Foo Fighters at Boston Calling

Another Boston Calling is in the books! After the hesitant cancellations and weather nightmares of the 2022 iteration, this year’s festival went off almost entirely without a hitch! Friday and Sunday saw rock- and alternative-heavy lineups, with a plethora of big-name groups and up-and-coming show-stealers across the line-up. Saturday’s lineup was more of an acoustic affair, with multiple noteworthy folk, indie and pop acts gracing all four stages. As is now tradition, there were four stages – the Red and Green stages, alternating acts back and forth and working as the “main” stages, the Blue stage, highlighting often offbeat and fun acts, and the Orange stage, which housed exclusively local bands. There was a lot to choose from music-wise, and it was basically impossible to find yourself bored.

The weather was nearly impeccable all three days, with abundant sun and enough of a breeze to keep all passers-by happy. The food options were as diverse as ever, too – you could find barbecue, doughnuts, street corn and gyros, and all with more manageable lines than last year. Plus, it wouldn’t be Boston without Dunkin’ – the company’s two-floor pop-up offered free munchkins and Vietnamese coffee from their test kitchen that quite literally kept the Pudding staff going all three days.

If you weren’t feeling the music, there was always the Ferris wheel by the Blue stage, illuminated brightly during the night. And of course, there were Brands – Chase Bank, Truly and Miller Lite all offered influencer lounges, while Jersey Mike’s sponsored a “Sub Above Club” that held a surprise mini-show with the Welshly Arms on Friday. The Brands seemed to encroach closer and closer to the public, but there was still plenty of free space to simply sit and enjoy the music.

And music there was! Fifty-one bands and artists graced the four stages over the course of three days. Naturally, we couldn’t cover all of them. So what sets did we like best? If you missed the festival, or were there and are just looking back fondly, here are our full photo galleries as well as some of the sets we found the most entertaining!

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Celisse

Celisse at Boston Calling

After her set got cut short in 2022 due to sudden thunderstorms, Celisse made sure to ramp up the sunny atmosphere Friday afternoon. Indeed, there was hardly a cloud in the sky as Celisse and her band cut nearly an hour of tight and fun blues-rock. Although the crowd was small when the set started, Celisse’s fiery opening songs gathered a sizable midday crowd in practically no time. After taking a wild guitar solo on one song, the band slowed things down for some more patient, drawn-out tunes. The band played through a number of originals like “Get There,” “Lost” and “Undercover,” but the highlight of the set may have been an extended jam on the Bill Withers classic “Use Me.” The song’s inherent groove got the crowd up and moving, and Celisse’s expert guitar work added a slight edge to the song. It was a set crafted out of love, with Celisse even pausing to say “I love you. It’s not a gimmick. I know it looks like it!” Celisse’s bright blue outfit, shades and guitar pared against the pink backdrop that said “Celisse loves you.” The amps – purchased on Etsy – said the same. Although the set may have featured some songs about difficult relationships, it was one built on love and trust, and Celisse’s immaculate stage presence had the crowd up and moving from start to finish. It’s entirely possible that there was no one – musician or fan – who had more fun on Friday than Celisse. – Andrew McNally

Brandie Blaze

Brandie Blaze at Boston Calling

Dorchester’s Brandie Blaze is a certified star, and it’s time the rest of the world caught on. Her set at the Orange Stage on Friday afternoon was living proof of that as well as a celebration of Boston hip-hop right now. Blaze’s backing band (who are all killer players, by the way) naturally included DJ WhySham who acted as de-facto hypewoman between her duties on the tables and some rapping and singing of her own. Blaze also brought out Red Shaydez and the spoken word artist Amanda Shea for guest turns at the mic, each delivering stirring verses of their own before returning for one last hurrah on a killer posse track at the set’s end. Blaze was magnetic on her own as well, charging through her catalogue with ease and a confident streak no doubt honed over her years playing shows all over the city. Blaze’s 2023 album Broken Rainbows is poised to breakthrough in a big way, and this set felt like a win for everyone involved. We even got to meet Brandie’s mom once it was over. – Dillon Riley

