Behold, The 8 Most Surprising Moments From Gov Ball 2024

Festival season is in full swing, and the latest one to bring forth instantly iconic moments is New York’s very own Governor’s Ball. This marks the second year since the fest moved from Citi Field to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and the urban-infused park setting was the perfect place to bring out all the artists who have been on heavy rotation this summer. No, seriously, Gov Ball’s 2024 lineup was full of Cosmo faves from cover girl Sabrina Carpenter to headliner and newfound country crooner Post Malone. Of course, delightful loose cannon Reneé Rapp and your favorite artist’s favorite artist Chappell Roan also shut down the stage with incredible performances. And that’s not even half of it!

Music festivals—especially ones set in the heart of New York City—bring out another side of their performers. A few Cosmo editors hit up Gov Ball this year (and yes, we did the “Hot to Go!” choreography in real time, tysm) and witnessed truly chaotic moments as they unfolded on stage. Ahead, find the most surprising moments from Gov Ball 2024.

Chappell Roan Doing the Most During Her Gov Ball Debut

The Midwest Princess swapped her camouflage-print clothing for a camp NYC-inspired getup as she arrived in a “Big Apple” bong dressed as the Statue of Liberty. Her performance not only kicked off on a high note (heh) thanks to her look, but she also displayed an “Am I Gay?” quiz on the jumbotron behind her before giving heartfelt emotional speeches surrounding liberation.

While introducing her fan-favorite hit, “My Kink Is Karma,” Chappell revealed that she recently turned down an opportunity to perform at the White House. “In response to the White House, who asked me to perform for Pride,” she said, “we want liberty, justice, and freedom for all. When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.”

She also performed an unreleased ballad, “Subway,” for the first time while dressed as a yellow taxi. Her range!

Reneé Rapp, G Flip, and Melissa McCarthy Attending Chappell Roan’s Performance

Chappell’s set drew in one of the largest crowds all weekend—including fellow performers Reneé Rapp and G Flip. Melissa McCarthy also appeared during the breakout star’s set, where they all jumped, sang, and danced to “Hot to Go!”

Peso Pluma Revealing He Fractured His Foot During His Performance

Just a little bit into the performance, Peso Pluma revealed that he broke his foot due to the slanted stage. But after a staff member brought him a chair (and Peso threw it off the stage), the singer was back to work dancing and even jumped into the crowd to say hi to his fans.

Dominic Fike Claiming That the “Most Beautiful Women in the World” Live in NYC

Aside from... ^ carrying a literal child on his shoulders during his effortlessly cool Gov Ball performance, Dominic agreed with Bob Dylan’s prophecy that New York is “the capital of the world.” “The most beautiful women in the world reside in New York City, and if that doesn’t make a place the capital of the world, then I don’t know what the fuck does,” he mused on stage.

FLO’s Backup Dancers Almost Missing Their Set

The R&B trio carried their performance with matching distressed army green outfits plucked from the 2000s and killer harmonies, so naturally, we didn’t even notice that something was missing. Four songs into their Gov Ball debut, the UK-based girl group introduced their dancers—who are dubbed the “Fly Girls” after their track of the same name—and revealed that they nearly missed their set due to traffic.

Sabrina Carpenter Performing “Please, Please, Please” for the Very First Time

It might not have been surprising to see her perform it so soon, especially with the number of “Please, please, please sing ‘Please, Please. Please’” signs in the crowd. But fans did not miss a single beat or word proving that she has another big hit on her hands.

Carly Rae Jepsen Wielding a Sword (Yes, Again)

Back in 2018, Carly’s fandom gathered together on Tumblr (WHERE ELSE?!) to give her a sword and the prophecy was fulfilled a few months later at Lollapalooza.

The tradition continues years later at Gov Ball with not just one but TWO swords—and we’ve never felt more safe.

Post Malone and The Killers Both Performing With the Same Fan

Yep, it’s true—a fan in the crowd at both Posty and The Killers’ sets was brought up on the main stage to perform with each act as he held up a sign with the request. He and another fan joined Post Malone on stage to play an acoustic rendition of his 2018 track “Stay” on the guitar Friday night. The next day, he hopped on the drums to perform “For Reasons Unknown” with The Killers.

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