What to make of the fall Boston Calling lineup
Five early takeaways as we look ahead to the fall festival.
The 2015 spring edition of Boston Calling has barely ended, and, already, we’re wrapping our heads around the fall lineup, which organizers announced Sunday night.
In these parts, Boston Calling has become the bookend to every music fan’s summer, each event delighting attendees for different reasons. But as more and more events hit the history books, one can’t help but compare each festival with the ones that came before it — and grow increasingly more nitpicky about the institution as a whole.
As we look ahead to chapter six of Boston Calling, taking place September 25-27 on City Hall Plaza, names stand out on the bill from top to bottom, but let’s take a look at the big picture. Here are five early takeaways as we keep our eyes on the fall:
1. The date change is a huge win.
For some, part of the draw is that Boston Calling typically falls on a long weekend. For most, though, it isn’t exactly ideal. Moving past Labor Day weekend this year, Cape Cod weekenders and students alike will have greater opportunity to catch this fall’s concert, and likely a greater desire to, as competing events will be less of an obstacle. If we’ve learned anything from this weekend and previous festivals, though, it’s to come prepared for any types of weather.
2. Where’s the hip-hop?
Two of the biggest sets from this past weekend were from Run the Jewels and ILOVEMAKONNEN. Equally healthy crowds appeared for past performances from Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, and others. It’s curious — and rather disappointing — to see hip-hop almost absent on this fall’s bill, with the exception of Minneapolis collective Doomtree. Not to mention, come the fall, 12 smaller-scale local bands will have played the festival, yet not one local hip-hop artist will have graced the stage. Michael Christmas, Cousin Stizz, Dutch ReBelle, or many other local rappers would be welcome additions to a Boston Calling lineup.
3. Where originality lacks, diversity compensates.
Avett Brothers, alt-J, Alabama Shakes, and Hozier will all be major draws, and best of all, they will each bring out very different crowds. Fall 2014 followed a very similar formula, essentially featuring six headline-tier bands from very different ends of the musical spectrum. That event was arguably the most successful in the festival’s history, so it only makes sense that this fall’s would follow a similar blueprint. Unfortunately, while these headliners will assuredly bring hefty crowds, they aren’t exactly rare gems on the festival circuit. The Avett Brothers have headlined the Life is Good Festival and Newport Folk Festival, both within a stone’s throw of Boston, in the past few years. Not to mention, all four headliners are set to play a combined 23 festivals across the U.S. this summer.
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4. All ages are accounted for.
With a lack of all-ages venues within Boston borders, Boston Calling seems to be at its most successful when as many young fans come out in throngs. Of course, it all depends on who is playing. In the past, performers like Lorde, Fun., and other radio darlings have amassed teen crowds. Expect acts like Hozier, Of Monsters and Men, and Fun.’s own Nate Ruess to bring similar audiences.
5. How will the festival evolve?
With a handful of festivals under its belt, Boston Calling has made its stamp on the local arts landscape. Now it’s time to see where the festival can really, truly go from here. Already, the event has added art initiatives, after-parties, and an increasing amount of food, but with the operation becoming more of a well-oiled machine, it’s time to go even bigger. Lollapalooza, another city-based festival, has grown into a behemoth in the music industry over the years, now featuring five stages and being a destination festival for fans worldwide. It may be wishful thinking to assume City Hall Plaza can accommodate a festival of that size, but there may be small ways to continue to experiment. The city is your oyster, Boston Calling.
Here’s the Boston Calling fall line-up:
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