Recap: Boston Calling Delivers First Class Music Festival Experience for 7th Installment

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Sia closes out the first day of Boston Calling Music Festival on May 27th, 2016 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

With its assortment of female powerhouse vocalists, EDM duos, and synthy alt-rock groups, Boston Calling was business as usual this year.  Check out some of the highlights from the weekend below.

Friday, May 27:

Sia:

One of the most anticipated acts of the festival, Sia did not disappoint.    Besides a change in cast, the set was not much different than her explosive Coachella performance: blank white stage, Sia off to one side, and stunning dancing throughout.  The crowd ate Sia's polished performance right up.

Sufjan Stevens:

Before Sia, we were treated to the neon-splashed, balloon-covered spectacle that was Sufjan Stevens.  With intricate bird wings and waving inflatable people, this quirky performer's visuals stole the show.  Stevens told the crowd that, after singing songs about death on tour for the past year, he was ready to have some fun.  With the crowd on board, his performance was nothing but fun.

Saturday, May 28:

Robyn:

As the last act of the night, Robyn turned Boston Calling into a night club.  Instead of performing song-by-song, the swedish turned her discography into a single 90-minute dance remix.  Oh, and she didn't stop dancing the entire time.

Odesza:

Odesza performs on the second day of Boston Calling Music Festival on May 28th, 2016 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

Odesza was one of the few true EDM performances we've seen thus far at Boston Calling.  The duo performed with a full band, including a full horn section, in front of a giant LED screen.  The crowd was treated to a series of colorful visuals reminiscent of the group's album covers.  One of the bigger names in the festival circuit this year, Odesza was a blast.

Miike Snow:

In contrast to previous tours, Miike Snow's festival performance was a more intimate take.  There was a lot of love in the crowd for their three new singles ("I Feel the Weight", "Heart is Full", and especially "Genghis Khan").  Though it was clear that their classic "Animal" was the crowd favorite.

Sunday, May 29:

Disclosure:

Disclosure closes out the third day of Boston Calling Music Festival on May 29th, 2016 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

The star EDM duo had a fantastic performance to close out the weekend.  The stage became a wall of LED screens showing crude outlines of star vocalists faces in the style of their album covers.  Disclosure brought some of the biggest cheers of the whole weekend, especially with their hits "Magnets" and "Latch".  The group also was the only group with an encore, bringing out special guest Brendan Reilly.

Haim:

The Haim sisters brought mounds of energy to the red stage.  The stage was a dazzling array of old-school theater-style lights and giant mirror screens.  With sing-alongs and banter between songs, Haim engaged the crowd more than any other performer this weekend (for instance, the sisters explained how "My Song 5" came about after the three sisters "were cheated on someone in the same damn week").  The trio even brought an earlier band, Christine and the Queens, back on stage to keep the party going.

Janelle Monáe:

Monáe's act was polished perfection.  Dressed in black and white and arriving Hannibal Lecter-style to the stage, Monáe was a fiery performer.  The superstar devoted her show to powerful messages of feminism and racial equality.  Highlights include a touching Prince tribute, a spot-on cover of the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back", and her mega-hit "Yoga".

Conclusion:

Boston Calling organizers proved once again (for the 7th time) that they know how to throw a seamless, trouble free music festival in the heart of a bustling city. With a diverse line up with acts  in almost every genre, there was something for everyone. Combine the great artist lineup with a hefty selection of local food and beer options, it would be hard not to have a good time. It will be interesting to see how well Boston Calling scales to an even bigger music festival, as the event's organizers recently announced an expansion for 2017. If this 7th installment of the music series is any indication, though, expect it to be another unforgettable weekend. 

Boston Calling Announces Expansion of 2017 Acclaimed Music Festival

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Future home of Boston Calling Music Festival in 2017.

Boston Calling Music Festival organizers announced Friday that this year's festival will be the last one to take place on City Hall Plaza. Instead, the 2017 festival will move to Allston, MA onto Harvard University's Athletic Fields, allowing for more stages, more artists, and more fans. Most notably, Boston Calling will be teaming up with Academy-Award winning actress Natalie Portman to create a film festival during the weekend. 

Tickets for the 2017 Festival go onsale soon. Boston Calling Music Festival will next take place in 2017 over Memorial Day weekend. 

Concert Review: Boston Calling Music Festival Returns for Historic Fall Edition

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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.

Concert Review: Boston Calling Music Festival Ends With A 'Bang'

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Nas perfoming at the Boston Calling Music Festival on September 7th, 2014 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

Though the ugly weather has come and gone, the Boston Calling Music Festival marches on for one more day!