The National

The National at Boston Calling

Few people know how to work a crowd like Matt Berninger. Although the National are mostly known – somewhat incorrectly – for downtrodden ballads, Berninger had the crowd in the palm of his hand for the whole set. Chalk it up to exceeding expectations, or simply veteran presence, but Berninger made sure the band made the best of their time to get the people moving. They opened with the one-two punch of their recent singles “Tropic Morning News” and “Eucalyptus,” before launching into a run of five straight classics, including rousing versions of “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” and “Bloodbuzz Ohio.” The middle of the set saw some tracks fresh off their new album First Two Pages of Frankenstein, a couple deeper cuts and one classic, until the band really ramped it up. The final five songs of the set saw the band power through fan favorites “England,” “Graceless,” “Fake Empire,” “Mr. November” and “Terrible Love,” the final of which was dedicated to headliners Foo Fighters. While the brothers Dessner and Devendorf were all locked in, Berninger was extremely animated, dancing his way through every song. He twice went deep into the audience, once brushing right up against this reviewer during “Graceless.” He was constantly screaming into the crowd, and at one point caught and popped a beach ball with his mouth (comically out of place for such a melancholic band). The setlist was well-balanced, especially for a festival, and the band seemed to get more jazzed as the evening wore on. While the first half sounded excellent, the band got increasingly energetic, until they had the whole crowd screaming the chorus of “Mr. November,” one of their more raucous songs. The closer “Terrible Love” – one of their more patient and soft hits – sounded downright maniacal live, an incredible transformation of a great song and a solid introduction into the Foo’s headlining set. The only complaint? Because of their upgraded set length, they ended up finishing 20 minutes early. And if the only complaint is “not enough,” then it was a festival set for the ages. – Andrew McNally

Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters at Boston Calling

It took a tragic loss of life to truly realize how many Foo Fighter songs center around life, in some way. This set was always going to mix the normal fun sonic blast of a Foo show with some genuine catharsis and tributes, and it completely delivered. The Fighters were originally supposed to headline all the way back in 2020, before COVID cancelled both that year and the following year’s ceremonies. Then, tragically, beloved drummer Taylor Hawkins passed away suddenly when the band had resumed touring – thus cancelling their 2022 appearance as well. A lot has changed since they were supposed to appear.

The night was, obviously, all about Taylor. There were tacit admissions to his passing from the start, with frontman Dave Grohl mentioning vaguely that everything had changed. This was especially true when the band busted out an endearing version of classic “Times Like These” – already an emotional song, but one that took on a whole new level to a compassionate and grieving crowd. However, it wasn’t until 10pm that Grohl referenced Hawkins by name. By this point, the crowd’s emotional capacity was reaching a breaking point, and when Grohl finally spoke his name before launching into a solo version of their underrated ballad “Cold Day In the Sun,” the crowd’s floodgates opened. The band’s penultimate song was “Aurora,” which Grohl mentioned was Taylor’s personal favorite Foo song. To say it was an emotional night was an understatement – the band is carrying on, and may never be the same again, with this effectively being the first taste of the next step in their career.

However, in a night of huge changes, it was not all negative. The band opened with their new song “Rescued,” off their upcoming album But Here We Are, and later played a new track “Under You.” The set also gave the band a chance to introduce their new permanent drummer Josh Freese who, whether you’re aware of it or not, has played at least one of your favorite bands. His credentials include everything from DEVO to Guns N’ Roses to 100 Gecs, and he got a master showcase solo during a performance of “Breakout.” There was a focus on the next generation, as Grohl’s daughter Violet came out and sang on renditions of “Shame Shame” and “Rope,” and Taylor Hawkins’ teen son Shane filled in on drums on the classic “I’ll Stick Around” – arguably the best Foo drum song. To say the kid nailed it was an understatement, putting in a gutsy and manic drum performance that would’ve made his father proud. Grohl called Shane one of his favorite drummers, and although the song is one of the band’s more fun and rocking songs, it was hard to stay dry-eyed during it.

