Boston Calling Festival Wrap-Up
I'm still reeling from my amazing weekend in Boston at my first music festival (I know, it seems hard to believe that after all these years of going to concerts, I've never gone to a music festival. The truth is, they've always sort of "scared" me in the sense of how much money they would cost, the clusterfuck they all seem to be, that I would be alone and get lost in there or on the way or going home, etc. As well as the idea of overlapping sets and missing certain bands that I've longed to see, and being squished in amongst a crowd of literally 10s of thousands of people, sweaty, drunk, high, whatever. Just never seemed like my thing, even though I love concerts. And I had chosen to not go to Boston Calling in years past as it was previously held at Government Center, in the heart of downtown Boston and all the reviews I'd read or heard from friends was that it was everything I just mentioned. No thanks. But... this year, something changed. They decided to move the festival to Harvard University (still in the heart of Boston), on the athletic fields. And not to mention, the minute they announced the lineup and I saw TOOL as a headliner, nothing else mattered. I would pay just about any price to see them. So, I bought an early bird 3-day pass without question. Then, I looked at the rest of the lineups and was blown away. Tons of bands and artists I'd been wanting to see for years. This festival was going to be an awesome experience. I got there bright and early on Friday afternoon, having taken the day off from school (personal days are good for things like this). I was in line with hundreds of people and when the gates opened, the stream of people headed for the grounds. I went and stood in the front of the Green Stage area and waited to listen/see indie breakout star of last year, Lucy Dacus. But, the band opening the festival was a local band called Vundabar over on the Red Stage, which was across the field from the Green Stage (which I would find out, acts would swap times, one band played, there was a 5 minute wait-time, and then the next band was on at the other stage. There was also a Blue Stage about a 5 minute walk away, far enough that you couldn't hear sound from it while at the two other stages. I took this to be a well-thought out, methodical plan, in order to keep things flowing nicely from one stage to another. The only thing I didn't like is there was some overlapping of sets between the Blue Stage and the Red/Green Stage and it was rather inconvenient to make the walk and then you were stuck in a massive crowd of people that had already congested the fields, so being anywhere near the front was just not an option if you showed up late or even on time for the set to start. I found out early on that you had to claim your territory early and sacrifice a couple of sets in order to be in place for the "bigger" bands.
Friday--
Vundabar
The first band of the entire festival was this local band who sort of reminded me of Pavement and Vampire Weekend, but at times a bit heavier than both bands. They were a good band to get Friday started, which seemed to be filled with many hipster-loved bands and artists.
Lucy Dacus
Here's an artist that put out one of my favorite records last year. She's been touring as an opening act for a few bands, but I had not had a chance to see her, so I was happy to find her on the bill for Boston Calling. I positioned myself at the Green Stage right away to see her. She reminds me of Courtney Barnett and Big Thief with a mix of Conor Oberst's lyrical insight. Beautifully crafted songs and a great live show. She could potentially really breakout as a star in the next year or two. Watch out for her.
Whitney
This was a band that I honestly was fresh hearing for the first time at this festival. With the falsetto voice of the lead singer, it was reminiscent of Bon Iver, but with much less experimentation, a bit more folk and soul-infused in the sound. Overall, definitely a good live band. I was impressed. The lead singer is also the drummer. The band consists of former Smith Westerns guitarist and former drummer for Unknown Mortal Orchestra.
Car Seat Headrest
This was a band I was excited to see Friday. I'd heard amazing things about their live shows and even with a shortened set, they impressed me thoroughly. The band's music is really the brainchild of one twentysomething guy, who put together a band for the sake of touring and really cementing their sound. The live show was electricifying, too. Having self-released an album "Teens of Style" a couple of years ago, Car Seat Headrest was signed and then released an incredible album "Teens of Denial" last year which was easily one of the Top 10 albums of the year, for me. He reminds me of Conor Oberst, Bruce Springsteen and Stephen Malkmus as well as early Max Bemis (re: Say Anything). His set was filled with guitar solos aplenty and it was just amazing to watch and listen as he and the band found their groove together.
