Now that Memorial Day Weekend is in the rear view mirror, some Boston Calling highlights to share from the festival.
ROCK 92.9 was on hand for all three days of Boston Calling Music Festival. Adam 12 kicked off the weekend on Friday afternoon with a live broadcast from the Heineken Green Glass Dive. And from there on, we brought the fest to you all weekend long.
If you're not following ROCK 92.9 on Facebook and/or Instagram, you should be. We were all up in your feed with sights and sounds from all three days of the festival. I've hand-picked some of the best Boston Calling highlights to share below, so keep scrolling.
Boston Calling Highlights: Friday
JVK - Since debuting just a few years ago, the Orange Stage has quickly become Boston Calling's secret weapon. It's a showcase for a diverse array of local talent, and Boston trio JVK brought some real rock energy to the growing crowd on Friday night.
Leon Bridges - The Texas singer-songwriter's vibe is best described as neo soul, but there's so much more when he plays live. Mr. Bridges and a solid backing band blended soul, R&B, rock and even a bit of funk into the mix in what was my standout set of the day.
Boston Calling Highlights: Saturday
Khruangbin - I'm a huge fan of this Texas (mostly) instrumental trio. I've seen them live in a club setting; they're enthralling. I was impressed by their ability to hold the attention of the daytime festival crowd. I only wish they'd been booked for Friday, as they've collabed with Leon Bridges.
Frank Turner - Best set of Friday. Which is no surprise, as Frank Turner always gives it his all, be it a big music fest or a small radio session. I had the pleasure of chatting with the man before his set. Watch the video below or over here.
Boston Calling Highlights: Sunday
Tysk Tysk Task - I started day three with the Orange Stage opener, Lowell's Tysk Tysk Task. I first caught them at the 2023 Rock & Roll Rumble and they were outstanding. Their noisy-yet-melodic take on grunge keeps getting sharper and clearer. A stylish set.
The Killers - So here's the deal. I enlisted my 15-year-old to write a bit about The Killers Sunday headlining set. And they stiffed me. What can I say? They're finishing up freshman year of high school, so they get a pass. Check out a clip from The Killers' Paradise set instead.
Boston Calling Past Lineups: 2013-2023
Boston Calling Music Festival has been a mainstay for a decade. Let's revisit Boston Calling past lineups leading up to this year's festival.
Boston Calling launched in May of 2013, so the 2023 edition marked the ten year anniversary of the festival. But, as I've noted before, there have been more than ten Boston Calling Music Festivals. Because there were two per year for the first three years.
From 2013 through 2015, there was a festival in the spring and another in the fall. This was also when it all took place in Boston proper at City Hall Plaza. Two stages, right next to each other, with staggered set times. Right in the heart of the city. I loved those early years.
Boston Calling Past Lineups: Moving From Boston to Allston
In 2016, Boston Calling beefed up the lineup and went to the once-a-year model that we're used to today: a three-day festival taking place on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend. 2016 also marked Boston Calling's final year on City Hall Plaza.
For me, it was bittersweet. I had worked at and attended all but the very first Boston Calling Music Festival and had some amazing musical memories of the festival in that space. All told, we ended up with seven Boston Callings at City Hall Plaza. Quite the run.
Boston Calling Past Lineups: 2013-2023
2017 marked the first festival to take place at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston. Bigger space, bigger lineup, bigger stages (with a third one added, then a fourth in 2022). With the two-year hiatus due to COVID, there have now been five festivals in Allston.
So even though we're past the ten year anniversary mark, there have been a baker's dozen of Boston Calling Music Festivals. Next best thing to 12. Let's take a look back at some of those Boston Calling past lineups.
Boston Calling Spring 2013
The very first Boston Calling, and the only one I've missed: I was away for Memorial Day Weekend!
Boston Calling Fall 2013
Remember when Boston Calling would split the festival between spring and fall dates? I do. Local Natives were a standout this year, and interviewing Lucius was luscious.
Boston Calling Spring 2014
Death Cab and Modest Mouse were standouts, but Frank Turner stole the show(s).
Boston Calling Fall 2014
I got to see The Replacements live on City Hall Plaza on a late summer night and that's a performance I'll never, ever forget.
Boston Calling Spring 2015
To this day, my all-time favorite Boston Calling lineup. Beck, Pixies, My Morning Jacket, Ben Harper, Tenacious D, Tame Impala, St. Vincent, Run The Jewels, Sharon Van Etten, and Boston's own Krill. Just stupendous.
Boston Calling Fall 2015
The final of the spring/fall split festivals. Memorable because it was the very first music festival my kids attended. The 10-yr-old dug Alt-J and the 7-yr-old was all about CHVRCHES.
Boston Calling 2016
The final festival on City Hall Plaza. I miss that location; there was something singular about having Boston Calling in the heart of the city. Charles Bradley, quite literally, stole the show. At the beginning of his set, there were but a handful of people in front of his stage. By the end, the entire festival field hand congregated. A magical moment from a magic man.
Boston Calling 2017
2017: the year Boston Calling moved to Harvard. Tool was the big draw, of course, but my favorite sets came from Nathaniel Rateliff, Sylvan Esso, Piebald, Frightened Rabbit, Converge, Buffalo Tom, and The Hotelier.
Boston Calling 2018
More stacked sets by the Charles River. Fleet Foxes, St. Vincent, Thundercat, Belly, Pussy Riot, Alvvays, and Weakened Friends were my faves.
Boston Calling 2019
The tenth Boston Calling Music Festival. Lots of alums from past festivals returned to join the celebration.
Boston Calling 2020
The Boston Calling that never happened. It was supposed to be Foo Fighters, Rage Against The Machine, and Red Hot Chili Peppers headlining, remember?
Boston Calling 2022
Nine Inch Nails, The Strokes*, and Metallica headlining? With bands like Cheap Trick and Weezer on the undercard? I'll take it. *The Strokes tapped out due to COVID, so it was back-to-back nights of NIN. Perfection.
Boston Calling 2023
Foo Fighters, finally. And sets from Queens of the Stone Age and Paramore. But Yeah Yeah Yeahs were a late scratch, replaced by Dropkick Murphys. Quite the lineup to mark 10 years of Boston Calling Music Festival.
