- Ella Mastroianni, Staff Writer
Boston Calling has just announced it is taking a gap year! This means that music-loving Bostonians will have to wait until 2027 for the iconic festival to return to Harvard Athletic Complex. While it’s not ideal that we have to wait almost two years, this year’s Boston Calling was memorable enough to satisfy the wait. I attended the festival on Saturday, May 24, which was headlined by Fall Out Boy and Avril Lavigne. Boston Calling, “Thnks fr th Mmrs,” and I’ll “Keep Holding On” until your return.
Follow The Emos
“I’m following the emos” was a text I received from my best friend on her way to meet me at Saturday’s Boston Calling. Although we were mostly covered in ponchos and other rain gear, this was a day for pop punk lovers, nose ring wearers, and people who generally enjoy the color black—and there was no way a little rain was going to get in the way of that.
While the day would morph into an alternate universe Warped Tour or Sad Summer, that wasn’t how it started. I arrived right as Mon Rovîa took the Green Stage, and his set was folk-filled in the best of ways. Mon Rovîa is an Afro-Appalachian folk artist based in Tennessee, whose music offers lyrics with a gravitational pull. He performed a handful of songs, including his newest, “Oh Wide World.” This song, like some of his others, is deeply grounded in environmental features. He sang sweetly of clouds, rivers, and huckleberries during the set, inviting the audience to a lush and green place of his creation. He also played an unreleased song called “Infinite Pines,” and every folk fan should have their eye on this release—trust me. Until then, you can listen to the just-released “Running Boy.”
Valley, Valley, Valley…
I was scared to see Valley perform. I knew that after seeing them live, I wouldn’t be able to stay away from their future Boston shows—my wallet would be at their disposal, and I regret to inform you that my fear was correct because Valley took to the Green Stage at 2:50 pm, and I was instantly obsessed. Turns out, I can’t resist Canadian indie pop, and neither could anyone around me. The rain was in and out throughout their set, but any gloom or gray was counteracted by Valley’s sonically addictive and visually saturated set. Their backdrop was the bright green, yellow, and blue backdrop from their latest album Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden, and the majority of the songs the group played were from that album as well. They played songs including (my all-time favorite) “Bass Player’s Brother,” “A Phone Call In Amsterdam,” and “When You Know Someone,” where Karah (drummer and vocalist) added a harmonica to the mix. They also chose to teach the crowd a bit of their song “Bop Ba” for sing-along purposes.
Another highlight of the set was the inclusion of the song “A Little More,” which Rob Laska (lead vocals) said was written for the band—and it’s a great love song about friendship. It was also really exciting to hear the bit “Karah play me something on the drums,” and actually see her drumming her response as opposed to hearing it through headphones. Valley was meant to be seen live—that much was clear after I was able to see the band up on the stage, interacting with each other, friendship on full blast. By the end of Valley’s performance, the audience was a sea of rain-soaked shoulders and mucky shoes, but after Bop Ba-ing and all that, there really wasn’t much to complain about.
The Maine Time Low
This wasn’t my first time seeing The Maine or All Time Low, but every time with them feels both new and familiar. These bands live and breathe pop punk, and have been doing so for around two decades, so their placement back to back and on the same stage made perfect sense. The Maine, in particular, is one of my most played bands, so I knew the drill—they were going to play their catchiest songs, and they would top it all off with “Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu.” They walked onto the stage in their all-white tees and button-ups, with a backdrop of cacti and general Arizona flair projected on the screen behind them. Lead singer John O’Callaghan said, “How we doing?” when he grabbed the microphone, shortly followed by “Let’s fucking boogie out here baby, let’s go!” They opened with “Touch,” one of their more recent, more bouncy songs, which immediately infused the field with energy. “YOU ARE WATCHING A BAND CALLED THE MAINE” overlayed the live broadcast screens overhead. They gave Boston a taste of their discography, playing early songs like “Like We Did (Windows Down)” from 2011, followed by “Sticky,” which was released a full decade later in 2021.