Sylvan Esso
This was a band I was interested in seeing, as I'd heard some of their music. Unfortunately, I caught about half of their set, as Car Seat Headrest's set bled into their time on a different stage, but I hung out and listened to the remainder of their set and really enjoyed what I heard. Their sound reminds me of Metric and Mates of State (if they were gloomier) as well as The xx (if they wrote less moody, melodic sounds), and it's really interesting to know Sylvan Esso is actually from North Carolina, as their sound is far more influenced by European pop, techno bands.
Bon Iver
This was the guy (okay, band) I'd been dying to see for years. And when his newest album came out last year, it quickly became one of my favorites, as I appreciated what he was attempting to do, musically, like Radiohead before him with "Kid A." This new album was a statement. Whether that statement was an in-joke amongst himself and his crowd, I didn't care. It was a very focused-unfocused, hard to listen to 29 minute album. But I fucking love(d) it. And the first half of his set really focused on his new album, and his band was tight, including a horn section, too, which just made it even more amazing. Bon Iver is a festival band, in an interesting way. You just have to see him and his band these days to appreciate and understand what I mean. And towards the end of "Holocene" and into "Skinny Love" it started to rain, which made me feel like I was in the middle of a movie scene. It was absolutely beautiful, serene, surreal, ethereal, and so much more. I just was lost in the music and didn't care that a crowd of people was around me. I was alone in that field. He was playing to me.
Sigur Ros
Icelandic band, Sigur Ros, was another band on my list of must-see's. Their orchestra-sounding rock during a rain storm at the end of the night was perfect.
Saturday---
Alexandra Savior
This girl was opening the festival's 2nd day and I was almost going to skip her and show up a bit late to the festival, but then I listened to her album on Spotify and thought she would be worth checking out. She certainly had an interesting stage presence and sound, very reminiscent of Fiona Apple and Lana Del Rey- borrowing from them the awkwardness of performing live, a bit uncomfortable for performer and audience, but her music was great. I think people were a bit confused by what they were hearing, the voice that came out of this petite blonde girl was powerful at times.
Kevin Morby
This was another artist I was actually going to skip seeing, but I am so glad I pushed myself to show up when the gates opened, because I literally just spent the day going from the Red Stage to the Green Stage and saw some amazing music. Kevin Morby was incredible. His live show was filled with excellent guitar solos, well crafted songs and a set that sort of reminded me of Bob Dylan once he decided to go electric at Newport Folk Festival so many many years ago. Kevin Morby is the former leader of the indie bands- Woods and The Babies, but having branched out on his own, this is where I've discovered him and quickly became a fan.
Strand of Oaks
I didn't exactly know what to expect with this band, as his newest album sounds rather heavy on the more electro-rock, but his live show was much more of a rock show, with extended guitar parts and solos, long-drawn out songs, lots of talk about "healing" and music as a help for that process. Clearly, the guy at the front of the band has been through enough shit in his life to fill a few albums and in fact one of his albums is titled "Heal" for that specific reason. I was glad I caught his performance as he sort of brought to mind alt-country artist Chris Stapleton.
Oh Wonder
Here's another band I surprisingly had not heard of prior to Boston Calling, yes, I'd seen their name here and there, but had never taken the time to listen to their album. They've been around for a couple of years and have clearly developed quite a following as a massive crowd gathered for their afternoon set in the heat on Saturday, singing along and dancing to every single one of their songs. I stood amongst the happy crowd (which included a guy who turned around the the muttering and coversation-having crowd and told them to "kindly shut the fuck up") and enjoyed their electro-pop heavy songs. They are an alt-pop, European duo consisting of a guy and a girl (the girl being cute and adorable as hell). They played many "old" songs but happened to lace in quite a few new songs appearing on their upcoming release "Ultralife." I was very impressed with Oh Wonder. They made a fan out of me very quickly, with a sound like CHVRCHES.
I first saw Brandi Carlile about 6-7 years when she opened for Sheryl Crow and I was instantly hooked. She was an incredible artist and live, she was even more amazing. That night, she almost outshined the main act. At Boston Calling, again, she almost stole the day from other big name acts. Her live show is just so amazing, she leaves you in awe. Her voice carries for what seems like miles, with a raspy tone to it, she sings her heart out.
