With Latest Installment, Boston Calling Continues to Grow

It's hard to believe Boston Calling has only been around for three years. The first installment of the music festival debuted in May 2013, boasting an impressive lineup of The National, fun. and The Shins. For many concertgoers, Boston Calling feels like a staple in the New England area, as the biannual event ups the ante with each season, exciting music fans with an ongoing evolution of the festival.

Boston Calling's latest installment, which will take place over Memorial Day weekend (May 27 - May 29), might be the most impressive lineup to date - and the most expansive. Festival organizers announced the addition of a third stage, featuring some of the area's most talented comedians and rising bands. In addition to that, Boston Calling's May edition, which, like always, will be held in Boston's City Hall Plaza, doubled down on its food and drink selection, including mouth-watering offerings from all-star restaurants, like Ruth's Chris Steak House, Firefly's BBQ, Zinneken's Belgian Waffles, CopperDome Crust, Whole Heart Provisions, Tasty Burger, Arancini Brothers and more.

When EDGE spoke with Boston Calling co-founder Brian Appel, of Crashline Productions, the organizer was beyond excited about the festival's latest expansion, especially the addition of a third stage.

"We love the local Boston scene and are really glad we could expand our programming to include these great bands and comedians," Appel said, adding that Boston-based comedian Lamont Price curated the lineup of acts. "Go see some jokes between bands."

Speaking about the array of food and drink options, Appel said Boston Calling is "excited to partner with Wine Riot to bring a great wine lineup to the festival, and Mikkeller is brewing a custom beer for us called 'BC Dream.' How cool is that?"

The excellent food and drink offerings will only enhance this spring's music lineup. This year, pop stars Sia and Robyn will headline Boston Calling on Friday, May 27 and Saturday, May 28, respectively. Electronic/house duo Disclosure will bring the big dance beats on Sunday, May 29. Other high-profile acts include, indie folk darling Sufjan Stevens, R&B star Janelle Monae, pop singer Elle King, indie-pop trio Haim, Australian rocker Courtney Barnett, indie-pop band Miike Snow, rapper Vince Staples, rapper Lizzo and several more.

Appel said the festival receives "lots of inquiries from agents whose bands are interesting in performing" and that "we try to welcome a large variety of acts to every festival." This year, he's most proud of the female presence at Boston Calling.

"The incredibly cool representation of female artists, something like half the bands are female led. Women to the front at BC this year!" he told EDGE.

He adds the Boston Calling team is always "working to evolve and improve" the festival.

"We believe in the product and the audience," he said. "We're very fortunate that it has been a good match for the city. [We] never step back and say if it's a success or not - that doesn't feel right to us. We're glad people like it; we've got plenty of ideas to keep making it better."

Nevertheless, Boston Calling isn't trying to be the next South By Southwest. Appel says "those [type] of festivals are pulling more than half their audience from out of town."

"We're trying to make sure that New Englanders have a festival they can be proud to call their own, but always a welcoming place that people want to visit," he said. "We see out of town attendance grow with every installment."

For the future of Boston Calling, Appel remains coy, telling EDGE we'll have to "stay tuned" to see what's next for the festival. He adds that due to the location, Boston's City Hall Plaza, which "always seems to have some new and exciting construction happening," organizers "are always reconfiguring our layout, which can sometimes lead to accidental good ideas!"