A lot has changed since the Foos were originally scheduled to appear, but a lot will never change as well. Plenty of classic songs like “Learn to Fly,” “The Pretender,” “Best Of You” and “All My Life” were played straight. There was a playfully extended version of “This Is A Call” that really got the crowd going, as did “Monkey Wrench.” The set was crammed full of hits, as expected when you’ve got a band that’s been producing them regularly for nearly 30 years. There are few bands better at all-out rock than the Foo Fighters, and the fact that they can put on a set this fun with this many hits, after all these years, a pandemic, and a tragedy, is testament to it. The band closed with “Everlong,” as Grohl said they prefer to let the song speak for itself rather than do an encore and say goodbye. Because, as Grohl explained, they don’t plan on ever saying goodbye. That line didn’t fully hit me in the moment, but it may have been the most liberating moment of the whole opening day. The Foo Fighters are here to stay. The band delivered exactly what people expected them to – an all-time great Boston Calling set. – Andrew McNally

Joy Oladokun

Joy Oladokun at Boston calling

Folk-y indie rocker Joy Oladokun quickly got the Green Stage on her side with jokes about weed, mental health, and hating the shitty little town that your from. From there she and her band delivered a confident and stirring set that delivered on every facet of her hard to pin down sound. With fuzzed out songs that recall the crunchy power-pop of early Weezer matching up against quiet, more confessional singer/songwriter fare, Oladokun met the crowd at every level, even those bummed that she didn’t bring out her current touring partner Noah Kahan. A clever lyricist and striking guitar player, Oladokun copped to her introversion sometimes making the role of frontperson a difficult task, but any bit of stage fright was hidden on Saturday afternoon as she and band rolled through their steadily impressive catalogue with aplomb, and with perfectly witty banter to match. A regular on the festival circuit, this set felt like the last time you’ll see her play while the sun is still shining so bright. – Dillon Riley

Actor|Observer

Actor Observer at Boston Calling

One of New England’s finest metal bands made the exhausting journey from Allston down to a different part of Allston to slam the Orange stage on Saturday. As the band pointed out, it was great of the festival to sponsor a whole stage specifically for local acts. The Tivoli Audio™ Orange Stage has seen plenty of local flair this festival, across all genres. But as one of the only metal bands on this festival bill, Actor|Observer had to bring the absolute heat. And naturally, they did. They brought heat in the heat, on a bearable but toasty Saturday afternoon on a warm tennis court. The band ripped through seven songs in their 30-minute set, giving fans a real bang for their buck. They kicked off heavy with their bruising song “Cargo Cult” and kept the pummeling going for the full set. An obvious highlight was “Fool’s Gold,” a song we proudly featured last summer. The song was introduced by signer Greg Marquis, who echoed the song’s sentiment about how rent increases and corporatization are leading to a forced decline in the Boston music scene (while carefully leaving out the role that Harvard plays in that). Marquis thanked everyone for showing up not just for A|O but for all of the local bands – with an encouragement to keep doing so, because that’s what will keep the scene alive. Marquis was equally passionate when introducing their song “Man, Enough,” opening it with a message to all the fellow men in the crowd to rise above patriarchal norms and stop projecting things onto the women in our lives. It was a genuine, passionate statement that the crowd was super into. The band closed things off with a raucous performance of “Arm’s Reach,” providing what was certainly one of the only mosh pits on an otherwise acoustic heavy day of music. They may have been a fish out of water booking for the Saturday lineup, but the local crowd showed up and got treated what was just a downright excellent set. – Andrew McNally

