Review: Aly & AJ Break Away From ‘Potential Breakup Song’ With Their 2022 Governors Ball Performance
Aly & AJ aren’t Disney Channel kids anymore. The sister duo is doing bigger and better things, performing at New York City’s Governors Ball Music Festival — highlighting songs off of A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up On Your Feet Gets You Out and then Into the Sun.
All that was missing? An angsty jam to “Potential Breakup Song.”
Aly and AJ performed at Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City
Less than a year following 2021’s Governors Ball, this music festival returned to Citi Field. With Kid Cudi as the headlining artist, other notable performers at Friday’s Governors Ball included Jack Harlow, Quinn XCII, A$AP Ferg, and beabadoobee.
“Like Whoa,” “Stomach,” and “Slow Dancing” artist Aly & AJ also performed on this festival date, also partnering with Gov Ball to release exclusive merchandise.
Aly & AJ make Governors Ball a ‘pretty place’ with their Friday performance
As one of the first acts of Friday’s Gov Ball lineup, Aly and AJ stormed the Gopuff stage. In the process, these artists curated the perfect festival vibes, complete with Aperol Spritzes, a green ribbon wrapped around a tambourine, and bright, breezy songs from their 2021 release, A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up On Your Feet Gets You Out and then Into the Sun.
In highlighting their 2021 album, Aly and AJ shed their Disney Channel roots to make room for a new era. As a result, one notable absence from this performance was “Potential Breakup Song.”
The sisters thanked the crowd and went backstage, leaving fans wondering if they would do an “encore” of their biggest track. They didn’t. The overall crowd consensus was… confusion?
Even when the duo performed at Webster Hall earlier this year, they included “Potential Breakup Song” in the setlist — performing the recently re-recorded version of the hit for Manhattan listeners.
With a crowd that may not be filled with diehard Aly and AJ fans, the obvious choice would include songs that attendees could sing along with. They also excluded “Like Whoa” from their Governors Ball setlist, another surprising choice considering the artists debuted an “A&A Version” in 2022.
On the Gov Ball Instagram account, the sisters appeared in a throwback Reel, with attendees mentioning the lack of throwback songs in the set. One comment said, “But they didn’t play ‘potential breakup song,’” earning 22 likes.
“They didn’t even perform ‘breakup,’” another attendee wrote. Even if Aly and AJ brought sunny, summer vibes to New York City, their performance at the music festival left listeners surprised, confused, and maybe even a little disappointed.
Aly & AJ will appear as an opening act for Ben Platt’s 2022 tour
With their headlining tour officially over, Aly & AJ announced their future 2022 plans, including a performance at Austin’s City Limits Festival and appearing as an opener for Ben Platt’s fall tour.
Fans can listen to Aly & AJ’s newest songs, including “Dead on the Beach,” on most major streaming platforms.
