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Boston Calling Music Festival

{{Short description|Boston-based music festival}}

{{Redirect|Boston Calling|the former radio program|The World (radio program){{!}}The World (radio program)}}

{{Infobox music festival

| name = Boston Calling Music Festival

| image = Boston Calling Music Festival stage in 2014.jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption = Fall 2014

| genre =

| dates = May
26–28 May 2023

| location = Harvard Stadium, Boston, Massachusetts

| years_active = 2013–2019, 2022–

| founders =

| attendance = 40,000

| capacity =

| website = {{URL|http://bostoncalling.com/}}

}}

Boston Calling Music Festival is a Boston-based music festival. The festival debuted in May 2013 and previously took place twice a year, May and September, at City Hall Plaza. The festival reportedly attracted 20,000–22,000 fans with its earlier editions, eventually drawing roughly 40,000 festival goers in 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.wbur.org/artery/2017/05/31/boston-calling-debrief|title=So Boston Calling Got A Lot Bigger ... And Other Thoughts|website=www.wbur.org|language=en|access-date=2019-06-08}}{{cite web|url=https://huntnewsnu.com/58435/city-pulse/boston-calling-may-be-losing-local-roots-as-it-keeps-growing/|title=Boston Calling may be losing local roots as it keeps growing|last=Buchman|first=Riana|date=2019-03-14|website=The Huntington News|access-date=2019-06-08}} In May 2016, Boston Calling announced it would move to the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston in May 2017 and transition to one festival per year, with the new space allowing the addition of more music stages and the inclusion of stand-up comedy performers.{{cite web|url=https://www.boston.com/culture/music/2016/05/27/boston-calling-is-moving-to-allston-and-nixing-its-september-edition|title = Boston Calling is moving to Allston and nixing its September '16 edition|website=Boston.com}}

Boston's Calling's line-up is co-curated by Aaron Dessner of The National and is produced by Crash Line Productions, a Boston-based entertainment production company which also produces Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Performers of past Boston Callings have included Sia, The National, Beck, My Morning Jacket, Brandi Carlile, Of Monsters and Men, Fun., Kendrick Lamar, Passion Pit, Vampire Weekend, Modest Mouse, Airborne Toxic Event, Disclosure, Clairo, Eminem, Twenty One Pilots, Travis Scott, Tame Impala, Nine Inch Nails and Metallica.

Mass surveillance

The city of Boston spent $650,000 to test IBM software that monitored concertgoers from existing security cameras in May and September 2013. Videos from the test were later found online by DigBoston, which reported on it in August 2014.{{cite web|url=https://digboston.com/boston-trolling-part-i-you-partied-hard-at-boston-calling-and-theres-facial-recognition-data-to-prove-it/|title = Boston Trolling (Part I): You Partied Hard at Boston Calling and There's Facial Recognition Data to Prove It|website=Digboston.com|date = 7 August 2014}} Though the city decided not to buy the software, it was criticized for not notifying concertgoers.{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/09/07/boston-watching-city-acknowledges-surveillance-tests-during-festivals/Sz9QVurQ5VnA4a6Btds8xH/story.html|title = City used high-tech tracking software at '13 Boston Calling - the Boston Globe|website = The Boston Globe}} Participants in the test were reportedly able to search for people by head color, skin tone, clothing texture, and baldness. The program could monitor the number of persons at the event and whether anyone was in a restricted area.

Lineups

Boston Calling was previously held twice a year in May and September. The festival's first two editions were two-day events. In its second year, Boston Calling expanded to three days.{{cite web|title=Past Lineups|url=http://bostoncalling.com/pastlinups.html|website=Boston Calling|publisher=Crash Line Productions|access-date=2015-07-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150729114853/http://bostoncalling.com/pastlinups.html|archive-date=2015-07-29|url-status=dead}}

=Spring 2013=

The first Boston Calling, held May 25 and 26, 2013 featured:

Fun., The National, The Shins, Of Monsters and Men, Young the Giant, Marina and the Diamonds, Andrew Bird, Matt & Kim, Portugal. The Man, Dirty Projectors, Ra Ra Riot, Cults, The Walkmen, Youth Lagoon, MS MR, St. Lucia, Caspian, and Bad Rabbits.

=Fall 2013=

The second Boston Calling, held September 7 and 8, 2013 featured:

Vampire Weekend, Passion Pit, Kendrick Lamar, Local Natives, Major Lazer, The Gaslight Anthem, The Airborne Toxic Event, Wolfgang Gartner, Solange, Bat for Lashes, Flosstradamus, Deer Tick, Okkervil River, Flume, Lucius, Big Black Delta, You Won't, and Bearstronaut.