Alanis Morissette

Alanis Morisette at Boston Calling

I’ll spare you all the cheap puns and just say upfront that Alanis brought exactly the set a festival crowd was expecting – hits scattered across a seventeen-song list that pulled mostly from Jagged Little Pill. In fact, she played the entire damn album. After a video package comically highlighting all the pop-culture references that include Alanis (from Dogma to a James Corden jumpscare), the set started with Pill opener “All I Really Want.” It was a spirited and lively performance that saw Alanis cover the entire stage on foot and blast some impressive harmonica. But it was really all a crowd warm-up, because “Hand In My Pocket” was second, and predictably, the crowd played karaoke. Alanis was backed by a video of animated hands holding up peace signs, mimicked by thousands in the audience. Later in the set, there was an excellent one-two punch of the vocal ballad “Mary Jane” and the livelier “Reasons I Drink,” two songs that paired extremely well together despite being released twenty-five years apart. It wasn’t until the eighth song in the set – Pill cut “Head Over Feet” – that Alanis donned a guitar. She opted to handle just vocals and harmonica for most of the set, but did axe up occasionally. Ironically, one of the times she did brandish a guitar was for her biggest hit “Ironic” (sorry). Of course, anyone over the ages of ~25 has the lyrics committed to memory, and fans were more than ready to prove it in a massive singalong. And if the crowd was hype for “Ironic,” then You Oughta Know they were downright partying for “You Oughta Know” (sorry). Alanis turned the mid-evening set into a throwback bash that got everyone dancing and screaming right along. Also, in one somber moment, Alanis followed up “Ironic” with her 2020 release “Smiling,” which featured a video graphic honoring her late drummer, Taylor Hawkins.

The set was not without its issues. The audio seemed inconsistent; as one fan near me astutely pointed out, Alanis sounded crisp and clear on the familiar songs, but on some of the lesser-known ones she was quiet and choppy. After the initial opening wave of “All” and “Pocket,” there seemed like some downtime where the audio just wasn’t quite right and the crowd was itching for some familiar songs. But once she jumped into a truly beautiful rendition of “Mary Jane,” the set picked back up. Also, the set times were off. Alanis came on ten minutes “late,” and when she started playing “Oughta” at exactly 8:41, people thought it was her closing song – only for her to stay on and play “Your House” and an extremely rousing version of “Uninvited.” But the fans got exactly what they wanted – an absolute party of hits and deep cuts in warm, fading Saturday sun. Was it a great set? You Ough-yes, yes it certainly was. – Andrew McNally

The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips at Boston Calling

Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots is a great record, we know this. The Flaming Lips’ 2002 rock opera (of sorts) that’s loosely about a warrior named Yoshimi (inspired by Boredoms drummer Yoshimi P-We) who does in fact battle a battalion of evil pink robots has gotta be among the more bizarre breakthroughs in the history of rock music. It’s also an album that lends itself well to the festival stage with its peak and valleys, beloved singalongs and mutant robotic funk jam odysseys alike making for the perfect soundtrack to the mini-universe The Lips had ready to build and then destroy throughout their set on Saturday evening at the Blue Stage. Yes, Wayne Coyne and Co. were indeed flanked by 5 giant pink inflatable pink robots, several confetti cannons (which themselves sprayed little pink robot shaped pieces into the crowd), and a series of what looked like giant exercise balls that popped glitter all over the place after a few bats around the crowd. Gimmicks aside the band was in fine form, storming through Yoshimi and tacking on a few tracks from The Soft Bulletin as well with precision and righteous fury. There’s a reason The Flaming Lips still stand as a must-see live act nearly 40 years into their career and it isn’t just that giant bubble. – Dillon Riley

