By Rebecca Sirull, inside editor
Now in its second year and fourth installment, Boston Calling has grown into a highly-anticipated staple event in the Boston student experience. Each season the festival adds new touches for attendees, from the addition of an extended 11 p.m. curfew to live installation art and free giveaways, making each concert experience even better than the last. While some elements, like the weather, remain out of the organizers’ control, die-hard fans keep coming back, not only for the musical lineup, but also for the festival atmosphere that reflects the city they call home. Unlike some of the larger music festivals, Boston Calling maintains an intimate feel, bringing together diverse groups of people from around the city to celebrate the cause that binds them: the love of music. This year, The Huntington News counts down the top eight memorable moments of the biggest welcome-back party in the city.
1. The resurrection of Neutral Milk Hotel
Known for their unusual and sometimes dissonant musicality, enthralling lyricism and use of a variety of instruments, Neutral Milk Hotel has garnered something of a cult following in the two decades since the release of their first album. Started by lead singer and guitarist Jeff Mangum in 1989, the band was most active between 1994 and 1998, after which they went on an indefinite hiatus. While Mangum or the full band would, on very rare occasions, perform secret shows, it wasn’t until 2012 that they fully re-emerged, performing at Coachella. Following a 2013 tour, Neutral Milk Hotel has now made its way back to Boston and will continue performing at a variety of venues. Their performance at Boston Calling included many of their most popular songs, like “Holland 1945” and “Two-Headed Boy,” to the delight of the crowd. It was also reflective of the band’s history, as the show started out with Mangum singing alone onstage, then continued with the rest of the band joining, and alternated between the full band and just Mangum for the rest of the performance.
2. The National’s mellow conclusion to Friday night
From the paper rather than cloth wristbands to the shorter lineup, Friday is overall the most relaxed festival day of the three. It eases concertgoers into the more hectic and busy weekend ahead, and the artist selections for the night align perfectly with that atmosphere. The National took the stage for their second year at Boston Calling, led by the rich baritone of singer/songwriter Matt Berninger, whocalled to the crowd, “We’re very happy to be back here. It’s amazing to see how it’s grown.” While the rock band occasionally added a more grungy tone to their songs, for the most part they stuck with the mellow instrumentals and smooth vocals that fit the scene. Their lingering notes floated over the crowd that slowly trickled out, closing out a balmy Friday night.
3. The saxophone solo heard round the plaza
Recently formed in 2013, indie pop band Bleachers made up for their lack of experience with an added dose of energy in their Saturday performance. They kept the crowd moving throughout their entire set with head-bobbing beats and an infectious sound, capped off with the vocals of Fun. guitarist Jack Antonoff. In addition to playing fan favorites like the popular “I Wanna Get Better,” the band catered to the millennial crowd with a cover of the ‘90s hit “Dreams by the Cranberries.”
“Bleachers was probably my favorite,” middler music industry major Rebecca Kreps said. “Even though I wasn’t up at the front, they just put on an amazing performance.”
However, the highlight of their performance came during their rendition of “You’re Still A Mystery,” when the keyboardist stepped to the front and stole the show on a saxophone. The unexpected solo gained huge cheers from the crowd and added a whole new element to the performance.
4. This festival brought to you by thunder and lightning
Weather reports on Saturday warned of thunderstorms, but their predictions finally came true around 6 p.m., right after a performance by The Hold Steady. Festival organizers announced that the plaza would need to be evacuated, ushering all attendees outside the gates as stage crew members rushed to cover equipment in plastic tarps. As people wondered aloud when they would be let back inside and if any artists would be cancelled, staff members urged everyone to check their Twitter feed for updates.
“It’s an interesting story to tell and they handled it really well for what they could do,” Ziggy Chesley, a sophomore film studies and anthropology major at the University of Vermont, said. “I mean, you can’t control the weather.”
In the end, two bands, Volcano Choir and Girl Talk, had to be cut from the lineup, allowing for hour-long performances each by Lorde and Childish Gambino. While some festival-goers were upset by the unanticipated change, most went on to enjoy the rest of the night.
5. Team Lorde vs. team Gambino
While the storm had its downsides, some fans of Lorde and Childish Gambino decided to use it to their advantage. Be
cause of the evacuation, coveted spots at the front of each stage were suddenly vacant and ready to be claimed by whoever could sprint to them first. When the Boston Calling Twitter feed announced that doors would be opening shortly, huge crowds gathered, eagerly anticipating the moment
when they would pledge their allegiance to one of the two performers. Once the floodgates opened, fans streamed across the plaza towards the two stages, shouting in joy and basking in their newly gained positions in the crowd. The renewed enthusiasm continued throughout the two performances, with the anticipation caused by the weather delay adding another layer of energy to the audience.
