Twenty One Pilots, Travis Scott, Tame Impala highlight 2019 Boston Calling lineup
Celebrating its 10th edition this year, Boston Calling unveils a lineup of epic proportions – from music to comedy to dance. The internationally acclaimed and locally grown music festival takes place Memorial Day weekend, May 24 – 26, 2019 at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston, MA (65 North Harvard Street, Boston). Headlined by Twenty One Pilots, Travis Scott, and Tame Impala, Boston Calling 2019 will present more than 55 performances from musicians, bands, and comedians across its four stages. This year, the festival’s indoor arena will also showcase an all-star lineup of comedy, headlined by Michael Che, Jenny Slate, and Fred Armisen. Overall, the lineup boasts seven 2019 Grammy nominees including Anderson .Paak, Janelle Monáe, and Brandi Carlile, who is nominated for six awards. In a unique collaboration, the festival will also bring Boston Ballet, one of the world’s most renowned dance companies, to the festival.
“Since 2013, we’ve had the privilege of bringing fans nine editions of Boston Calling, featuring hundreds of acts: from world-renowned superstars, to Grammy winners and nominees, to local artists on the rise. We love the artists that have been assembled for 2019, and look forward to welcoming back many of our favorites from past editions. With each Boston Calling, we aim to bring the festival to greater heights and this year is no exception,” said Boston Calling Events, LLC (BCE), Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Brian Appel.
For its 10th edition, Boston Calling has gone above and beyond to bring together some of the most talented artists the world has to offer. Alt-rock superstars Twenty One Pilots, hip-hop phenom Travis Scott, and the multi-talented psychedelic rockers Tame Impala lead a standout lineup that features Odesza; Logic; Greta Van Fleet; Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals; Hozier; Janelle Monáe; Brandi Carlile; Lord Huron; Sheck Wes; Rainbow Kitten Surprise; Christine and the Queens; Big Red Machine, the exciting and experimental collaboration between musicians Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and Aaron Dessner of The National; King Princess; Black Star, the hip-hop duo of Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) and Talib Kweli; and many more.
Each year, the festival crafts a lineup that celebrates both heavy hitters and breakout stars from the Boston area. This year, local and regional acts include Boston’s own alt-rock favorites Guster; indie-rock band Pile; 2018 Boston Music Awards Pop Artist of the Year, Clairo from Carlisle, MA; and up-and-coming singer-songwriter and current student at Northeastern University, Sidney Gish.
Boston Calling’s comedy and entertainment programming, held indoors at the festival’s arena, will feature several all-star comedians including Saturday Night Live’s Michael Che; the incomparable actress and author, Jenny Slate; former SNL cast member and star of TV’s Portlandia, Fred Armisen; SNL’s Melissa Villaseñor; Marina Franklin; and Boston hometown favorites, Sam Jay and Lamont Price. Celebrated English singer-songwriter and Grammy winner Imogen Heap will take to the arena stage to present a special spoken word performance featuring her groundbreaking Mi.Mu gloves, a revolutionary technology that produces sound by capturing movement and hand gestures. Heap, who most recently released her score for the Harry Potter musical, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, returns to Boston for the first time in nine years.
Consistently expanding the parameters of what a music festival should offer, Boston Calling has teamed up with one of the most well-respected and beloved dance companies in the world, Boston Ballet, to plan a series of scheduled performances throughout the festival weekend. More details about Boston Ballet’s involvement will be announced in the coming months.
