Hoopla In The Hub: 5 Can’t-Miss Acts at Boston Calling
This Memorial Day Weekend, the Harvard Athletic Complex is going to be chock full of people enjoying music on numerous stages. It’s part of what the Boston Calling Music Festival has brought on an annual basis ever since its start in City Hall Plaza back in 2013. The event has had an extensive history of performances by the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Tame Impala, The Replacements, The Pixies, The National, Lorde, Beck, Haim and many others, and this year’s edition is no different. There’s a wide array of internationally known bands and musicians along with a bunch of local up and comers and the whole extravaganza promises to be a stellar experience. To be in the know on who you should check out, here are five can’t-miss acts.
May 24 @ Happy Valley Red Stage
7:05–8:35pm
Ever since I heard his debut album Coming Home that came out back in 2015, I’ve been a huge fan of Bridges’ music. He has an approach to soul music that’s identifiable with his upbringing in Fort Worth, Texas while exhibiting an incredible way of singing. Bridges also brings a ton of charisma while performing on stage, so be prepared to be immersed in it when he closes things out on the Red Stage during the festival’s first day.
May 25 @ Green Stage
6:05–7:05pm
Another act from Texas that I’m a major fan of is Khruangbin from Houston. I love the syncopated tightness the trio of guitarist Mark Speer, bassist Laura Lee and drummer & keyboardist DJ Johnson create while conveying a unique take on psychedelic funk that incorporates styles from around the globe. Their latest album A La Sala that came out on April 5 is fantastic and folks can expect a few songs off of the release to be part of their upcoming performance.
May 26 @ Orange Stage
4:00–4:30pm
Ever since the latter half of the previous decade, Boston has had a hip hop revival happening and one of the artists that has been leading this movement is Billy Dean Thomas. Along with their lyrical delivery and song crafting that’s profound, outspoken and emphatic, Thomas also has quite the resume due to performing on The View, being a recipient of the Brother Thomas Fellowship and having the distinction of being the first hip hop artist to be invited for a residency at MASS MoCA in North Adams. I’m honestly excited to see Thomas exhibit their craft for the first time and this spotlight is very much deserved.
May 26 @ Allianz Blue Stage
4:30–5:15pm
At only 25 years old, Ingram is already considered to be one of the top blues guitarists on the planet while recording with the likes of Eric Gales, Buddy Guy and Keb’ Mo’. He’s also shared the stage with a variety of acts that include the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Samantha Fish and Rick Derringer just to name a few. Once Ingram gets on stage and starts letting the riffs fly, people are going to know how he got his unique nickname.
May 26 @ Green Stage
9:10pm
Concluding this year’s Boston Calling will be none other than the Las Vegas post-punk & new wave revivalists The Killers. I genuinely hope they play a ton of material off of their albums Hot Fuss and Sam’s Town, but if they go with the newer stuff then that’s cool too. Regardless, it’ll be great seeing these guys perform for the first time and I’m psyched for it.
There a ton of other bands and musicians taking part in the festival that I can list as honorable mentions, but they’re all on the flyer below. Take a gander at the lineups for this weekend and make sure to attend if you have a ticket.
In order to make Culture Beat’s content available to everyone, we decided to stop utilizing a paywall. With this being said, we are utilizing the crowdfunding service Buy Me A Coffee in order to have our readers support our endeavors, which they can do so right here.
