Boston Calling 2017

Solange canceled due to "production delays and complications beyond her control." Must have the same production company as Frank. You guys get Migos. I'd be bummed if I was going , as Mac DeMarco is the other option and I've seen him enough.

Yeah I'm hanging around the red stage now. The blue is really far away. I'd guess 5-10 min walk. Might make it tough to do much jumping back and forth

I'm at the blue stage right now. It really looks like a long walk from here to the other stages.

On the bus, if you see a fly hombre wearing mostly black and grey with a cloud snapback come say hi.

francis > sylvan eso > bon iver > chance.
black dress and light pink rain jacket today.have fun guys!

From the pics on Insta looks like very light crowds for the early sets. By the way, kind of just looks like some stages plopped down on a campus, is there any art or production value to the grounds?

Boston calling is more anti smoking than I am anti anything

Day 1 in the books

Lucy Dacus < Mikkeller Tent < CSH < Comedy Tent < Migos (second half) < Bon Iver (part) < Sigur Ros

Bon Iver was spiritual. Singing skinny love in the rain with strangers was a top 5 music moment for me.

Sadly, a LOT of people at the fest today disagree with that sentiment.

The secret to talking to someone at a concert is to lean over and speak into their ear, without broadcasting to everyone within ten feet.

Yeah wtf was going on, people on twitter are in revolt mode

Glad that people at least spoke up about it. It's nothing but fucking sound pollution.

I will say though, it was obvious that they have no idea how to handle that many people.

For those who didn't go today, but are going on Sat and/or Sun:

*It's a 10 min walk from Harvard Sq., but it can take up to 20 min once you get there to go through the gates. You have to pass through walk-through metal detectors. No TSA pat down, however.

*You have to empty everything out of your pockets and hold it above your head as you pass through the metal detector. If you don't want to risk dropping keys, wallet, etc., bring a ziploc bag with you and put everything into it and hold it above your head as you walk through security.

*The sound at the Red stage is not the best. If you're really interested in seeing a Red stage act, try to get as far down front and in the middle as possible, for the best sound.

*Conversely, the Green stage sound is fine, from just about anywhere in sight of the stage. I was far away in line for food during Migos' set, and heard everything crystal clear from what seemed like a far distance.

*Speaking of which, the food vendor lines are long and slow. It took me 50 min. to wait in the Roxy's Grilled Cheese line. There's no way you'll be able to wait in a food vendor line between acts -- plan on missing someone (or hearing a Green stage act at a distance) if you want to grab dinner.

*There are four clusters of portolets. The most visible cluster has long lines to get in. That's the one with the entrance near the center as you walk towards Red/Green in the middle of the vendor tent area. If, while facing the Red stage, you walk to the access road to the far left and walk down that road, away from the main stages, you'll soon come upon (1) a far less busy cluster to the left, (2) a beer garden with a few more portolets, and (3) a long row of portolets behind the bleachers at the Blue stage. No waiting at any of those latter three options.

*I really like the sound, sightlines, and overall vibe of the Blue stage area. It's only a 5-7 min walk from the main stages and it's entirely astroturf-covered. The areas in front of Red/Green might still be muddy tomorrow.

*When you first get there, hit the free avocado toast tent. When you see the ferris wheel, it will be to your right, about four tents before the ferris wheel. They had already shut down for the day when I was back at that part of the grounds by 7, so they run out early and my hopes for seconds were dashed. It was really, really good.

*The Comedy Arena, with performances from 5-7, is a great way to get off your feet for awhile. I caught the full 45 min set by Pete Holmes, whose new HBO series just wrapped up its first season. Avoid the seats on the side, however, since you can't hear the jokes. You need to be facing the stage head on, since there aren't any PA speakers facing the sides.

I saw...

Whitney (full set) -- nice early 70's top 40 vibe, although all of their songs sound alike.

Francis and the Lights (partial) -- Caught first two songs, then headed over to the blue stage. Would have liked to have seen more. #BoneRattlingBass

Car Seat Headrest (full set) -- walked right up to the rail just to the right of the right speaker column. If you don't mind not seeing drummers, you can usually aim for the speaker columns and get a rail spot there. This is the sort of post-Guided By Voices/Pavement tuneful indie rock that's in my wheelhouse. Would have liked to have heard "Something Soon," but it hasn't been on their festival setlists this year, so I wasn't expecting it.

Pete Holmes (full set) -- some nice laughs, and a great change of pace. All hail the Comedy Thunderdome.

Migos (partial) -- missed the first couple of songs, but heard the rest of the set while in line at Roxy's. It was OK, and nice having a soundtrack to pass the time while waiting in line for a *long* time. If Donald Glover thinks they're the Black Beatles, though, he's nuts. He's closer to that than they are.

Bon Iver (partial) -- Caught the first three songs, then made my way to the blue stage. It made me want to check out his recorded material, very interesting, but it seemed too laid back for the environment. I'd jump on tickets to a Wang Theater or Blue Hills Bank Pavilion show without question.

Sigur Ros (partial) -- Stayed for the first three songs, they were sonically and visually interesting, but not exactly my thing. I had planned on catching a few more songs and then catching a few from Chance before leaving, but when it started pouring, I left for the day.

The ferris wheel brought some nice color to the grounds after dark.

And, not wanting to spoil the surprise for those who are going Sat or Sun, there's this other little thing scattered throughout the grounds that's a nice touch, especially after dark.

The silver lining to the cloud of not having any of my favorites in the lineup is that I wasn't stressing about getting a good spot for a particular act, rushing across the grounds to get to a particular stage in time, or waiting in line for food. But, yeah, I'd still trade Mumford and Tool for Eaux Claire's Wilco and Paul Simon in a heartbeat.