Tegan and Sara
Truth be told, I saw Tegan and Sara a few years ago, when they decided to abandon their original indie folk duo sound in order to become more popular and mainstream as they adopted a techno-pop sound. Sure, their songs were way catchier, but this was the definition of selling out. And then, they recorded the unspoken theme song to "The Lego Movie" titled "Everything is Awesome." And nowadays, their live show is not very good. I was left underwhelmed and a bit disappointed, again, by the lesbian sisters, whose set is very focused on a pop show. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on ME! Take a listen to their newer stuff and make your own decision.
Here is another artist that almost literally blew me away with his live performance. Nathaniel Rateliff and his band is very much a live act and I imagine they've been making their rounds on the festivals for a few years now, having built up quite a following thanks in large part to their energetic sets that include lots of jamming, singing along and just an all around great time (that the band is clearly having on stage which is in turn transferred to the audience). It's a ruckus affair all around. The music is filled with hints of Americana and blues-rootsy music that you could have very possibly found or heard back in the 1950s and 1960s country circuits, but updated. I'm a big fan of bands like this thanks to my appreciation for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (I still miss that band, but love Grace Potter's new version of herself, too) and Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, among others, and bring to mind the older favorites like The Band. It was no wonder they were "opening" for Mumford and Sons on their headlining day of the festival, because they were the perfect band to amp up the crowd.
The xx
I was excited as hell to see The xx, as I originally bought tickets to see them at Thompson's Point (a great outdoor venue) in Portland, only to discover that they were playing Friday night in Portland, when I would be at Boston Calling, and then playing the festival Saturday night. So I sold my ticket and opted to see them at the festival. Their eletronic, dream pop rock was beautiful in the darkness of the night (but perhaps not the best band to get people ready for Mumford and Sons roots-rock show). Their tunes were mellow in nature and I fully appreciated them, since this was the first time the band had been to North America in years. Their sound is very reminiscent of early The Cure and other European indie dream-pop-esque bands.
I've been waiting years to see Mumford and Sons (so after I saw that Tool was headlining, I was excited to see that Mumford and Sons were also billed as headliners, that's the fun thing about festivals that I've discovered- there is a plethora of music to satiate all your needs). They came to Portland about five years ago for one of their first, original "Gentlemen of the Road" festival stops, but I was on a brief road trip and so I missed out. Now, I heard that festival was somewhat of a disaster (perhaps much like Friday's Boston Calling was apparently, even though I ran into no issues, many people took up issues and complained about things). Mumford and Sons, though, left no one any possible reason to complain at all. They played with a solid two hours and their energy was incredible from the first song through Marcus Mumford getting on the drums and beating the hell out of them and destroying them as they finished "Dustbowl Dance" as the pillars on the back of the stage set fire. Only to come back out for a 2nd set of equally as blistering and loud songs. If you're not a fan of Mumford and Sons, or find them overplayed and done, you clearly haven't and need to see them live. And at the end of their set, they brought out Aaron Dessner (from The National and one of the creators of Boston Calling) for their song "The Wolf" and then played an amazing version of The Beatles' "With A Little Help" with the help of more friends including Dessner, Brandi Carlile (who knocked it out of the park) and Nathaniel Rateliff. It was the perfect way to end the day/night of amazing music.
Sunday---
The Hotelier
I knew I was going to have an awesome day, because on of my favorite local MA bands was opening the day on the Blue Stage. The Hotelier began the day with an amazing set while overcast clouds were overhead. Their set was filled with fan favorites and rocked the 30 minutes they were allotted. I've seen them about 3 or 4 times now, as openers and headliners. They know how to put on a great show. And, I was really impressed with the crowd that showed up early to see them. They said it was the biggest crowd they've ever played for.
Pup
Pup was a band I had not heard of before, but was told by a colleague that I had to make sure I caught their set, and oh man, I'm glad I stayed by the Blue Stage to see them. They are a Canadian punk rock band with the energy of just that, punk rock. This is now a band I will pay attention to and hopefully see again, in a smaller venue. The crowd was energetic and sung along to every song. The first mosh pits and crowd-surfers of the day started during their set, too.