=Spring 2014=

The third Boston Calling, held May 23, 24 and 25, 2014 featured:

Jack Johnson, Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, The Decemberists, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Brand New, The Head and the Heart, Tegan and Sara, Bastille, Jenny Lewis, Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, The Neighbourhood, Phosphorescent, Built to Spill, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Walk Off the Earth, Warpaint, Cass McCombs, Maxïmo Park, The Districts, Tigerman WOAH!, and Magic Man.

=Fall 2014=

File:Boston City Hall illuminated for Boston Calling Fall 2014.jpg

The fourth Boston Calling, held September 5, 6 and 7, 2014 featured:

The National, Lorde, The Replacements, Nas x The Roots, Neutral Milk Hotel, Childish Gambino, Spoon, Girl Talk, The 1975, Volcano Choir, Twenty One Pilots, The War on Drugs, The Hold Steady, Lake Street Dive, Bleachers, White Denim, Sky Ferreira, Future Islands, San Fermin, S. Carey, CliffLight, and Gentlemen Hall.

=Spring 2015=

The fifth Boston Calling, held May 22, 23 and 24, 2015 featured:

Beck, Pixies, My Morning Jacket, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Tenacious D, Tame Impala, St. Vincent, TV on the Radio, Marina and the Diamonds, Jason Isbell, Gerard Way, Tove Lo, Chet Faker, Run the Jewels, The Lone Bellow, Sharon Van Etten, Jungle, MØ, ILoveMakonnen, DMA's, The Ballroom Thieves, and Krill.

=Fall 2015=

The sixth Boston Calling, held September 25, 26 and 27, 2015 featured:

The Avett Brothers, Alt-J, Alabama Shakes, Hozier, Of Monsters and Men, Chvrches, Ben Howard, Chromeo, Walk the Moon, Nate Ruess, Father John Misty, Sturgill Simpson, MisterWives, Gerard Way and the Hormones, Daughter, Twin Shadow, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Fidlar, Doomtree, Gregory Alan Isakov, Grizfolk, Bully, Dirty Bangs, and Grey Season.

=Spring 2016=

The seventh Boston Calling, held May 27, 28 and 29, 2016 featured:

Sia, Disclosure, Robyn, ODESZA, Sufjan Stevens, Haim, Miike Snow, Janelle Monáe, City and Colour, Courtney Barnett, Elle King, The Front Bottoms, BØRNS, Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires, The Vaccines, Vince Staples, Battles, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Christine and the Queens, Lisa Hannigan and Aaron Dessner, Lizzo, Palehound, and Michael Christmas.

=2017=

The eighth Boston Calling, held May 26, 27 and 28, 2017 for the first time at the Harvard Athletic Complex, featured:

Chance the Rapper, Bon Iver, Sigur Ros, Migos, Mac Demarco, Sylvan Esso, Car Seat Headrest, Francis and the Lights, Deerhoof, Whitney, Lucy Dacus, Vundabar, Xylouris White, Mumford and Sons, The xx, The 1975, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Tegan and Sara, Brandi Carlile, Majid Jordan, Oh Wonder, Danny Brown, Cousin Stizz, Russ, Strand of Oaks, Moses Sumney, Kevin Morby, Tkay Maidza, Alexandra Savior, Tool, Major Lazer, Weezer, Cage the Elephant, Run the Jewels, Flatbush Zombies, Converge, Piebald, Wolf Parade, Frightened Rabbit, Buffalo Tom, PUP, Hiss Golden Messenger, The Hotelier, and Mondo Cozmo.

=2018=

The ninth Boston Calling was held on May 25, 26 and 27, 2018 at the Harvard Athletic Complex. The headliners were Eminem, The Killers and Jack White.

;Line-up

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= 2019 =

The tenth edition of the festival. Boston Calling was held on May 24, 25 and 26, 2019 at the Harvard Athletic Complex. The headliners this year were Twenty One Pilots, Travis Scott, and Tame Impala.

Line-up{{cite web|url=https://bostoncalling.com/past-lineups/|title=Past Lineups|website=Boston Calling Music Festival|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110172519/https://bostoncalling.com/past-lineups/|archive-date=2019-11-10|url-status=dead}}

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= 2020 =

On March 31, 2020, it was announced that the 2020 Boston Calling Festival would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite web |title=COVID-19 Update |url=https://bostoncalling.com/2020/03/31/covid-19-update/ |website=Boston Calling |publisher=Boston Calling |accessdate=6 April 2020 |date=31 March 2020 |quote=we have made the difficult decision to cancel Boston Calling 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic}} The organizers offered refunds for tickets, as well as the option to roll tickets over to the 2021 festival. When the 2021 festival was also cancelled, the same options were available.{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/boston-calling-cancels-2021-music-festival/2309477/|title=Boston Calling Cancels 2021 Music Festival Due to Pandemic |website=NBC10 Boston |publisher=NBC10 Boston |accessdate=27 February 2024 |date=22 February 2021 }}

