New York City was buzzing by the time it hit 8 p.m. on Friday, June 5. In Madison Square Garden, the Knicks were in the process of winning their first NBA championship in 53 years. In Queens, many fans were anxiously awaiting Lorde’s headlining set at Gov Ball.

The New Zealand native strode confidently onto the stage in her signature tracksuit, glitter in her hair. She immediately caught the crowd’s attention by doing something unexpected — instead of opening with one of her hits or a track off of her latest, 2025 album “Virgin,” she performed an unreleased song. Without a word, she focused her attention on a synth board at the edge of the stage and repeated a line about “being gone and not wanting to be found.” This choice contributed to an intimate and refreshing atmosphere that continued throughout the night. Lorde’s raw emotion — prevalent in her lyrics and vocals — made her set feel less like a performance and more like a conversation with the audience.

After that first song, it was hit after hit, moving from “Royals” to “What Was That” in the beginning to create and sustain momentum. Most of the night still drew heavily from “Virgin,” with selections like “Broken Glass,” “Favourite Daughter,” “The Louvre,” “Current Affairs,” and “David” — fitting, given the record’s focus on her move to New York. Lorde balanced those with older fan favorites – “Perfect Places,” “Shapeshifter,” and “Buzzcut Season” all in a row, and later in the set performing “Green Light” and a solo rendition of her “Girl, so confusing” remix with Charli xcx. She followed this collaborative track with “Man Of The Year.” This unique sequential choice in the setlist — a slower, reflective song preceding a club mix — worked perfectly in capturing the crowd’s attention.

Lorde’s last Gov Ball appearance antecedent her “Melodrama World Tour” in 2017. Though she claimed to be nervous, it didn’t show — the performance was flawlessly executed and emotionally moving.

Her visuals were stunning and tailored to each song, with a clear distinction between each moment: camera angles from the water fountain where she refilled her bottle, a mirrored floor she jumped across, and a floating platform high above the stage. During “David,” a massive banner reading the lyric, “I DON’T BELONG TO ANYONE,” spread out over the crowd for the fans to hold together. Mid-set, Lorde delivered an ethereal performance of “Oceanic Feeling,” preceded by a reflective speech about an increasingly unjust world. She urged the crowd to let their “real selves show,” even if there are “jagged edges.” Fittingly, during “Liability,” she projected old videos of herself onto her own body, a nod to how far the artist has come since the last time she stood on the Gov Ball stage.

Throughout the night, she ensured the inclusion of more fan favorites, such as “Supercut,” “Ribs,” and “Team,” as well as sonically dramatic songs “Hammer” and “Hard Feelings/Loveless.” Gov Ball’s first evening ended with fireworks, screaming fans, and for many, a subway ride into Midtown to celebrate the Knicks’ victory.

—Staff Writer Julia J. Downey can be reached at [email protected].