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The venue is pretty terrible too, being scattered across the brick covered City Hall Plaza. City Hall is one of the ugliest buildings ever built, and the surrounding is nothing but offices and whatnot.
Been to every edition, except for the Saturday of Fall '13 and the Friday of Fall '15.
It's more of a block party than a festival, and the crowd can be hit-or-miss depending on the artist. Also too much talking near the front during sets, though that seems to be the norm all across the country nowadays. City Hall Plaza is also ugly as fuck, but there's re-entry all day so you can easily head out for an hour to grab food/drinks downtown when some shitty act is playing.
It's also very easy to win free tickets or to get tickets below face value, so don't bother paying full price. And don't do VIP, it's a ripoff. All things considered, it's a fun semi-annual addition to the Boston live scene. But if you're looking for a local destination festival, pick GovBall or Newport Folk.
Sometimes I think I'm the only one who actually likes the Boston calling venue. It's a cool change of pace to be outdoors with huge buildings surrounding you. It's especially cool looking at night. imgur.com/a/wjBT5
As far as the fest overall I think it's awesome as a boston local because I can easily take public transit, but if I lived further away I would certainly consider alternatives. I really like that you can easily see every artist from one spot if you really wanted. No real need to plan your day or run from stage to stage. I also think that the presale price is a great value for the number of quality acts there are.
The biggest downside for me by far is the crowds. The people are generally friendly enough but most of the crowd doesn't care that much about the music or maybe they only care about one act so you get a lot of crowd apathy. People either talking or just not really getting into the music. The one notable exception was when brand new played I had never seen to much energy from a BC crowd.
All in all its a great small fest that is much more low effort than your typical festival experience. Great complimentary fest if you can only make it to one large destination fest per year.
Post by shakedownstreet on Jan 29, 2016 12:24:31 GMT -5
I've been to three BCs. I only recommend going if you really love the artists. The venue is tough. City hall plaza is completely concrete. Last year they did a solid by putting some fake grass on the steps - but otherwise its a brutal two days of standing on concrete (I am super partial to being in a grassy field where I can lay a blanket down and relax...this is not that place) The food is good but limited. They only serve Sam adams beer which if you are a drinker after two days can get old. It is pretty killer that you let you leave -- probably the coolest thing. We always leave in the middle of the day and head to a nearby bar for a few different type of drinks and head back in later in the day. I also feel that this fest is super pushy on the advertising. At other fests you notice it and there are sponsors -- but for some reason, perhaps because it is such a small enclosed space - it just seems way more prevalent. Also no arts vendors
I am not a huge fan of the spring line up ... just not my cup of tea so I won't be joining my boston friends this May. Hopefully I'll like the Sept. line up better!
'13 Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam, Boston Calling '14 Mountain Jam, Boston Calling '15 Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam, Gathering of the Vibes, Boston Calling '16 Mountain Jam, Firefly, Newport Folk Fest '17 Mountain Jam, Newport Folk Fest, Boston Calling '18 Mountain Jam, Newport Folk Fest '19 Newport Folk Fest '22 Newport Folk Fest
The big question remains whether ODESZA will play Saturday or Sunday. If on the same night as Disclosure, ODESZA will completely upstage Disclosure. While they both have a similar setup (touchpads with samples, vocals on tape), ODESZA has more variety in tunes and a better production.
The big question remains whether ODESZA will play Saturday or Sunday. If on the same night as Disclosure, ODESZA will completely upstage Disclosure. While they both have a similar setup (touchpads with samples, vocals on tape), ODESZA has more variety in tunes and a better production.
I've seen both bands and completely disagree with your statement. Disclosure filled up MSG and I've never seen it go more crazy other than LCD's last show there. They're not even comparable.
The big question remains whether ODESZA will play Saturday or Sunday. If on the same night as Disclosure, ODESZA will completely upstage Disclosure. While they both have a similar setup (touchpads with samples, vocals on tape), ODESZA has more variety in tunes and a better production.
I've seen both bands and completely disagree with your statement. Disclosure filled up MSG and I've never seen it go more crazy other than LCD's last show there. They're not even comparable.
Agreed. I've seen Disclosure twice and both times brought a ton of energy. (edit- I should mention I've seen odesza too)
That being said, I hope they put ODESZA on Saturday. I prefer my Sundays at festivals to be less electronic. I'd love for Haim to open for Disclosure.
Post by The Foot Fuckin' Master on Feb 6, 2016 14:24:53 GMT -5
My points of references are having seen Disclosure at the Boston Cyclorama (a performance ruined by atrocious acoustics) and at GovBall 2014 (great vibe outside in the burning sun). Caught ODESZA in 2015 at GovBall and House of Blues Boston. The crowd response for Disclosure could very well be better at Boston Calling, depending on the crowd that shows up.
But performance wise... 95% chance that Disclosure won't bring any guest vocalists which creates an awkward dynamic since the Lawrence brothers make a point of putting themselves in the spotlight (with guitars and shit). Whereas ODESZA place themselves more in the background and let the production/music stand for itself (thus, the lack of vocalists isn't as apparent, similar to a Chemical Brothers/Daft Punk show).
Lastly, ODESZA at GovBall was simply okay but the HOB set this past November was just nuts. They've grown tremendously as a live act. See this recording from their fall tour as what we can expect at BC:
With Charles Bradley and Disclosure on Sunday, and Vince Staples likely on the same Sasquatch to Boston trip east - it looks like I may go for a Sunday only ticket. Hope to do it on the cheap though.
Post by The Foot Fuckin' Master on Feb 6, 2016 16:09:37 GMT -5
BTW, can somebody explain the appeal of Front Bottoms? Their inclusion is the first time I've heard of them, but there are so many social media posts about them.
