Boston Calling Festival 2014

20 May 2014, 09:29 | Written by Ryan Thomas

(News)

(Warpaint) (The National) (The Decemberists) (Tegan and Sara) (Death Cab For Cutie) (Jenny Lewis) (Kurt Vile) (Kurt Vile & the Violators) (Modest Mouse) (Phosphorescent) (The Districts)

Right around this time last year, The National stole the show (and the air from our collective lungs) in their position as Boston Calling headliners. And with the National’s own Aaron Dessner performing simultaneous guitar-playing and curation duties, the bill fittingly featured a lot of his friends and fellow Brooklynites. Of Monsters and Men, The Walkmen, Ra Ra Riot, Andrew Bird, the Shins, The Dirty Projectors, fun., and MS MR were amongst the enormous crowd-pleasers that weekend.

Returning to his curator post this year, Dessner said: “I was thrilled to curate the line-up for the second year in a row. Having performed at Boston Calling in May 2013, I can say from experience that playing the festival is electric and we couldn’t be happier with the amazing group of artists who will perform at Boston Calling this year.”

That’s right, after a highly successful inauguration (read our review here) Boston Calling is back for its second year in the city that sometimes forgets to sing.

Held come rain or shine - last year there was plenty of Back to the Future-ish weather dysphoria, as is typical of New England, which didn’t diminish crowd spirits or prevent any communal dance circles from erupting on the very un-Woodstockish stone setting of the festival - in Boston’s City Place Plaza, the festival features two main stages with no overlapping sets, access to food trucks, cafes, and local eateries surrounding the venue to which festival-attendees are encouraged to come-and-go as they please.

This (sold out) weekend boasts an incredible array of acts from the triumphantly returning Jenny Lewis to Philadelphia’s main man Kurt Vile (who will be performing with his band The Violators). The venerable Death Cab For Cutie will also be making a highly anticipated appearance alongside the likes of Modest Mouse, Warpaint, The Decemberists and Best Fit favourites Tegan and Sara. Phosphorescent will undoubtedly be treating crowds to numbers from his critically acclaimed 2013 album Muchacho while hotly tipped Pennsylvanian newcomers The Districts show that those lower down the bill are more than capable of holding their own.

So many good things happened last year: Former Boston Mayor Menino made a cameo, in spite of his age and declining health, and gave Boston Calling his official seal of approval while a wine-entrenched Matt Berninger made a point of complimenting the city’s architecture during a song break. We’ll see what happens this year, and report the findings. Stay tuned!

The lineup for fall’s Boston Calling, taking place from 5-7 Septemeber, has also been announced and tickets are on sale now. (hint: the National, Childish Gambino, and Lorde will be headlining those dates). Food, which includes vegetarian options (although might not be certified vegan), will be provided by Chipotle Mexican Grill, Tasty Burger, Roxy’s, Bon Me, The Chicken and Rice Guys, and Flatbread Pizza. The festival is open to all ages and children under 10 get in free.