I got into a bit of Boston Calling history with my friend, the festival’s organizer Mike Snow. So let’s hop in the wayback machine.
I’ve known Mike for years. He’s a Melrose kid, and I’m a Wakefield kid (by way of Greenwood), so we practically grew up down the road from each other. He’s been booking shows since he was a teenager, and he actually booked my kid brother Nate’s metal band Lunacy at the Melrose Elks back in the ’90s. I finally got the opportunity to work with Mike during my second go-round at WFNX in the early 2010s. There are few people that work harder and have more integrity than he does.
When we worked together as part of the team that launched Boston.com’s RadioBDC in 2012, he told us he’d only be staying on for the station’s launch, as he had “something else” in the works. That “something else” ended up being Boston Calling Music Festival, which debuted on City Hall Plaza in May of 2013. That’s 10 years ago, which means the festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Fun fact: this year will actually mark the 12th festival, as Boston Calling was a twice-a-year affair for the first few years and missed two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boston Calling History: Mike Snow’s Favorite Festival Moments
Mike’s actual job title is Co-Founder, but the truth is that pretty much everything you experience at Boston Calling–from the bands to the stage layout to the vendors–Mike touches. So who better to get a history lesson from? Listen to our conversation below, then dive into Mike’s Top 5 Boston Calling moments. This year’s festival takes place on Memorial Day Weekend at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston. You can buy tickets here, or you can enter to win them here.