BTW, can somebody explain the appeal of Front Bottoms? Their inclusion is the first time I've heard of them, but there are so many social media posts about them.
Folky indie rockish band that shares a fanbase with say anything, modern baseball, joyce manor, etc. Getting big really fast, kind of out of place on the lineup. Really big especially among younger crowds. IMO one of the better artists on the bill and only artist on the bill that I have seen before.
The big question remains whether ODESZA will play Saturday or Sunday. If on the same night as Disclosure, ODESZA will completely upstage Disclosure. While they both have a similar setup (touchpads with samples, vocals on tape), ODESZA has more variety in tunes and a better production.
How does a Disclosure live show even work? Aren't all of their hits sung by well-known guest vocalists? It would be like seeing Fleetwood Mac without Nicks, Buckingham, or Christine McVie, while the rhythm section takes over on vocals for the night.
Or do they go for the cheesy "prerecorded vocal accompanied by video of guest vocalist" move on EVERY SONG?
Post by The Foot Fuckin' Master on Feb 9, 2016 10:24:21 GMT -5
The Lawrence brothers sing on some of their own tracks like F For You, so there will be some live singing. And there's a small chance that they'll bring guest vocalists (the aforementioned Cyclorama and GovBall shows featured Sam Smith and Aluna Francis, respectively). But yeah, the majority of their vocals come from tape (sans cheesy videos).
Post by thisishappening on Feb 10, 2016 21:10:01 GMT -5
I'd imagine this would be a decision based upon multiple years of the festival and not just one. Not too many festivals in September, but the September lineups were some of my personal favorites.
As mundane as some of their line-ups are, it would be a shame if there was no September edition. I wonder why they wouldn't have it?
Who knows, there are so many possibilities, some of which are good or bad news for the local festival scene...
*LiveNation, who already own a whole bunch of the big festivals, are stepping into the local festival market in late Summer/early Fall with an as yet to be announced event, and Crashline couldn't compete. (Suffolk Downs? 53 acres on the T, with parking, and a history of concerts and multiple stage fests like Warped and Guinness Fleadh.)
*Crashline/Boston Calling is moving up in size next year to larger space (Suffolk Downs, for the aforementioned reasons) and doing one event with multiple concurrent stages.
*Financial losses due to not bringing in enough ticket/sponsorship revenue vs. talent and other costs.
The sad thing is that if it's due to financial loss, there's no guarantee that they'll do even one edition next year. Boston Calling could be done for good. While it seems reasonable to assume that LiveNation or Bowery Boston or someone else would step in to fill the hole, there's no guarantee of that. After all, despite the Boston metro area being somewhere between the 6th and 12th largest metropolitan area/media market in the U.S., depending up the criteria, we didn't have a festival until 2013.
When you think about some of the places that do have festivals -- St. Louis, Delaware, Alabama, Calgary -- it's very clear that even with Boston Calling, we've been under-served in terms of number and size of festivals here.
For those of us who can't travel to other fests, due to work and/or family obligations, money, health, or whatever, this is doubly disappointing. Especially for those of us who were hoping for some very different sounding headliners in September.
Post by davidbyrnesbutler on Feb 11, 2016 8:28:42 GMT -5
I definitely prefer the fall edition better. I would also expect the fall edition to be more lucrative because all the Boston college kids are at school in the area. The spring edition always takes place during summer break.
As mundane as some of their line-ups are, it would be a shame if there was no September edition. I wonder why they wouldn't have it?
Who knows, there are so many possibilities, some of which are good or bad news for the local festival scene...
*LiveNation, who already own a whole bunch of the big festivals, are stepping into the local festival market in late Summer/early Fall with an as yet to be announced event, and Crashline couldn't compete. (Suffolk Downs? 53 acres on the T, with parking, and a history of concerts and multiple stage fests like Warped and Guinness Fleadh.)
*Crashline/Boston Calling is moving up in size next year to larger space (Suffolk Downs, for the aforementioned reasons) and doing one event with multiple concurrent stages.
*Financial losses due to not bringing in enough ticket/sponsorship revenue vs. talent and other costs.
The sad thing is that if it's due to financial loss, there's no guarantee that they'll do even one edition next year. Boston Calling could be done for good. While it seems reasonable to assume that LiveNation or Bowery Boston or someone else would step in to fill the hole, there's no guarantee of that. After all, despite the Boston metro area being somewhere between the 6th and 12th largest metropolitan area/media market in the U.S., depending up the criteria, we didn't have a festival until 2013.
When you think about some of the places that do have festivals -- St. Louis, Delaware, Alabama, Calgary -- it's very clear that even with Boston Calling, we've been under-served in terms of number and size of festivals here.
For those of us who can't travel to other fests, due to work and/or family obligations, money, health, or whatever, this is doubly disappointing. Especially for those of us who were hoping for some very different sounding headliners in September.
What do all those aforementioned places have in common... a lackluster to nonexistent touring scene! The vast majority of artists come to Boston for their own shows throughout the year, so there isn't the need for a festival to fill in the gaps. Especially when these shows tend to offer a much better experience for music lovers/fans of the respective acts in terms of longer setlists and production values (imagine seeing an early afternoon BC act such as Battles or UMO on a smaller dark stage full of ambiance).
You mention Live Nation, but they have a vested interest in venues such as Xfinity Center, House of Blues, and the Paradise Rock Club. Why would they put on a new festival in the area when they have those places to fill each season? In addition, not sure if you've been to Made in America in Philly which is run by Live Nation, but it's terribly organized. They're the last promoter who should be running a fest.
As for why BC may not be put on in September, I wonder if it has to do with a lack of touring of Tier II level talent who would be booked as headliners.