Converge
Here's a metalcore band I've been dying to see, but did not want to actually die at one of their shows since the crowds they attract tend to get crazy and the mosh pits are known to be violent affairs. So, I figured seeing them at a festival would be a great opportunity, and they were actually added to Sunday's lineup after a band, Modern Baseball, dropped out having gone on an indefinite hiatus due to mental illness. So, when hometown heroes Converge were added I was pretty damn psyched. I got right up to the front, held my own against the barricade and enjoy their barrage of songs. 45 minutes of mostly intense, quick, hard metal.
Piebald
Next up on the Green Stage was the reunion of another great, local emo band from the 1990s and early 2000's. Hometown emo heroes Piebald, who make you feel like "hey! You're a part of it!" Their set was full of great old tunes that the crowd sang along to, but perhaps one of the highlights of the afternoon was watching and encouraging the guitarist's little son as he danced and waved to the crowd before their set. It was the cutest thing ever. And then Piebald came on and reminded everyone why they have staying power. Their songs are super catchy and bring to mind other emo bands from the same time period, like Midtown and Jawbreaker.
Run the Jewels
After getting some food, I took my place at the front of the barricade for Cage the Elephant and Tool's end of the night set on the Green Stage, but was still able to hear and enjoy Run the Jewels' set from the Red Stage. It was loud enough to hear across the field and having seen them just a few months back in Portland, I wasn't upset about not being up close for their set. They blasted through a lot of their hits and definitely warmed the crowd up with their early-evening set.
Cage the Elephant
In full disclosure, I had sort of avoided Cage the Elephant because I thought they were trying to be something they weren't, trying to fit in with a specific crowd and genre. They came to Portland last year with Silversun Pickups and Foals, I didn't go to the show because I wasn't a fan of theirs, even though I love both other bands. Well, that all changed at Boston Calling. Cage the Elephant were really fucking great! Their live show is amazing, full of energy, great guitar riffs, and the singer was definitely bringing out his inner Mick Jagger, because the dude has "moves like Jagger." He strut his stuff for an hour and never stopped. He came down into the crowd, danced on the grass directed in front of me and the rest of us in the front row, came up on the barricade. Their music is perfect for a festival. I became a fan of theirs immediately.
Tool
And as 9:20p.m. rolled around, the moment I'd waited all 3 days for, and then some, actually about 5 years for (since the last time I saw Tool at the Boston Garden with my then-girlfriend). The anticipation was building as the crowd gathered. I stayed in the front row because I was not going to miss a moment of this show. The front row. At a festival. With 40k people. Tool. This was going to blow my mind. And the build up started as Adam Jones came out and messed with his guitar, making crunching sounds before Danny Carey counted the band in for the first riffs of "The Grudge." Then, it was on. A solid 90 minutes of Tool. Although they skipped their "new" song, which they've been messing around with for a few years, their set was filled with monster riffs and the perfect amount of hits and songs they stretched out for the allotted time. This was the absolute best and most perfect way to end my first festival experience and the three day festival. So, fucking amazing. I could not have asked for a better time.
Friday--
Vundabar
The first band of the entire festival was this local band who sort of reminded me of Pavement and Vampire Weekend, but at times a bit heavier than both bands. They were a good band to get Friday started, which seemed to be filled with many hipster-loved bands and artists.
Lucy Dacus
Here's an artist that put out one of my favorite records last year. She's been touring as an opening act for a few bands, but I had not had a chance to see her, so I was happy to find her on the bill for Boston Calling. I positioned myself at the Green Stage right away to see her. She reminds me of Courtney Barnett and Big Thief with a mix of Conor Oberst's lyrical insight. Beautifully crafted songs and a great live show. She could potentially really breakout as a star in the next year or two. Watch out for her.
Whitney
This was a band that I honestly was fresh hearing for the first time at this festival. With the falsetto voice of the lead singer, it was reminiscent of Bon Iver, but with much less experimentation, a bit more folk and soul-infused in the sound. Overall, definitely a good live band. I was impressed. The lead singer is also the drummer. The band consists of former Smith Westerns guitarist and former drummer for Unknown Mortal Orchestra.