The Maine did a great job engaging everyone, and those unfamiliar with their stuff were encouraged to make up words if they wanted to! “Girls Do What They Want” is a prime example of The Maine’s ability to engage with new listeners because O’Callaghan spotted someone and invited them to join him onstage. A stranger and I turned to each other and bonded over how this is a staple of The Maine’s shows—they always grab a random man to learn the titular lyrics, “Girls do what they want/ Boys do what they can” in front of everybody. The lucky man this time? A security guard for the VIP section of the Green Stage named Travis. If he’s reading this: Travis, you did great, and I hope you return to the Green Stage in 2027.
Shortly after Travis—I mean, The Maine—was All Time Low. The crowd was populated with All Time Low fans of all ages, which was obvious from the first song, “Some Kind of Disaster.” The crowd chorused “’Cause I’m a liar, I’m a cynic / I’m a sinner, I’m a saint,” and this energy continued through the full hour they played for, through all two decades of songs. The band—specifically guitarist Jack Barakat—was determined to feed the energy, not only for the audience, but for his bandmates. During “Weightless,” Barakat came into the crowd, everyone singing with him, “Maybe it’s not my weekend, but it’s gonna be my year.” He even let people in the crowd strum his guitar. As for his bandmates, he spent the set sharing the love, going around the stage to kiss them. Lead singer Alex Gaskarth expressed gratitude for being able to play Boston Calling, which had been a dream. It was cool to see that dream realized in real time, as everyone jumped along to “Lost in Stereo” and “Something’s Gotta Give,” the shaking ground proof that their presence at Boston Calling was a good call. For their final number, “Dear Maria, Count Me In,” they encouraged mosh pits to open up, and the masses screamed, “’Cause I got your picture, I’m coming with you, Dear Maria, count me in.”
James Bay? Nah, That’s James Bae.
If you can believe it, I was at the Green Stage for the entire day…except for one exception, and it ended up being one of my favorite festival experiences of all time. James Bay is an English musician best known for his radio-popular tracks “Let It Go,” and “Hold Back the River,” but he’s maybe even better known for his brimmed hat (which he was wearing, don’t even worry). He greeted Boston with a raspy, soulful voice, paired with a big grin. The rain had officially retired for the day by the time Bay took the stage, and the sun became a natural spotlight.
His performance was all of the things you can gather from his recordings and more. He opened with “Up All Night,” which was one of his few collaboration songs he played. Although The Lumineers, Noah Kahan, Julia Michaels (“Peer Pressure”), and Sheryl Crow (“You and Me Time”) were not there to sing their respective verses, his band had his back for not only instrumental components, but additional vocals. The group was a well-oiled machine, and they undoubtedly added a fullness to the show—the stage was alight with their talents. Among the songs played was “Hopeless Heart,” one Bay said he dreamt about playing in a festival setting, as well as “Best Fake Smile,” although it was sung for a crowd made up of real smiles—which stuck around even after he left the stage.
Hey, Hey, You, You
Avril Lavigne was my headliner, literally (because I had to leave the show early), but also figuratively… because (as All Time Low expressed earlier in the day) “that’s the motherfucking princess.” Although we can’t time travel to the next Boston Calling in 2027, this night at Boston Calling, the crowd became time travellers. This began even before Lavigne came onstage, as a video compilation of moments throughout her career played, striking anticipation and nostalgia through the crowd. In addition to that were the pink lights and set decorations that further emphasized the early 2000s pop punk scene, and specifically made it feel like the audience was in one of Lavigne’s music videos. It was explosive when the tune for “Girlfriend” kicked in. Suddenly, there was Avril, with her long blonde and green hair, and there the rest of us were, jumping like crazy people. People everywhere lost their voices. It was epic. Lavigne played all her iconic tracks, like “What the Hell,” “Complicated,” “Here’s to Never Growing Up,” and “My Happy Ending.” She also sprinkled in some of her new stuff, like her latest release “Young & Dumb,” with all the charm of her beloved songs. It also fit the purpose of kicking off this summer, as Boston Calling’s timing encourages. Needless to say, she did that and more. Avril captivated with her glittery green electric guitar and telltale voice, and for Sk8er Bois everywhere, it was a good day, and for just a little while, we partied like it was 2002.