“Lorde and Childish, the combination of the two back to back was pretty incredible, in terms of the scene,” middler political science major Stacey Anderson said. “I think for Childish’s performance, everyone seemed to enjoy it.”
Both artists ran through some of their biggest hits, like Lorde’s “Royals” and Childish G
ambino’s “Heartbeat.” As the final act of the night, Childish Gambino kept the energy level high and his audience engaged, making for a fun ending to the second day.
6. Lake Street Dive gives its heart and soul
Unlike the typical blend of indie-pop and alt-rock that dominates the music festival scene, Lake Street Dive brought a jazz/soul twist that resonated with audiences for both its unconventional sound and pure musicality. Founded in Boston in 2004, the band is comprised of four former New England Conservatory students. Lead singer Rachael Price stole the hearts of audience members with her deep, bluesy voice that perfectly complemented her band mates’ skillful instrumentation. While not many audience members knew the words to their songs, the band drew a sizable crowd that continued to expand throughout their set and garnered audience praise.
“Their front woman Rachael Price is awesome, man she can belt the blues and she’s got soul like no other and hips that do not lie,” third year graphic design major Nathan Hulsey said. “They kept it really minimal but they still put on a great show, very talented musicians, so I was really happy about that. I hadn’t heard anything from them and all of a sudden they got on there and just rocked.”
7. twenty one pilots cover Beyoncé on electric ukulele
Twenty one pilots offers a lot to its audiences: solid vocals and musicality, interesting lyrics and above all a performance that could only be described as a party. Starting off wearing their trademark ski masks, they kept the show light and fun from the beginning. Lead singer Tyler Joseph joked with the audience “I wrote this on the way here” before launching into segments of popular songs like “Drunk in Love,” “All I Do Is Win” and “Bugatti” on the electric ukulele. The antics continued with drummer Josh Dun doing a backflip off the piano, Joseph walking on the hands of the crowd and Dun bringing an entire drum set on a platform to be held up by the crowd while he played it. At one point Joseph encouraged everyone to get in on the fun by instructing them to get on each others’ shoulders at his command.
“Their energy was so unreal,” junior history major Ellie Shin said. “They just seemed so excited to be on the stage and performing for us, and in turn that made me so excited to be watching them. Even though I wasn’t familiar with their music before, they just gained a new fan.”
8. Nas and The Roots close out the weekend
In the minutes before Nas was set to take the stage, the energy in the crowd was palpable as the entire plaza shifted focus to the last performance of the weekend. Even people standing so far back that the stage was barely visible cheered like they were first row when Nas came out, enthusiastically shouting along with his more popular lines. After about 30 minutes of solo performance, he was joined by The Roots for a few songs, before turning over the spotlight.
“They killed it,” middler graphic design major Evan McEldowney said. “Nas’ energy was just really high and I’d never been to a real rap show before so it was interesting to see someone speak that fast. There was just so much raw energy in the crowd and The Roots were also amazing in terms of their instrumentation. I had always seen them on TV, but to see some of those guitar solos was just crazy.”
While Nas was the clear focus of the two, The Roots provided a pleasant ending to the show, playing out the crowds who gradually made their way to the exit.
Bonus: Girl gets pulled onstage by the 1975, takes a selfie in classic millenial style
Put together catchy pop beats, edgy rocker style and a swoon-worthy British accent and you’ve got a deadly combination bound to make any screaming teenage girl fall in love. One of them became the envy of the rest as she was called onstage during the 1975’s Saturday performance. Crowdsurfing her way to the front, she climbed onto the platform, mouth agape, hands covering shocked face, only taking a break to fan tears out of her eyes. However, it wasn’t long before the iphone came out and the lucky lady began training her camera on the crowd, herself, lead singer Matt Healy, herself again, switch to video for a close-up of Healy’s face, and switch back to herself, this time featuring the infamous duck face. At the very least that selfie should get her a decent number of likes on Instagram.
After all the excitement, Boston Calling finally came to an end, City Hall Plaza fell quiet again and the festival-lovers of Boston were left to wait in anticipation for next spring when they could experience the whole thing again.
Photos courtesy Mike Disnik, Boston Calling