-
-
-
-
-
(Lion cover)
-
-
-
-
-
(NRBQ cover)
-
(Cynthia Fee cover)
Car Seat Headrest
This was a band I was excited to see Friday. I'd heard amazing things about their live shows and even with a shortened set, they impressed me thoroughly. The band's music is really the brainchild of one twentysomething guy, who put together a band for the sake of touring and really cementing their sound. The live show was electricifying, too. Having self-released an album "Teens of Style" a couple of years ago, Car Seat Headrest was signed and then released an incredible album "Teens of Denial" last year which was easily one of the Top 10 albums of the year, for me. He reminds me of Conor Oberst, Bruce Springsteen and Stephen Malkmus as well as early Max Bemis (re: Say Anything). His set was filled with guitar solos aplenty and it was just amazing to watch and listen as he and the band found their groove together.
-
(extended intro)
-
-
-
-
(DEVO cover)
-
(with radio edit outro)
Sylvan Esso
This was a band I was interested in seeing, as I'd heard some of their music. Unfortunately, I caught about half of their set, as Car Seat Headrest's set bled into their time on a different stage, but I hung out and listened to the remainder of their set and really enjoyed what I heard. Their sound reminds me of Metric and Mates of State (if they were gloomier) as well as The xx (if they wrote less moody, melodic sounds), and it's really interesting to know Sylvan Esso is actually from North Carolina, as their sound is far more influenced by European pop, techno bands.
Bon Iver
This was the guy (okay, band) I'd been dying to see for years. And when his newest album came out last year, it quickly became one of my favorites, as I appreciated what he was attempting to do, musically, like Radiohead before him with "Kid A." This new album was a statement. Whether that statement was an in-joke amongst himself and his crowd, I didn't care. It was a very focused-unfocused, hard to listen to 29 minute album. But I fucking love(d) it. And the first half of his set really focused on his new album, and his band was tight, including a horn section, too, which just made it even more amazing. Bon Iver is a festival band, in an interesting way. You just have to see him and his band these days to appreciate and understand what I mean. And towards the end of "Holocene" and into "Skinny Love" it started to rain, which made me feel like I was in the middle of a movie scene. It was absolutely beautiful, serene, surreal, ethereal, and so much more. I just was lost in the music and didn't care that a crowd of people was around me. I was alone in that field. He was playing to me.
Sigur Ros
Icelandic band, Sigur Ros, was another band on my list of must-see's. Their orchestra-sounding rock during a rain storm at the end of the night was perfect.
Saturday---
Alexandra Savior
This girl was opening the festival's 2nd day and I was almost going to skip her and show up a bit late to the festival, but then I listened to her album on Spotify and thought she would be worth checking out. She certainly had an interesting stage presence and sound, very reminiscent of Fiona Apple and Lana Del Rey- borrowing from them the awkwardness of performing live, a bit uncomfortable for performer and audience, but her music was great. I think people were a bit confused by what they were hearing, the voice that came out of this petite blonde girl was powerful at times.
Kevin Morby
This was another artist I was actually going to skip seeing, but I am so glad I pushed myself to show up when the gates opened, because I literally just spent the day going from the Red Stage to the Green Stage and saw some amazing music. Kevin Morby was incredible. His live show was filled with excellent guitar solos, well crafted songs and a set that sort of reminded me of Bob Dylan once he decided to go electric at Newport Folk Festival so many many years ago. Kevin Morby is the former leader of the indie bands- Woods and The Babies, but having branched out on his own, this is where I've discovered him and quickly became a fan.
Strand of Oaks
I didn't exactly know what to expect with this band, as his newest album sounds rather heavy on the more electro-rock, but his live show was much more of a rock show, with extended guitar parts and solos, long-drawn out songs, lots of talk about "healing" and music as a help for that process. Clearly, the guy at the front of the band has been through enough shit in his life to fill a few albums and in fact one of his albums is titled "Heal" for that specific reason. I was glad I caught his performance as he sort of brought to mind alt-country artist Chris Stapleton.
Oh Wonder
Here's another band I surprisingly had not heard of prior to Boston Calling, yes, I'd seen their name here and there, but had never taken the time to listen to their album. They've been around for a couple of years and have clearly developed quite a following as a massive crowd gathered for their afternoon set in the heat on Saturday, singing along and dancing to every single one of their songs. I stood amongst the happy crowd (which included a guy who turned around the the muttering and coversation-having crowd and told them to "kindly shut the fuck up") and enjoyed their electro-pop heavy songs. They are an alt-pop, European duo consisting of a guy and a girl (the girl being cute and adorable as hell). They played many "old" songs but happened to lace in quite a few new songs appearing on their upcoming release "Ultralife." I was very impressed with Oh Wonder. They made a fan out of me very quickly, with a sound like CHVRCHES.
