How Boston Is Boston Calling?
Boston Calling has taken over City Hall Plaza for the weekend, but does it truly represent Boston and its music scene?
The semiannual, three-day festival has a stacked lineup but it doesn’t have a local artist or band headlining any of the three days. But is the lack of a big-named Boston performer the organizers fault?
Boston hasn’t produced a major act in years.
When you think about music in Boston, the same names will inevitably come up: Aerosmith, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Dropkick Murphys, The Pixies, and, of course, Boston. It’s been a while since someone from the Hub has risen to the top.
Organizers of last fall’s event slated Passion Pit — a Cambridge-bred, indie-pop group — as a headliner. It seems like this time around the folks at Crash Line Productions have come to terms with the sad reality: the city isn’t producing big acts these days.
Boston lacks Billboard chart-topping local musicians. What it doesn’t lack is a music scene, evidenced by a number of local talents which are set to perform at this weekend’s event like St. Nothing, CliffLight, Gentleman Hall, and Lake Street Dive.
This weekend’s festival will channel the spirit of the city in other ways. Boston Calling is adding more of the city’s flavor by collaborating with more than 25 local restaurants and food vendors this time around, including Samuel Adams Octoberfest and a revamped VIP section menu (courtesy of Citzen Publick House).
And it’s not just food. Five winners of the “Blank Canvas’’ art contest will display their murals at the festival.
Since no one musical genre resonates with Boston more than another maybe, the city doesn’t need to define it’s sound. Maybe the city shouldn’t pigeon-hole itself and should continue embodying the melting pot that it is. Or perhaps, the festival just needs to be around for a bit longer in order to start feeling more like a product of the Hub.
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