The day got rolling with great band after great band.  Gentleman Hall, San Fermin, and White Denim all gave startlingly terrific live performances, all with slightly different niches at that.

San Fermin put on amazing show.  This band had a lot of unique characteristics; echo-y horns and violin and two lead singers (one male, one female) were featured in this performance.  White Denim had a uniquely Rock'n'Roll attitude, making them stand out strikingly from the crowd.  They ended their set with a bang or, in the lead singer's case, three broken strings violently ripped from his guitar.

The War on Drugs and Lake Street Drive were more low-key, having more of a feel-good attitude compared to the acts before and after.

Twenty One Pilots performing at Boston Calling Music Festival on September 7th, 2014 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

Next came a definite crowd-favorite: Twenty-One Pilots.  Cheers arose as the duo took the stage donning their iconic balaclava masks for the first few songs.  This act was as loud, reckless, and abundantly energetic as it gets, with both members working every inch of the stage.  Highlights included a drumming platform held by the audience, ukelele renditions of Ace Hood's "Bugatti" and Beyonce's "Drunk in Love", and the duo's own hits "Car Radio" and "House of Gold".

The 1975 was up next, bringing some modern british-rock to the Boston Calling scene.  A hit with the younger festival fans, lead singer Matt Healy even invited one lucky teenager to sit on stage with the band while they performed.  The festival erupted for their big hit "Chocolate".

A huge fan-favorite at the festival this year was Spoon.  Spoon performed songs from all over their repertoire, including "Got Nuffin", "The Underdog", "Don't You Evah", "Who Makes Your Money", and "Knock Knock Knock".  Spoon's special brand of psychedelic rock was well complimented by the festival setting, and it was a performance that few will forget any time soon.

The Replacements kept the rock trend going, playing loud enough for all of Boston to hear.  Still, the anticipation was palpable for the final act of the night...

Nas took the stage, earning the loudest cheer at the Boston Calling Music Festival to date.  The crowd erupted as Nas went through his half of the set.  Nearly every audience member joined in for chants of "I know I can/Be what I wanna be/If i work hard at it/I'll be where I wanna be."  Soon, The Roots joined in for one perfect marriage of sound.  It was the best end to the best weekend of music in Boston. 

See more photos from day 3 of Boston Calling Music Festival in the gallery below:

Concert Review: Boston Calling Day 1

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Boston Calling Music Festival (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

The Commuter Rail is packed, Faneuil Hall is a buzz & great music is resonating through the streets surrounding Government Center, meaning only one thing... it must be time for another Boston Calling Music Festival!

Little has changed in the setup from last fall to now, with both stages relatively close together opposite Boston City Hall.  Most of the setup was familiar: the beer garden, lemonade stands, food trucks-turned tents, even a small convenience store.  There's nothing revolutionary this year, but Boston Calling has refused to lose its charm in its fourth rendition.

Future Islands performing at Boston Calling Music Festival on September 5th, 2014 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

Now to the acts:  The night was kicked off by a passionate performance by Future Islands.  This performance had the quintessential festival sound: loud, ringing synths, echo-y guitars, etc.  However, up their sleeve were unique, deep, growly vocals which added a bit of texture to that familiar concert vibe.

Up next was the long awaited Neutral Milk Hotel.  The crowd erupted in cheers as lead singer Jeff Mangum opened the performance with nothing more than his voice and a guitar.  Shortly after, the band ran on stage to join in for "Holland in 1945", and the night was off.  The clear crowd favorite was the collective three-part of "King of Carrot Flowers", especially with the heavy rock tempo of part 3.  Their setup was simple, nothing more than a lit stage with instruments and microphones.  Nevertheless, this is a band that needs nothing more than their music to captivate the audience.  Mangum performed solo again for "Two-Headed Boy", marking a lull before the final few songs.  In a clever attempt to start a singalong, Mangum claimed to have a virus making it conveniently hard to sing the hugely popular "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea".  It was an honor to see the elusive Neutral Milk Hotel in concert, and words can only do a poor job to explain how amazing a performance they put on.  If you have the chance to see them live, don't even hesitate.  Just see them.

The night ended with an old friend to Boston Calling: The National.  A mellower performance, this performance was a great end to a great night.  Highlights included calls from the audience of "Everything I love is on the table/Everything I love is out to see" during "Don't Swallow the Cap" and their hit "Bloodbuzz Ohio".  The National released viewers back into the night in a trance-like haze, making it the perfect ending for this surreal first night at Boston Calling.

See photos from the first day of Boston Calling below: