Boston Calling has experienced some unlucky weather days in the past, but this year we went three for three with another stunning day at the Harvard Athletic Complex. The only thing stronger than the sun today was the size of the crowds. After a quieter Saturday, GA tickets were sold out for Sunday, and the crowds arrived early.
My day started with the retro rock band The Heavy Heavy on the main stage, and then I caught the local indie-grunge band Tysk Tysk Task on the Orange Stage. Both bands put on great performances to help set the tone for the day. On the Red Stage, I saw Royel Otis, a pop duo with a heavy guitar-based sound. Guitarist Royel Maddell’s long hair hanging over his Fender Jaguar gave me strong Nirvana vibes.
Next up was Chappell Roan on the Green Stage, and from this point on, the crowd levels were insane. I’m not sure I have seen a crowd so large for an artist this early in the day at Boston Calling before. The Midwest Princess came out wearing a unique dress, channeling the vibes of 80’s Madonna. The crowd sang along with every word, from the start of “Femininomenon” to the end of “Pink Pony Club.” “Naked in Manhattan” and “Red Wine Supernova” also received great responses. Chappell’s all-female band was incredible, with her drummer, Lucy Ritter, particularly catching my eye.
It felt like a lot of people were leaving after Chappell’s set, but the crowds only seemed to increase as the day went on. Over on the Red Stage, The Revivalists gave an energetic performance with a thunderous eight-piece band. Frontman David Shaw spent most of the set at the front of a small catwalk, at one point taking off his shoes and socks and tossing them into the crowd.
Next, rap superstar Megan Thee Stallion took the Green Stage as part of her Hot Girl Summer tour. Coming out to bursts of flame, she started off with “HISS.” The festival certainly had some strong, empowering women performing this weekend, though none of them in a headlining position. We certainly saw crowds that could justify any one of them headlining a future night of the festival. Megan and her team of dancers moved all over the stage, with Megan occasionally involving the audience, whether singing directly to fans or receiving a bouquet of flowers from one. She finished her set with her smash hit, “Savage,” for which the fields absolutely erupted.
There’s been a lot of talk after the festival about the crowd levels on Sunday. Following Megan’s set, the point in the day when it became unbearable for some. Both Megan on the Green Stage and Hozier on the Red Stage had massive dedicated crowds. The combination of crowds made it very hard for people to move around, as well as causing massive lines for bathrooms and water. While the festival organizers have stated that the festival was several thousand people under capacity, perhaps some rearranging of artist times or stage slots could have helped balance things out. During Hozier’s set, Alvvays was playing on the Blue Stage. While I never made it over there, friends reported that there was almost nobody there. Had Alvvays and Hozier swapped stages, perhaps the crowd would have been dispersed more appropriately.
We can Monday morning quarterback choices all day, but thankfully, nobody was hurt in the crowds. Hozier, meanwhile, put on a great performance, with songs like his current hit, “Too Sweet,” and closing with his mega hit, “Take Me to Church.”
The 2024 festival came to a close with The Killers, who are hitting the festival circuit hard this summer. The night before, they played a special surprise gig across town at the Paradise, a 1,000-person capacity venue. For everyone who couldn’t get in there, tonight they played a set full of hits, like “Somebody Told Me,” and finished off the festival with “Mr. Brightside.”
Boston Calling features diverse genres of music, offering something for everyone. I look forward to 2025 and seeing what lineup descends on Boston next year.
