On September 7th and 8th hundreds gathered in the center of Boston to listen, dance, and enjoy some of the public’s favorite music. Boston Calling music festival took the heart of Boston, City hall Plaza, and turned it into an all day gathering filled with loud music, good food, and general joy throughout the lucky ticket holders.
Both days, the 7th and the 8th, were sold out. The tickets, which sold for $75 for a day, $130 for both days and up to $350 for a both day VIP pass, went fast. Children under 10 had a free entry if brought along. Considering around ten bands played per day the concert was relatively affordable.
The Lineup for the festival consisted of some of today’s most known Rock bands. The show did not consist of only Rock; however, there were genres such as Indie Rock, Rap, Folk, and Alternative Rock. Vampire Weekend and Passion Pit headlined for the two days but were also joined by such names as Local Natives, Kendrick Lamar, The Gaslight Anthem, The Airborne toxic event, and about twelve other names in the music industry.
The festival doors opened at 12pm, but the music began at 12:50pm and continued on until 10:30pm. The length of time the bands played gradually increased as the day went on. The headlining band, the last band, played for the longest.
The music being played was excellent. The bands had enormous stage presence and the crowds seemed to enjoy every band that played. The festival had many bands that sounded the exact same in person as they do on the recording. Many festival goers seemed to enjoy the Headlining bands the most. Dancing and singing along was a regular activity throughout the day as multiple songs with performed and many bands took the stage; lighting up the stages with flashing lights and exceptional vocals.
Many of the musicians that played the show would walk around the festival and listen to the other bands play after they were done playing. They would talk to fans that came up to them and stand in the crowds listening to the music. It’s not at every festival that you might run into the lead singer of your favorite band walking around ready to hold a conversation, but at Boston Calling it is possible.
Before the band Local Natives came out to begin their set, the mayor of Boston came out to say a few words. Mayor Thomas Menino came out onto the stage taking the microphone to share his views on the festival. Mayor Menino is a major supporter of the arts and bringing the culture that comes with the arts to his city. Menino is a major supporter of the festival and spoke of what bringing the arts to Boston meant to him. Mayor Menino then went on to introduced Local Natives (Which the band later brought up several times throughout their time on stage) and was lead offstage to watch the show with the rest of his fellow Bostonians.
Security at the festival was heightened. Due to recent events that have taken place in the city, such as the Boston Marathon and the recent events occurring due to the “Molly” drug, new regulations were put into place. No bags were allowed into the festival and upon entering the festival grounds genders had to be separated in order to be checked and patted down. When being checked, certain bag sizes were allowed to be brought into the square after being thoroughly gone through, but bags in general, backpacks were not allowed to be carried with the person.
The festival had two stages set up to be used throughout the day. Only one stage was used at a time considering the amount of space the Square has. There were food and drink tents set up all over the square offering the traditional festival type food. Burgers, fried dough, chicken fingers, fries, and lemonade were all on sale for around $6 a piece. There was a VIP section for those who purchased the VIP tickets, which offered shade from the sun and extra food and drink tents.
Boston Calling Music Festival has been held once before. Earlier this year, on the weekend of May 25th and 26th, the festival was also held in City Hall Plaza. The Festivals were almost identical; the only difference was in the line-ups. The May Boston Calling had performers such as Andrew Bird, Marina and the Diamonds, The Shins, and fun. When the two festivals are compared the music genre that the festival focuses on becomes clear.
Boston Calling is a Music Festival that brings big music names to the heart of the city of Boston. It brings culture to the center of City. It allows for a gathering of people to spread joy through good music and enjoy their lovely city. Boston Calling officials hope to bring the festival back to Boston next year.
The festival doors opened at 12pm, but the music began at 12:50pm and continued on until 10:30pm. The length of time the bands played gradually increased as the day went on. The headlining band, the last band, played for the longest.
The music being played was excellent. The bands had enormous stage presence and the crowds seemed to enjoy every band that played. The festival had many bands that sounded the exact same in person as they do on the recording. Many festival goers seemed to enjoy the Headlining bands the most. Dancing and singing along was a regular activity throughout the day as multiple songs with performed and many bands took the stage; lighting up the stages with flashing lights and exceptional vocals.
Before the band Local Natives came out to begin their set, the mayor of Boston came out to say a few words. Mayor Thomas Menino came out onto the stage taking the microphone to share his views on the festival. Mayor Menino is a major supporter of the arts and bringing the culture that comes with the arts to his city. Menino is a major supporter of the festival and spoke of what bringing the arts to Boston meant to him. Mayor Menino then went on to introduced Local Natives (Which the band later brought up several times throughout their time on stage) and was lead offstage to watch the show with the rest of his fellow Bostonians.
The festival had two stages set up to be used throughout the day. Only one stage was used at a time considering the amount of space the Square has. There were food and drink tents set up all over the square offering the traditional festival type food. Burgers, fried dough, chicken fingers, fries, and lemonade were all on sale for around $6 a piece. There was a VIP section for those who purchased the VIP tickets, which offered shade from the sun and extra food and drink tents.
Boston Calling Music Festival has been held once before. Earlier this year, on the weekend of May 25th and 26th, the festival was also held in City Hall Plaza. The Festivals were almost identical; the only difference was in the line-ups. The May Boston Calling had performers such as Andrew Bird, Marina and the Diamonds, The Shins, and fun. When the two festivals are compared the music genre that the festival focuses on becomes clear.
Boston Calling is a Music Festival that brings big music names to the heart of the city of Boston. It brings culture to the center of City. It allows for a gathering of people to spread joy through good music and enjoy their lovely city. Boston Calling officials hope to bring the festival back to Boston next year.
By: Madison Forsberg
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