The Linda Lindas

The Linda Lindas at Boston Calling

Sunday afternoon was oppressively hot, and a softer band could have been fatal to the crowd. But that wasn’t the case, because we were greeted by the fiery, precocious youngsters in the Linda Lindas. The punk band took the internet world by a storm a few years ago when they played a gig in a library, and they’ve translated all of that over to festival stages across the country. I found myself quickly overcoming the heat to dance uncontrollably. The band was introduced by Boston mayor Michelle Wu, who said she herself is a Linda Lindas fan – it’s hard not to be! They kicked things off hot with the song titled, well, “Linda Linda,” and jumped right into “Talking To Myself” after. Despite the heat and the early set time, the band garnered an impressively large crowd. The band had a different backdrop for nearly every song, all bright animations of cats and whimsical creatures (but mostly cats). All four members sang lead on songs throughout the set, something just even more impressive given their ages. As their eldest member – 18 years old – pointed out during the set, their drummer is only 12! The band is still green in many ways, with awkward stage banter and a lot of false starts and missed cues, but it’s all very endearing to the image. As the set went on, a mosh pit opened and starting to take up more and more space, with some moshers braver than myself deciding to ignore the 90-degree weather to slam. It was a respectful pit, once stopping cold when the tallest member found a discarded cell phone. The whole show was one built on love and respect, as the band were the perfect choice to bring both energy and positive vibes to an afternoon that could’ve easily become overwhelming. The band closed with their two most recognizable songs, “Oh!” and “Racist, Sexist Boy,” and sent fans off with an incredible early afternoon treat of a set. – Andrew McNally

Genesis Owusu

Genesis Owusu at Boston Calling

No amount of words strewn here can properly describe the type of set that Owusu put on Sunday afternoon on the Blue stage. Owusu came out wearing a huge black gown, clearly standing on the shoulders of others. With no backdrop and music, he appeared seemingly from nowhere, ten feet tall. If you wandered up unknowingly, you’d be forgiven for expecting a doom metal performance. Instead, Genesis broke immediately into his new single “Leaving the Light,” a tantric and impeccably catchy R&B song that I first heard on alternative radio. Owusu’s music takes genre norms and mashes them around, leading to wide crossover potential. Indeed, this set saw sultry R&B, straight rap and alternative ballads. But Owusu was at his best when doing songs like “Light,” ones that are club-ready and manically fast. Owusu had minimal backdrop – just a continual video of his name and a red circle switching back and forth, and he was joined on stage by only three hype men, the ones who carried Genesis out originally. The best part of his set may have been when he played three absolutely rousing tracks in succession – the patient and hip-hop inspired “Void,” the slower and sing-alongable “GTFO” and the upbeat, catchy single “Get Inspired.” This range of songs not only showcases the full spectrum of Owusu’s music, but just provided three crowd-friendly bangers to sing along with. Owusu unfortunately had a minimal audience, but those that were there were having an all-out party. Later on, we got what was the funniest part of the set, when Owusu played “Don’t Need You” and did a slow decrescendo of the music until it was him and the audience, a capella. Then, out of nowhere, we got about 60 seconds of “Crank Dat” playing over tape. It was goofy, and really fed into the positive vibes of the “anything goes” set. Shortly after, Owusu did a rendition of “Black Dogs!” from the audience, while his hype men ran all around wearing themselves out (with one even climbing up the speakers teasing some insane Jeff Hardy stunt that, thankfully, didn’t happen). He closed it up with his biggest song, “A Song About Fishing,” a soft and genuinely touching ballad, and then “Good Times.” There was a disappointingly small crowd for this show, which was an absolute festival-stealer. It was about as fun as music can get. Owusu said he’ll be coming through Boston again in the fall – we’d better see more of you there! – Andrew McNally

The Walkmen

The Walkmen at Boston Calling

New York City’s The Walkmen were in fine spirits on Sunday evening, back in Boston for (I believe, someone else fact check me) the first time since their last appearance at Boston Calling way back in 2013. Fronter Hamilton Leithauser and bassist Peter Bauer have local ties having both attended Boston University, and Leithauser was quick to regale the crowd with tales of debauchery and a pointed curse towards a certain Allston liquor store I will not name that famously had his (failed) fake ID on the wall for a spell. This current reunion run had some heavy buzz coming into the weekend, and the Men did not disappoint. With a setlist that drew from virtually every era of the group, and sizable late afternoon crowd ready to pounce, Leithauser and co. go to work right away with “Donde Esta La Playa” and “On The Water” two undisputed classics from 2008’s You and Me. Yes they ran through plenty of the hits in their compact, but powerful set, but closing with “We’ve Been Had” (along with a short story about the tune being the first idea kicked around their practice space that helped them figure out they had the juice) was a nice full circle moment for a group that’s more than earned this victory lap they’re on. Rumor has it The Walkmen will swing back around to Boston in the fall since the good times are still flowing. Go catch em then if you missed them at the Blue Stage this past weekend. – Dillon Riley

