Massachusetts (1093)

• January 6, 2025
• Colleen Johnson
• 721
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It’s easily one of the most eclectic showings I’ve seen for the now requisite Boston Calling on your festival schedule; next year’s lineup just dropped! And it’s, simply, just one for the books. It’s giving New Orleans Jazz Fest, bringing some of the most varied talent I’ve ever seen to the Harvard Athletic Complex in years. But before I get ahead of myself, some serious changes are being made for next year’s festival run! 

Top of that list, the Green Stage and Red Stage will be combined next year, with a rotating stage being built. While this will likely give a better view for those in attendance, it will also help the unfortunate bottlenecking that the festival experienced the last few years. More water stations will be on hand this year, and there will be a return to one of the indoor rink facilities at Harvard. While serving as an air-conditioned respite for those in attendance, it will be the first time the rink is open as a performance space since Natalie Portman’s curation of performances and stand-up comedians several years back. Further programming will be announced for this space, so watch for that! 

And while an air-conditioned break will be a great respite, pulling yourself away from the plethora of music during this year’s run will be hard. Between the Blue Stage and local Orange Stage, which is always an incredible moment, and the bereft of mega-star talent going down at the Green and Red Stage, you’ll surely be running around. As it tends to run the course, each festival day this year has a general theme. And for the first time that I can remember, the trend being kicked off with Tyler Childer’s more alternative country-esque headlining performance last year, country music runs supreme to kick the weekend off with superstars Luke Combs and Megan Moroney. 

Before that country goodness though, there was an incredible name not to be missed. The legendary TLC will take the Boston Calling stage for a sure-to-be no-miss set at this year’s run. The nostalgia will be key that day for all of us millennial babies. Sunday night too brings the legendary Spin Doctors to the Boston Calling Stage this year; it’s giving when Cheaptrick joined the fest in 2022. 

Saturday night, the elder emo’s will be uniting as Chicago wunderkinds Fall Out Boy and Boston Calling veteran the punk-pop princess Avril Lavigne will hold the co-headlining cards on the festival’s penultimate day. They will have mainstream favorites like past FOB touring mates like The Maine in tow as well. However, for the more alternative radio fans, heavyweights like Cage the Elephant and The Black Crowes will also be playing that day. 

And to round the weekend up, it’s truly a mishmash of iconic acts like Dave Matthews Band and Vampire Weekend! Clad by some wild moments like the aforementioned Spin Doctors and …Tom Morello. And some little band called Sublime you may not have heard of before. 

And, of course, we have a strong Boston representation in tow with acts like Future Teens and newcomer Pinklids (Okay, Cape Cod adjacent for this Wareham act). We also see so many young female artists opening up each day, which has grown to be the pattern for a festival that has gotten some flack in the past for not having a lot of women in their lineup. But times have changed for Boston Calling when it comes to that, as the festival has naturally matured over the years. 

You can get your first chance at tickets this upcoming Wednesday, January 8th, and sign up for a pre-sale code here. According to the festival’s website, these will be the cheapest tickets. The website has also promised decreased rates for all access levels for next year’s run. I’d scoop the tickets when you can, though, and prepare your gullet for all the delicious food offerings sure to be available. Check out some of the artists you’ve never heard of, as I’ve already started doing today as I wrote this! 

As someone who has attended this festival several times and seen artists like Chapell Roan and Noah Kahan explode after their time at Boston Calling, I believe it’s a beautiful and essential way to spend a sunny Memorial Day weekend!