Kanye West debuts new songs at Governors Ball

[June 11, 2013]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Kanye West closed the three-day Governors Ball on Randall Island with a set that featured his familiar hits as well as a batch of new, darker tracks from his upcoming album.

West kicked off his set Sunday night with the song "Black Skinhead," with flashing visuals in the background, including the words "not for sale." He later performed "New Slaves" and the dark vibe of his songs was matched by his stage lighting and style.

Both tracks will appear on "Yeezus," his sixth album, which comes out June 18.

The crowd responded nicely to some of those songs, but it was lukewarm compared with West's performances of his well-known hits. There was a loud roar from the thousands in the crowd -- bunched up tightly and standing on the muddy ground -- when the beat of "Mercy" dropped. He followed that with "Cold" and earned more cheers.

West's set also included "Stronger," "Good Life," "Jesus Walks" and "All Falls Down." The rapper -- who turned 36 on Saturday -- also sprinkled new tracks in between those jams.

Guns N' Roses headlined the Governors Ball on Saturday. Kings of Leon was to headline Friday but pushed their performance to Saturday because of the bad weather.

The Lumineers, the xx, Gary Clark Jr. and the Avett Brothers also performed Sunday.

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Online:

http://governorsballmusicfestival.com/

[Associated Press; By MESFIN FEKADU]

Follow Mesfin Fekadu on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MusicMesfin.

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