Hozier played Day 3 at Boston Calling Music Festival on September 27th, 2015 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

Boston Calling Music Festival was held for its third year this past weekend at Boston City Hall. The weather was nothing short of festival perfection for its biannual autumn 2015 lineup. Though Government Center station is under construction right next to the festival site, the two stages and the City Hall backdrop still nicely framed the enclosed location.

Boston Calling outdid itself this year in relation to the atmosphere day-to-night. JetBlue made flower crowns with real flora in front of its customers, a beer garden nestled under rows of trees, and lawn games decorated patches of grass near the back of the venue. KIND handed out granola bars as well as flowers to passing festivalgoers. Bubbles floated through the crowd from a machine tucked in a corner of City Hall. Stands, such as Tasty Burger, and Wagamama, kept customers satisfied with quality-made food. During the nighttime, multicolored lights lit up the outdoor sections of City Hall and string of lights hung from trees. The entire atmosphere was extremely enjoyable and laidback – one could feel the happy vibe ebbing throughout the audience.

Day 1 & 2:

Friday’s notable performance was Of Monsters and Men – an act that is familiar with Boston Calling due to their performance at Boston Calling Spring 2013. Their performance this fall included their hit, “Little Talks,” that certainly pleased the first-night crowd.

Highlights from Saturday began as the sun started to set. Walk the Moon, Chromeo, and Chvrches all left notable impacts on the growing crowd. alt-J headlined the festival Saturday night with a trippy light show seen through clouds of puffed smoke in the audience.

Walk the Moon, known for their recent hit “Shut Up and Dance,” set a lighthearted mood for Saturday evening. Lion King’s “Circle of Life” was the band’s entrance song; lead singer Nicholas Petricca emerged with a recognizable hot pink Mohawk. Blue beach balls floated through the crowd. Part way through the set, Petricca commented, “I love Boston people. They’re so sassy.”

The band was an enjoyable transition into Chromeo’s high-energy funk set. The duo turned up the party atmosphere in a now almost-full Boston Calling crowd. Audience members closer to the stage held blue light sticks that ferociously bounced to the beat. Now that the sun had completely set, the lighting and fog machines amped up Chromeo’s set.

Chvrches followed Chromeo, and their music attained a more electronic/pop rock sound. Their lead singer, Lauren Mayberry, rocked a cute and quirky vibe relative to the lead singer of Florence + The Machine. Mayberry told the audience that the band had not performed in Boston since before their first album came out, so their Boston Calling performance held significance in being back in the city. They performed a combination of songs from their two albums The Bones of What You Believe and Every Open Eye including “Clearest Blue” and “The Mother We Share.”

alt-J rounded out the Saturday lineup with their headline performance. Their indie rock vibe complimented this fall’s artists for the festival. The energy was high as the crowd filled both sections in front of the stages. alt-J played a favorite, “Fitzpleasure,” as well as others from their most recent album This is All Yours. Though Saturday’s performers were memorable, Sunday’s lineup certainly stole the show for the whole weekend.

Day 3:

Nate Ruess performed Sunday evening. Ruess, known as a member of the band fun, began the string of Sunday’s highlights. Ruess sang multiple notable fun songs including “Some Nights,” “We Are Young,” and “Carry On.” In addition, he performed his hit with Pink, “Give Me a Reason.” Recognizable song after recognizable song created a satisfied audience that enjoyed Ruess’s identifiable, high-pitched voice. Ruess sang in front of a colorful background that promoted his first solo album, Great Romantic, which came out this past summer. This solo album included the hit “Nothing Without Love” that Ruess performed last night. It was a strong opening evening performance.

Hozier was Boston Calling’s strongest performance the entire weekend. The Irish native sang from his 2015 album, Hozier, including the well-known hit “Take Me to Church” that concluded his set. In addition, “Work Song” and “Jackie and Wilson” were strong performances. Hozier’s electric guitar skills and deep, rich vocal sound create his successful musical identity. He even mastered two completely different genre covers: The Beatles’s “Blackbird” and Ariana Grande’s “Problem.” Both were arguably better than the originals. The crowd seemed to cheer loudest for Hozier as he was certainly one of the biggest stars of the weekend.

Alabama Shakes headlined after Hozier. The band’s soulful rock sound filled the festival area. Their lead singer, Brittany Howard, is breaking American rock band stereotypes as a black woman who can rock harder than many male lead singers on the charts right now. Back up singers and eclectic band members filled out her sound. “Dunes,” from their new album, Sound and Color, is one of their newer songs; it reflects the vibe of the band’s music. Its soulful yet edgy rhythm is catchy and enjoyable. Alabama Shakes perfectly ended the laidback Boston Calling festival, as concertgoers now look forward to the release of Spring 2016’s lineup in the coming months.