Tame Impala, Travis Scott Round-Out Boston Calling With Psychedelic Sets

Boston Calling kicked-off on Friday with performances from Greta Van Fleet, Gang of Youths, and Chvrches, as well as a memorable, intense set from headliners Twenty One Pilots. The festival continued throughout the weekend with an eclectic lineup.

While Friday brought in a large audience, Saturday was packed. Festivalgoers flooded Harvard’s Athletic Complex with fans all day long. People sprawled out across the turf listening to artists like indie-rock’s Sidney Gish, Pile, and Betty Who. The weather remained cool and breezy as rising rap artist Princess Nokia took the stage, along with underground acts Superorganism, Shame, and Clairo. Mitski, touring in support of her fourth studio record Be The Cowboy – which was named one of the top albums of the year by various publications – followed with a stellar performance. The rising indie star played oldies like “Your Best American Girl” and “Nobody,” as well as new tracks “Why Didn’t You Stop Me?” and “Washing Machine Heart.”

Hozier, a second-year veteran to the festival, brought his powerful voice to the stage. Just as the sun went down, he started to perform, sending his powerhouse vocals echoing through the night sky. He played songs off his latest record, Wasteland, Baby!, like “Nina Cried Power” and “Nobody,” while also belting out smash-hits from his debut “Work Song,” “Someone New,” and “From Eden” before wrapping-up with the hard-hitting fan-favorite single “Take Me To Church.”

The night continued with the EDM stars of ODESZA, lighting up the grounds with “It’s Only” and “Locomotion” before making way for headliners Tame Impala. Kevin Parker, the multi-instrumentalist behind Tame Impala, appeared on stage with groovy, psychedelic vibes, kicking-off the set with “Let It Happen.” Lights beamed across the stage with trippy backgrounds as he moved into older tracks like Londerism’s “Mind Mischief” and “Elephant” before breaking into Currents‘ smash-hits “The Less I Know The Better” and “The Moment.”

During the dreamy set, he performed 2019 new tracks “Borderline” and “Patience,” sending the crowd into a daze. While barely talking to the audience, Parker captured fans with a two-song encore of “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” and “New Person, Same Old Mistakes.”

Sunday picked-up again with R&B’s Cautious Clay, indie rock group Snail Mail, and EDM artist Snakehips. The rockers of Guster made an appearance, bringing the crowd back to the early 2000’s with Ganging Up On The Sun‘s “Satellite,” “Amsterdam,” and “Barrel of a Gun,” followed by indie-rock’s Rainbow Kitten Surprise, who danced across the stage for the soulful rendition of “Devil Like Me.”

Grammy Award-winning artist Brandi Carlile performed next, dueling at the same time with rapper Logic. Carlile emerged onstage with “Nirvana,” dreamily offering her powerful voice to the crowd while performing “Hold Out Your Hand,” “The Mother,” and “The Joke” off By The Way, I Forgive You. Fans rejoiced as she gently covered renditions of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You” and Led Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” before wrapping-up with “Party Of One.”

Bass could be felt throughout the festival when Travis Scott hit the stage, energizing the crowd with raps dubbed over heavy beats as he began with “Stargazing,” “Carousel,” and “Highest in the Room.” The rapper, currently touring in support of 2018’s Astroworld, brought some of the tour with him as a carousel and other carnival elements adorned the stage. After 22 songs – which also included his first performance of “Wake Up” – he closed out the set with “Sicko Mode,” ending just before 11 p.m., despite the fact that he said he’d keep the festival open until 4 a.m.

While Boston Calling offered a variety of genres, representing indie-rock, punk, and hip-hop, concertgoers were still hoping to see a headlining performance from a festival artist. We’ll see what next year brings.