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Wearing a jet-black leather jacket, skinny jeans and his signature brimmed hat, Beck had a request for the large audience that congregated to watch his set as the first day of Boston Calling came to an end.
“If you feel the will to move, say ‘Hell yes,’” Beck commanded the thousands of attendees who braved the chilly, windy opening night of the three-day music festival located at Boston’s City Hall Plaza.
“Hell yes,” the crowd loudly responded, prompting the 2015 Grammy Album of the Year winner to play “Hell Yes,” the electro song’s throbbing base and synth-heavy production echoing through the crowd and out into the surrounding city streets.
All of the festivalgoers, from teenage boys to middle-aged women with flower crowns to older white-haired couples, danced, sang and grooved – a noticeable trend throughout the three days of music that spanned the genres of hip-hop, indie-pop, alternative rock, folk and everything in between.
DAY 1
At 6 p.m. on Friday, festivalgoers streamed into City Hall Plaza for the first day of music festivities. Artists performed on two stages – the Red and JetBlue stages. The two set-ups were located close to each other, but the festival gave the artists their own performance time, a system that allowed the crowd to take in everything.
Indie folk-rock singer Sharon Van Etten kicked off the festival with a stunning display of vocal prowess. Van Etten’s voice pulsed with electricity as it soared on her song “Taking Chances,” a feat that contrasted with her small frame and timid personality.
After Van Etten’s soulful performance, Australian indie-rock group Tame Impala took the stage. An electronic screen behind them showed psychedelic imagery that matched the beat of the music. Kevin Parker, the group’s lead singer, delivered vocals eerily identical to the recordings. Band members whipped their long hair while intently playing groovy guitar riffs. Hard-hitting drum beats and throbbing bass moved the crowd.
But the true spectacle of day one, as expected, was Beck’s high-energy performance. He spanned every inch of the stage, jammed out with band members and belted fast-paced songs, including “Devil’s Haircut,”a crowd favorite.
Audience members clapped and stomped during up-tempo sections of Beck’s performance, but the veteran musician brought the first day to a solemn end; he showed off delicate vocals during his songs “Lost Cause”and “Morning.”
[ READ MORE: Boston Calling Music Festival – Spring 2015 ]
DAY 2
For the second day, the festival opened at noon to make time for the 10 acts slated to perform.
The first standout performance of the day came from Danish singer-songwriter MØ, a stage name for Karen Marie Ørsted that means “maiden” or “virgin” in Danish.
From crowd surfing during the song “Lean On”, her hit collaboration with Major Lazer and DJ Snake, to her one-of-a-kind gyrating, posing and mannerisms throughout her 40-minute set, MØ proved to be the most energetic and intriguing performer of the day.
Hip-hop group Run the Jewels subsequently gave a bass-heavy performance that energized the crowd at first, but soon fell flat with similar beats and indistinguishable vocals. Tove Lo, who rose to prominence on the heels of her song “Habits (Stay High)”, riffed off her usual pop vocals and flashed the crowd during her song “Talking Body” before saying, “I know I just met you, but you give me some and I’ll give you some.”
As the sun began to set, the red stage was transformed into a mystical acid trip of sorts with giant inflatable fruit lying in front of a colorful cosmic backdrop. It was the perfect setup for eccentric electro-pop singer Marina and the Diamonds, who gracefully danced around the stage.
The bubbly beats of Froot, Marina’s new album, gave the Welsh performer a chance to display her incredible range as she extended to angelic high notes in one song and delved into her rich alto voice in the next. “Radioactive”and “How to Be a Heartbreaker”, two dance-oriented tracks from Marina’s second studio album Electra Heart, closed the set with an explosion of energy.
Switching Marina’s pop style for an alternative-rock sound, St. Vincent – dressed in all black with a white guitar – took the adjacent stage with a jarring aura of confidence. The indie rock artist, whose self-titled album won the 2015 Grammy for Best Alternative Album, seamlessly navigated through her set with impressive vocals and masterful guitar solos.
One of the most memorable moments of the hourlong set came during the song “Cruel,”whenSt. Vincent held onto a note for over ten seconds during a guitar solo, eliciting raucous shouts from one of the biggest, most diverse crowds of the three-day affair.
DAY 3
Rocking bright turquoise hair and multiple tattoos indie-pop singer-songwriter Halsey gave a performance that seemed just as centered on her personality as it was on music. She seductively licked the wire of her microphone, joked about not flashing the crowd and interrupted her set to ask a manager if they had cigarettes.
When her managers said they didn’t, a young fan in front of the stage yelled that he could give Halsey a cigarette.
“I’m not taking cigs from a kid,” she laughed. “That’s some next-level f—– up s—.”
After singing her song “New Americana,”which includes the lyrics, “We are the new Americana / Getting high on legal marijuana,” Halsey joked about her prospects of returning to the city.
“I see some police officers over there giving me dirty looks – maybe it’s my last time coming to Boston,” she said.
Following a forgettable performance from ILoveMakonnen, whose music molded into one continuous blaring of similar beats, a slew of folk- and rock-based artists took over the afternoon.
Highlights of that stretch included Vance Joy beaming while he performed his feel-good songs and alternative-rock band TV on the Radio’s massive performance that included three guitarists, a saxophone and an hour of non-stop moving that left lead singer Tunde Adebimpe dripping in sweat.
Jack Black and Kyle Gass, the lead vocalists of Tenacious D, took the stage as the second-to-last act with their outlandish personalities and comedy-rock songs. During songs, the crowd would excitedly cheer for a guitar riff at one moment and burst into raucous laughter at a funny lyric the next without a trace of irony.
For the final performance, a throng of people of all ages crammed close to the JetBlue stage in anticipation of the Pixies’ hard-hitting guitar riffs and the powerful vocals of Black Francis, the group’s lead singer.
Between the opening beat of “Bone Machine,” Francis’ intense screams during “U-Mass”and the groovy feel of “Here Comes Your Man,” it was a performance that undoubtedly excited many older attendees while giving younger ones exposure to new songs – a microcosm of Boston Calling, an intergenerational exchange of music.
