Boston Calling really outdid themselves this year! Over 50 artists performed in the three-day festival including Alanis Morissette, Queens Of The Stone Age, The National, The Flaming Lips, Bleachers, Niall Horan, King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, Maren Morris, and many many more exceptional talents! 40,000 fans gathered with their best cowboy boots, western hats, fringed jackets, ombre sunglasses, glittered lashes, quirky signage and glow-in-the-dark bracelets.
The festival ran all day Friday-Sunday during Memorial weekend at the Harvard Athletic Complex located in Allston, MA. Below are a few highlights from this year’s festival which marks the tenth set for Boston’s biggest music festival!
If you recognize the lyrics “I’m mean because I grew up in New England,” that is by none other than Vermont native and now Watertown resident, Noah Kahan.
Devoted One Direction fans flooded the Blue Stage area to sing “Story of My Life” alongside Niall Horan who also debuted a new song at sunset-a truly magical experience for fans and Horan alike who admitted this was his first music festival performance.
Paramore closed out the festival with a bang! From flaming confetti to fiery sparklers shooting from the stage while “Misery Business” blasted through the crowd. Williams invited a fan to sing on stage with her, and sing she did! Sami Joe won over Bostonian’s hearts with her gobsmackingly confidant composure as the biology teacher from Nashville piped out an energetic solo of the chorus from “Misery Business.” Shortly after all of Boston was chanting “Sami Joe.”
And it wouldn’t be a music festival without stellar eats and outfits to compliment the tunes. Dunkin hosted a cabana that kept festivalgoers literally running on Dunkin, with fresh delicious complimentary cups of joe and munchkins available all day long. Fans could cool off on the inside, sip some iced coffee and snap a pic on the giant donut swing!
A fabulous array of local vendors also took care of hunger pangs with crunchy chicken and fries from Lily P’s, sandwiches from Flour Bakery & Cafe, Greek food from Greco, and so many more yummy eats! A cold cone from Fomu kept audiences cool during Sunday’s blistering heat and the Ferris wheel and old-timey concessions added a little nostalgia to the otherworldly festival where the outfits, music and energy make you feel more at Woodstock than Harvard.
All we can say is next year’s festival can’t come soon enough!
Boston Calling music festival at Harvard Athletic Complex, 65 N Harvard St, Boston, MA 02163