In all honesty, watching Sigur Ros for the first time live… in the rain… at night was more than worth it. As was attending the first day of Boston Calling 2017. This year BC worked with Harvard University, opening a space for over 40,000 people; bringing Boston Calling to Allston, instead of its usual City Hall/Government Center location, and it was the right decision. It was crystal clear that this year Boston Calling decided that if they were going to do this, they were going to do it right!
The area was broken up into four stages: The Delta Blue Stage, The Comedy Area, The Xfinity Red Stage, and The Boston Calling Green Stage. The Comedy Arena, being just that, was filled by names like Eugene Mirman and Pete Holmes. Needless to say, the purple stage was every bit as crucial to the festival as the musicians were. However, if you were not a fan of laughter and glee, this stage would not be for you. Maybe the Blue, Red, and Green stages were exactly what you were looking for.
The Delta Blue stage housed artists like: Xyouris White, Deerhoof, Mac DeMarco, and Sigur Ros. I had the pleasure of attending the Sigur Ros show (having never seen or heard of them before), and they have no issues creating new fans. They filled the crowd with their melodic and soothing tones as rain drops pour atop our heads. The show went on without so much as an out of place sneeze, as the crowd headbanged in a relaxing manner. Something about Icelandic instrumental rock can really sooth some of the most savage beasts. They played extended versions of their most famous songs, all new to me, and the crowd devoured it like one big tasty snack.
Speaking of emotional performances, Bon Iver created a space for the audience to sit in their rooms and cry (figuratively of course). Playing some of his most famous work; Bon Iver finished as the last artist playing at the Xfinity Red Stage, and it was euphoric. The crowd stood on a mixture of mud, astro turf, and hope that their favorite artist would play their favorite song while Bon Iver completely rocked his show. Of course, this included his message to the crowd encouraging us to make good decisions and surround ourselves with good people; stating that if this idea wasn’t true, then he would not be where he was. It was truly a sight to see and a sound to hear.
The Boston Calling Green Stage, or what I’d like to call… the Headliner Stage. Artists like Francis and the Lights, Migos (in lieu of Solange Knowles’s pulling out), and Chance the Rapper literally melted faces as folks from all walks of life stood as one macro-organism. People flocked from other stages, mid-shows to see whoever played on the Green stage. Which made it seem like it was the place to be, and it was 100% accurate advertisement. First, Francis and Lights warmed up the crowd for Chance the Rapper as they played their collective song together, giving the crowd choreography and just general amazingness. Proving that even as a producer-songwriter, you can still be just as good a performer as the artists you work with. Migos followed up afterward with a complete turnaround in energy. Going from RnB to hood trap, in the best transition ever. Playing their most famous songs from “Bad and Boogie” to “Hannah Montana”, Migos had the whole crowd dabbing in unison. And if you’ve ever seen 40,000+ people dabbing in unison, you’d know it’s truly a phenomenon.
Finally, the headliner everyone was extremely excited to see, Chance the Rapper, played his entire discography in the course of two-hours. Everyone flocked from other stages to see Channo take on Boston Calling’s Green Stage. Playing songs like, “All We Got” and “Same Drugs” had the entire crowd singing and clapping along. The performance was incredible including: pyrotechnics, confetti, guest appearances, and his personal band, The Social Experiment, backing him up. It was an amazing show and secretly part of his Spring Tour. I think I speak for Boston when I say, “Thank you for bringing such positive energy to our city Chance!” Finishing out his show with a gentle mash up of Ultralight Beams, Same Drugs, and All We Got Chance had the full cooperation of his fans. I’d be surprised if anyone had a voice tomorrow.