I first saw Brandi Carlile about 6-7 years when she opened for Sheryl Crow and I was instantly hooked. She was an incredible artist and live, she was even more amazing. That night, she almost outshined the main act. At Boston Calling, again, she almost stole the day from other big name acts. Her live show is just so amazing, she leaves you in awe. Her voice carries for what seems like miles, with a raspy tone to it, she sings her heart out.
Tegan and Sara
Truth be told, I saw Tegan and Sara a few years ago, when they decided to abandon their original indie folk duo sound in order to become more popular and mainstream as they adopted a techno-pop sound. Sure, their songs were way catchier, but this was the definition of selling out. And then, they recorded the unspoken theme song to "The Lego Movie" titled "Everything is Awesome." And nowadays, their live show is not very good. I was left underwhelmed and a bit disappointed, again, by the lesbian sisters, whose set is very focused on a pop show. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on ME! Take a listen to their newer stuff and make your own decision.
Here is another artist that almost literally blew me away with his live performance. Nathaniel Rateliff and his band is very much a live act and I imagine they've been making their rounds on the festivals for a few years now, having built up quite a following thanks in large part to their energetic sets that include lots of jamming, singing along and just an all around great time (that the band is clearly having on stage which is in turn transferred to the audience). It's a ruckus affair all around. The music is filled with hints of Americana and blues-rootsy music that you could have very possibly found or heard back in the 1950s and 1960s country circuits, but updated. I'm a big fan of bands like this thanks to my appreciation for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (I still miss that band, but love Grace Potter's new version of herself, too) and Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, among others, and bring to mind the older favorites like The Band. It was no wonder they were "opening" for Mumford and Sons on their headlining day of the festival, because they were the perfect band to amp up the crowd.
The xx
I was excited as hell to see The xx, as I originally bought tickets to see them at Thompson's Point (a great outdoor venue) in Portland, only to discover that they were playing Friday night in Portland, when I would be at Boston Calling, and then playing the festival Saturday night. So I sold my ticket and opted to see them at the festival. Their eletronic, dream pop rock was beautiful in the darkness of the night (but perhaps not the best band to get people ready for Mumford and Sons roots-rock show). Their tunes were mellow in nature and I fully appreciated them, since this was the first time the band had been to North America in years. Their sound is very reminiscent of early The Cure and other European indie dream-pop-esque bands.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
(Jamie xx cover)
- Encore:
-
-
I've been waiting years to see Mumford and Sons (so after I saw that Tool was headlining, I was excited to see that Mumford and Sons were also billed as headliners, that's the fun thing about festivals that I've discovered- there is a plethora of music to satiate all your needs). They came to Portland about five years ago for one of their first, original "Gentlemen of the Road" festival stops, but I was on a brief road trip and so I missed out. Now, I heard that festival was somewhat of a disaster (perhaps much like Friday's Boston Calling was apparently, even though I ran into no issues, many people took up issues and complained about things). Mumford and Sons, though, left no one any possible reason to complain at all. They played with a solid two hours and their energy was incredible from the first song through Marcus Mumford getting on the drums and beating the hell out of them and destroying them as they finished "Dustbowl Dance" as the pillars on the back of the stage set fire. Only to come back out for a 2nd set of equally as blistering and loud songs. If you're not a fan of Mumford and Sons, or find them overplayed and done, you clearly haven't and need to see them live. And at the end of their set, they brought out Aaron Dessner (from The National and one of the creators of Boston Calling) for their song "The Wolf" and then played an amazing version of The Beatles' "With A Little Help" with the help of more friends including Dessner, Brandi Carlile (who knocked it out of the park) and Nathaniel Rateliff. It was the perfect way to end the day/night of amazing music.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
(Extended Intro)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
(Extended Intro)
- Encore:
-
-
-
(with Aaron Dessner)
-
(The Beatles cover) (with Nathaniel Rateliff, Brandi Carlile, Kevin Garrett and Aaron Dessner)
Sunday---
The Hotelier
I knew I was going to have an awesome day, because on of my favorite local MA bands was opening the day on the Blue Stage. The Hotelier began the day with an amazing set while overcast clouds were overhead. Their set was filled with fan favorites and rocked the 30 minutes they were allotted. I've seen them about 3 or 4 times now, as openers and headliners. They know how to put on a great show. And, I was really impressed with the crowd that showed up early to see them. They said it was the biggest crowd they've ever played for.
