Out of all the major US cities, Boston has been fairly quiet on the music festival scene — until now. Boston Calling (May 25-26, 2013) will feature two days of tunes right at City Hall Plaza in the heart of downtown. Having lived in Boston for a number of years, I can rattle off a half-dozen places better suited for a music festival, but organizers are convinced that they can make the brick and concrete plaza a welcoming place for a fest.
The lineup is sure to bring in the fans with solid acts like The National, fun., 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.
According to the Boston Globe, organizers are predicting around 20,000 fans to the debut event. Jack Antonoff, from fun. also had this to say about the lineup:
“Building a festival is no different than when you’re in sixth grade and you have a crush and you make a mixtape for a girl you like. You’re just trying to put something together, all these little parts, one plus one plus one is going to equal a million instead of three. And I think that’s what you have here, some of my favorite bands. This is a festival that if I wasn’t playing, I would spend hard-earned money to go see. That, for me, is the greatest honor, to be part of something that you know is cool and thrilling just looking at it from the outside.”
Tickets: A $120 2-day early bird weekend pass goes on sale this Friday, March 1 at 10am. After that you’re looking at $130 for a 2-day and $75 for a single day.