Vampire Weekend
Review by Lisa Occhino, with contributions by Caleb Hsu and Alyssa McCord
Photos by Lisa Occhino
After enduring the cold, rainy weather that unfortunately came with the inaugural Boston Calling back in May, we were thrilled that the second edition of the music festival was planned for a sunny weekend in September. Upon arriving at City Hall Plaza, we quickly noticed that the weather wasn’t the only thing that was different about Boston Calling.
Passion Pit
The largest and most obvious change was the layout of the stages. Instead of having a small stage off to the side, organizers built a second world-class stage directly facing the main stage, making the flow of movement between sets much easier for the 30,000 attendees that weekend. The press area was moved to the VIP lounge this time around, allowing members of the media to easily access worktables without having to push through thousands of people (and the complimentary hors d’oeuvres weren’t too bad of a deal, either!). VIP guests had access to a preferred viewing area by the Blue Stage, as well as a raised platform on the left of the stage. We also loved that Holly Maniatty was hired to interpret for the hearing impaired, allowing everyone to enjoy the festival experience no matter what.
Both days kicked off with Sonicbids contest winners and finished with performances by some of the biggest names in the music industry, representing exactly what makes the festival special: regardless of whether or not the bands are well-known, Boston Calling does an amazing job of highlighting some of the most promising and innovative acts out there today.
Day One focused on showcasing indie and alternative rock bands, including Viva Viva, You Won’t, Lucius, Okkervil River, Deer Tick, and The Airborne Toxic Event. As sunset approached, though, the crowds and the anticipation simultaneously grew larger. Things really began to pick up by the time Mayor Menino himself introduced Local Natives onto the stage, who garnered a great crowd response and set the tone for the rest of the rock-themed evening. The Gaslight Anthem followed with incredible energy, though the screaming electric guitars sometimes overshadowed the vocals.
Headliner Vampire Weekend was undoubtedly the band that stole the show that Saturday. The group took the stage with a distinctive regal fanfare entrance, playing a recording of Mussorgsky’s “The Great Gate of Kiev.” They worked their way through material on all three of their studio albums, opening with their latest single, “Diane Young,” taking us all the way back to “A-Punk,” and making sure that they hit as many crowd favorites as they could in between. A smart move, considering the die-hard fans in the front row said they arrived in the morning to claim the spots they got for Vampire Weekend’s 9:00 PM set.
Between Day Two’s EDM/hip-hop-themed lineup and the fact that it was the last day of summertime freedom for the majority of college students in Boston, the crowd on Sunday felt like it got 10 years younger and 10 times bigger than the previous day. While there were many electrifying performances, the most impressive sets were put on by the final three acts of the festival: Major Lazer, Kendrick Lamar, and of course, Passion Pit.
Major Lazer
Major Lazer’s set was overflowing with energy, professional dancers, Pitbull-like beats, confetti, and even a huge clear plastic bubble that Diplo crowd-surfed in. Kendrick Lamar took the Red Stage shortly after and managed to draw one of the biggest crowds of the whole festival. With top-notch performance skills and refreshingly addictive hits such as the crowd favorite, “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe,” Kendrick proved why he’s bound to be the next big thing in hip-hop.
By the time Kendrick finished his set, the crowd for Berklee alumni band Passion Pit had already formed. After taking a minute to tell the audience how great it is to finally play a home show as a festival headliner, it was clear that the feeling was mutual. Thousands of people danced the chilly night away until the second Boston Calling officially ended.
While specific performers haven’t been revealed yet, it’s already been announced that the third edition of Boston Calling will return to City Hall Plaza on May 24-25, 2014. As with May and September, the festival promises to bring a heavy-hitting lineup of artists to the heart of Boston.
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• View our September 2013 Boston Calling photo album
• Read our interview with Boston Calling co-founder Brian Appel
• Read our review of the May 2013 festival featuring Fun. and The National
• Keep up with Boston Calling on their website, Facebook, and Twitter