Pup
Pup was a band I had not heard of before, but was told by a colleague that I had to make sure I caught their set, and oh man, I'm glad I stayed by the Blue Stage to see them. They are a Canadian punk rock band with the energy of just that, punk rock. This is now a band I will pay attention to and hopefully see again, in a smaller venue. The crowd was energetic and sung along to every song. The first mosh pits and crowd-surfers of the day started during their set, too.
Converge
Here's a metalcore band I've been dying to see, but did not want to actually die at one of their shows since the crowds they attract tend to get crazy and the mosh pits are known to be violent affairs. So, I figured seeing them at a festival would be a great opportunity, and they were actually added to Sunday's lineup after a band, Modern Baseball, dropped out having gone on an indefinite hiatus due to mental illness. So, when hometown heroes Converge were added I was pretty damn psyched. I got right up to the front, held my own against the barricade and enjoy their barrage of songs. 45 minutes of mostly intense, quick, hard metal.
Piebald
Next up on the Green Stage was the reunion of another great, local emo band from the 1990s and early 2000's. Hometown emo heroes Piebald, who make you feel like "hey! You're a part of it!" Their set was full of great old tunes that the crowd sang along to, but perhaps one of the highlights of the afternoon was watching and encouraging the guitarist's little son as he danced and waved to the crowd before their set. It was the cutest thing ever. And then Piebald came on and reminded everyone why they have staying power. Their songs are super catchy and bring to mind other emo bands from the same time period, like Midtown and Jawbreaker.
Run the Jewels
After getting some food, I took my place at the front of the barricade for Cage the Elephant and Tool's end of the night set on the Green Stage, but was still able to hear and enjoy Run the Jewels' set from the Red Stage. It was loud enough to hear across the field and having seen them just a few months back in Portland, I wasn't upset about not being up close for their set. They blasted through a lot of their hits and definitely warmed the crowd up with their early-evening set.
Cage the Elephant
In full disclosure, I had sort of avoided Cage the Elephant because I thought they were trying to be something they weren't, trying to fit in with a specific crowd and genre. They came to Portland last year with Silversun Pickups and Foals, I didn't go to the show because I wasn't a fan of theirs, even though I love both other bands. Well, that all changed at Boston Calling. Cage the Elephant were really fucking great! Their live show is amazing, full of energy, great guitar riffs, and the singer was definitely bringing out his inner Mick Jagger, because the dude has "moves like Jagger." He strut his stuff for an hour and never stopped. He came down into the crowd, danced on the grass directed in front of me and the rest of us in the front row, came up on the barricade. Their music is perfect for a festival. I became a fan of theirs immediately.
Tool
And as 9:20p.m. rolled around, the moment I'd waited all 3 days for, and then some, actually about 5 years for (since the last time I saw Tool at the Boston Garden with my then-girlfriend). The anticipation was building as the crowd gathered. I stayed in the front row because I was not going to miss a moment of this show. The front row. At a festival. With 40k people. Tool. This was going to blow my mind. And the build up started as Adam Jones came out and messed with his guitar, making crunching sounds before Danny Carey counted the band in for the first riffs of "The Grudge." Then, it was on. A solid 90 minutes of Tool. Although they skipped their "new" song, which they've been messing around with for a few years, their set was filled with monster riffs and the perfect amount of hits and songs they stretched out for the allotted time. This was the absolute best and most perfect way to end my first festival experience and the three day festival. So, fucking amazing. I could not have asked for a better time.
-
-
-
(with added jam)
-
(New Version)
-
-
-
-
-
-
- (-) Ions
-
(Extended Version)
Comments
Post a Comment