Boston Calling Music Festival, the city’s premiere semiannual outdoor music event, is yet to occur this spring, but already festival organizers have decided to release the fall lineup into the world. The festival, which will take place Sept. 5-7 on City Hall Plaza will feature five headliners, as opposed to the standard three that the festival usually presents.
Leading the way this year will be Brooklyn-based indie collective The National, who headlined the inaugural edition of Boston Calling last May. Aaron Dessner, the band’s songwriter, has had a hand in curating each installment of the festival, so it only makes sense that they’re the first act to make a returning appearance. Joining them will be New Zealand Grammy-winning pop sensation Lorde, Minneapolis garage rock legends The Replacements, who will be playing their first Boston show since 1991, alt-folk cult heroes Neutral Milk Hotel, and Queens-based rap legend Nas, who recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of his seminal album “Illmatic,” will play a set, collaborating with Fallon house band The Roots.
The headliners alone make this edition of Boston Calling the best yet, but the lineup doesn’t stop there. The festival also boasts its most diverse array of artists to date, scratching the surfaces of the pop world, indie rock, hip-hop, electronic, even soul. Along with mid-bill names like Childish Gambino, The 1975, Girl Talk, and Volcano Choir (Bon Iver’s other band in case you weren’t familiar), all of whom could act as pretty impressive headliners in their own right, the event will feature a handful of up-and-coming talent that includes Baltimore new wave studs Future Islands, LA pop sensation Sky Ferriera, and Boston-bred indie jazz crew Lake Street Dive.
Lake Street Dive isn’t the only band spreading the local love though. As always, Saturday and Sunday will kick off with a set from a Boston band too. This year, loveable Brighton pop heroes Gentlemen Hall will kick off one day, while synthy newcomers Clifflight will start up another. The schedule for the Fall 2014 edition of Boston Calling will be announced at a later date, but starting Thursday, April 24 (tomorrow) at 10 a.m., you can purchase early bird tickets at a discounted rate on Boston Calling’s website.
Boston Calling Fall 2014 Lineup
The National
Lorde
The Replacements
Nas x The Roots
Neutral Milk Hotel
Childish Gambino
Spoon
Girl Talk
The 1975
Volcano Choir
Twenty One Pilots
The War on Drugs
The Hold Steady
Lake Street Dive
Bleachers
White Denim
Future Islands
Sky Ferriera
San Fermin
S. Carey
CliffLight
Gentleman Hall
