Grandson performs at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, music fans have once again returned to Harvard University's athletic complex in Allston for Boston Calling. The three-day event featured over 50 performances from big-name acts like Nine Inch Nails and Metallica, to Boston favorites like Cliff Notez and Oompa.
The Strokes also planned to headline, but the band canceled its Saturday set due to a positive COVID-19 case. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard also canceled with a COVID case. A storm Saturday afternoon paused the festival, canceling the acts of a few musicians including Frances Forever, Sudan Archives and Ali McGuirk.
In addition to the hand sanitizing stations scattered throughout the festival grounds, another new element was a fourth stage showcasing 12 acts with regional and local ties. This was in response to the struggle for local artists and musicians during the pandemic, festival co-founder and CEO Brian Appel told WBUR's Andrea Shea. "As this industry comes back to life, anything that we can do to create more opportunity is where we're putting our efforts.”
Here are some images from the festival:
Sunday, May 29
Oompa performs at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Boston native Cliff Notez performs Sunday at Boston Calling. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Cliff Notez. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Local band Paper Tigers performs at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Rapper Cam Meekins performs at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Modest Mouse performs at the Boston Calling. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast performs at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Glass Animals perform at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)A packed crowd for Weezer. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Rivers Cuomo and Scott Shriner of Weezer perform at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Goose's guitarist and vocalist Rick Mitarotonda performs. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Goose fans grooving at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Metallica closes out Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Saturday, May 28
Charlotte Sands performs at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Hinds performs at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Festival-goers at Boston Calling are evacuated due to severe weather Saturday afternoon. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)A rainbow appears after the severe thunderstorm roll through Boston at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Orville Peck performs at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Members of the audience sing along with Orville Peck during his performance. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Orville Peck. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)KennyHoopla performs at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)KennyHoopla dives into the crowd during his set at Boston Calling. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Eric Burton of Black Pumas performs at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Eric Burton of Black Pumas. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Eric Burton walks down to greet the crowd during Black Pumas' performance. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)The crowd goes wild as Run the Jewels takes the stage. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)El-P and Killer Mike of Run the Jewels performing at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Killer Mike (right) and El-P of Run the Jewels. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)The crowd is reflected in the mirrored sunglasses of El-P during Run the Jewels' set. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
Friday, May 27
Paris Jackson was the first act to play at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)The Chelsea Curve perform on the Tivoli Audio Orange Stage, showcasing local acts, at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Mia Berrin of the Pom Pom Squad performs. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Cheap Trick performs at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Miranda Rae performs on the local stage at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Miranda Rae performing at Boston Calling. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Hip-hop duo Paris Texas performs at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Left to right, Louie Pastel and Felix of the hip-hop duo Paris Texas perform at Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)A festival goer in the front row watches Paris, Texas. (Jesse costa/WBUR)Danielle Haim plays guitar as sister Este runs out onto the stage at the beginning of their set at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Left to right: Este Haim plays the rototoms and Alana Haim plays the guitar during HAIM's Boston Calling performance. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)A baby rests on the shoulder of his dad before the Avril Lavigne show at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Avril Lavigne performs at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Avril Lavigne fans get excited during her performance at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Avril Lavigne performs at the 2022 Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails performs at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Nine Inch Nails perform at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)Nine Inch Nails performs at the Boston Calling Music Festival. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
This article was originally published on May 27, 2022.