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard at Boston Calling

The cult of Gizz is complete. There were more Gizz shirts on the grounds on Sunday than any other band by far. The man standing next to me showed up to the grounds five minutes before Gizz. He was there for only Gizz. And despite the band’s famously prolific catalog and unpredictable setlists, us fans knew each and every lyric. Gizz had to cancel last minute in 2022 due to a positive COVID test, which left a negative taste in the mouths of fans who were already enduring a storm evacuation. To make up for it, the Aussies were given an extended set to co-headline Sunday and close out the Blue stage. 90 minutes is only half the length of a normal Gizz show though, so the band packed as much in as they could. The band is already recognized as a leading live group, but in a shortened set like this, they smartly opted to favor on the side of their heavier prog-rock and straight metal songs and eschew the jazzier songs (and the folk, ambient, country, etc). They opened with “The Dripping Tap,” albeit a shortened version from the original – 12 minutes as opposed to 18. It was, unabashedly, the best song I saw performed all weekend. It was a maniacal and downright mind-melting opener that set the bar higher than most bands could ever hope to achieve. Three more long songs followed – “Ice V,” “Evil Death Roll,” and “Iron Lung.” In fact, the audience had been so conditioned to long songs that when the band played the four-minute “Pleura” after, it seemed like something had gone wrong! A thunderous new song called “Converge” was debuted, off their imminent thrash metal album “PetroDragonic Apocalypse.” After that, the band launched into “Gaia,” which took over as a drum solo that led into their recent single “Gila Monster,” a monstrous finish to an absolutely wild set. I’m a proud Gizzhead – yes, I can give you my personal ranking of their 23 albums. The fans were putting a lot of weight on this set after the disappointment of the 2022 cancellation, and still the band overdelivered. It was loud, nonstop, and crisp. While a majority of the festivalgoers were over at Paramore – who also absolutely crushed it – a smaller sample got to see what was unequivocally one of the best Boston Calling sets of all-time. Easily the best set of the weekend for this reviewer. – Andrew McNally

Paramore

Paramore has done what many bands of the Warped Tour era have struggled to do – stay relevant, grow, and evolve. The anticipation for their set was palpable ahead of 9pm. Many folks in the crowd had arrived in the early morning to camp out and secure their spot against the barricade. Some of these diehards were seeing Paramore for the first time, and what a treat was in store for them! Touring in support of this year’s This is Why, Hayley Williams, Taylor York, and Zac Farro have further expanded the sounds they built on their last album, After Laughter, with a darker but still reflective side. Paramore put on an electric live show filled with boundless energy from Williams and a wall of beautiful sound from the members of the band. Williams orchestrated the crowd into scream-alongs to classics like “That’s What You Get” to newer hits like “Rose-Colored Boy,” the crowd of tens of thousands never missing a lyrical queue. At one point Williams addressed the crowd to give thanks to everyone who has supported them over the years – that she never thought Paramore would ever be in a position to headline music festivals (they’ve headlined multiple just in the last two years). She also welcomed new fans, hoping to convert a few people over the course of their 75-minute set. If you think Paramore is not for you, after nearly 20 years of music, there’s a bit of something for everyone in there. The biggest highlight of the evening was when Hayley Williams chose a member of the audience to sing the iconic bridge of their 2007 hit “Misery Business.” This is a spectacle performed at most of their shows, and audience members bring signs to woo Williams to choose them. Tonight’s choice was Sammy Jo who Williams picked because of her vibrant hair much like her own. Sammy Jo performed as if she had been planning for this her entire life, hyping up the crowd much like Williams had done the entire set to get everyone’s involvement, and for lack of a better way to say it, she absolutely killed it. It was a magical way to end the weekend of Boston Calling in 2023, and here’s to the next one!

–Christine Varriale