Makes It’ to the Honda Stage.
Pusha T
Push took a break from beefing with Drake to replace Brockhampton on the line-up on Saturday, and his fans made it clear whose side they were on, chanting “Fuck Drake” between tracks.
The Gaslight Anthem
The Gaslight Anthem celebrated the 10th anniversary of their ‘The ’59 Sound’ album by playing the record in full on the Honda Stage.
Eminem
Eminem closed out the festival with a guest-filled set on Sunday (June 3). Phresher, Skylar Grey, Royce da 5’9″, and 50 Cent all joined him on stage.
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish drew a passionate and extremely loud crowd to her American Eagle set. Fans sang her lyrics back at her with such force the teen star was barely audible in parts.
Kali Uchis
Colombian-American singer Kali Uchis treated the Gov Ball audience to flawless renditions of songs from her debut album ‘Isolation’.
Margo Price
Margo Price brought some country flavour to the weekend with her wry and wonderful set on the Bacardi Stage.
N.E.R.D.
The recently returned group, led by Pharrell Williams, dropped classics (‘Lapdance’, ‘Rockstar’), a Neptunes medley (Migos’ ‘Stir Fry’, Snoop Dogg’s ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’), and new bangers (‘Lemon’) in front of a huge audience on the Honda Stage.
The Struts
Derby’s The Struts brought out their finest outfits for their showcase of their glam-rock tunes.
Governors Ball 2018
Fireworks shot out from behind the Main Stage, with a stunning view of the Manhattan skyline in the background, as the festival came to a close on Sunday night. See you next year, Gov Ball!