= 2022 =

The eleventh edition of the festival. Boston Calling was held on May 27, 28 and 29, 2022 at the Harvard Athletic Complex. The headliners this year were Metallica who headlined on Sunday, and Nine Inch Nails headlining both Friday as a replacement for The Foo Fighters who cancelled due to the death of long-time drummer Taylor Hawkins and Saturday as a last minute replacement of The Strokes after they cancelled due to COVID-19. The festival was evacuated for approximately two hours on Saturday due to severe weather.{{cite web

|author =

|title = Boston Calling Past Lineups

|url = https://www.bostoncalling.com/past-lineups

|website = Boston Calling

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220802095440/https://bostoncalling.com/past-lineups/

|archive-date = 2022-08-02

|access-date = 2025-06-04

}}{{cite news

|author = Shea

|author-first = Andrea

|title = Nine Inch Nails replace Foo Fighters for Boston Calling's return in May

|url = https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/04/06/nine-inch-nails-replace-foo-fighters-boston-calling

|work = wbur

|date = 2022-04-06

|url-status = live

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230417182036/https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/04/06/nine-inch-nails-replace-foo-fighters-boston-calling

|archive-date = 2023-04-17

|access-date = 2025-06-04

}}{{cite news

|author = Regassa

|author-first = Alisa

|title = From Boston Calling: Nine Inch Nails Saves The Weekend

|url = https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/6/5/boston-calling-nine-inch-nails-review/

|work = The Harvard Crimson

|date = 2022-06-05

|url-status = live

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240415021023/https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/6/5/boston-calling-nine-inch-nails-review/#expand

|archive-date = 2024-04-15

|access-date = 2025-06-04

}}

Friday Line-up

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Saturday Line-up

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|author = Wasylak

|author-first = Victoria

|title = Boston Calling 2022: Highlights from the stage and scene on Day 2

|url = https://vanyaland.com/2022/05/29/boston-calling-2022-highlights-from-the-stage-and-scene-on-day-2/

|work = Vanyaland

|date = 2022-05-29

|url-status = live

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220603054326/https://vanyaland.com/2022/05/29/boston-calling-2022-highlights-from-the-stage-and-scene-on-day-2/

|archive-date = 2022-06-03

|access-date = 2025-06-04

}}

|author = Costa

|author-first = Jesse

|title = See photos from Boston Calling Music Festival's return

|url = https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/05/27/boston-calling-photos

|work = wbur

|date = 2022-05-30

|url-status = live

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240922053624/https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/05/27/boston-calling-photos

|archive-date = 2024-09-22

|access-date = 2025-06-04

}}

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Sunday Line-up

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= 2023 =

The twelfth edition of the festival. Boston Calling was held on May 26, 27 and 28, 2023 at the Harvard Athletic Complex. The main headliners this year were Foo Fighters (in their first major concert since drummer Taylor Hawkins' death the previous year), The Lumineers and Paramore, with co-headlining slots taken by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (cancelled due to illness), Alanis Morissette and Queens of the Stone Age.

{{cite news

|author= Slane

|author-first= Kevin

|title = Foo Fighters, The Lumineers, Paramore to headline Boston Calling 2023

|url = https://www.boston.com/things-to-do/concerts/boston-calling-2023-lineup-foo-fighters-lumineers-paramore/

|work = Boston.com

|date = 2023-01-10

|url-status = live

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230110155351/https://www.boston.com/things-to-do/concerts/boston-calling-2023-lineup-foo-fighters-lumineers-paramore/

|archive-date = 2023-01-10

|access-date = 2025-06-04

}}

{{cite news

|author= Shea

|author-first= Andrea

|title = Yeah Yeah Yeahs cancel Boston Calling performance, Dropkick Murphys will make surprise debut

|url = https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/05/25/yeah-yeah-yeahs-cancel-boston-calling-dropkick-murphys-debut

|work = wbur

|date = 2023-05-25

|url-status = live

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20241225083253/https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/05/25/yeah-yeah-yeahs-cancel-boston-calling-dropkick-murphys-debut

|archive-date = 2024-12-25

|access-date = 2025-06-04

}}

Friday Line-up

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Saturday Line-up

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Sunday Line-up

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= 2024 =

The thirteenth edition of the festival. Boston Calling was held on May 24, 25 and 26, 2024 at the Harvard Athletic Complex. The main headliners were Ed Sheeran, Tyler Childers, and The Killers, with co-headlining slots taken by Leon Bridges, Trey Anastasio, and Hozier.

{{cite web

|author=

|title = Boston Calling 2024 Lineup

|url = https://www.bostoncalling.com/lineup

|website = Boston Calling

|url-status = deviated

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240721232502/https://www.bostoncalling.com/lineup

|archive-date = 2024-07-21

|access-date = 2025-06-04

}}

Friday Line-up

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Saturday Line-up

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Sunday Line-up

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References

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{commonscat|Boston Calling Music Festival}}

Category:Festivals in Boston

Category:Music festivals in Massachusetts