Photos from Boston Calling’s Facebook page
Guest written by David McCallum
Alright festies, if you’ve yet to make plans for your 2018 festival season, it’s time to wake from your winter slumber and get out there! If you’re searching for a great way to kick-off the season, look no further than the springtime-fine Boston Calling. The three-day music and arts festival is held annually at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston, Massachusetts. This year’s edition takes place Memorial Day Weekend, beginning Friday, May 25th and concludes on Sunday, May 27th. Before we jump into the main attraction, lets acknowledge the greatness that is the venue for this festival— Harvard’s beautiful campus. The rich history and aesthetics only add to what is sure to be an awesome 
festival weekend. The athletic complex, the exact home base location for this year’s edition of Boston Calling, provides a spacious area capable of holding multiple stages while allowing plenty of standing room for festival attendees. Also notable is the easy accessibility to incredible concessions across the complex. For all you foodies, superb and local restaurants will be in attendance serving up all the right food and drinks to enjoy as the music plays. Boston Calling, which made its debut back in 2013, has experienced great growth since its inception, leading to an increase in the number of performances. An upward trend has also been experienced from an attendee perspective, as nearly 25,000 people travelled 
from across the world to experience the festival last year. WHOA. For Last year’s edition, a decision was made to transition from a semi-annual to a singular, annual event. Fortunately, the same will hold true for the 2018 edition, which means more music and more stand-up comedy performances jam-packed into one thrilling weekend!
Now, for the performers:
There’s no need to dive too deep into the applaudable headliners if you’ve spent the last decade living above a rock. If you know who they are. Here’s how they stack up though:
Friday: The Killers
Saturday: Jack White
Sunday: Eminem
These colossal music names, along with some other popular names you may know (i.e. Paramore, Portugal, The Man, Queens of the Stone Age and Tyler, The Creator) are sure to keep fans entertained all night, but they are accompanied by an abundance of other names, including some of Boston’s very own, that are sure to light up the stage. To name a few:
Noname
The talented Noname got her start writing raps and slam poetry in her home city of Chicago. Her breakthrough came in 2013 when she made an appearance on Chance the Rapper’s ‘Acid Trip’ mixtape. It’s been all uphill from there, as her first mixtape Telefone released back in 2016 gained widespread critical acclaim across the industry. The mixtape, filled with smooth raps and soulful beats clearly displays her poetic background. It’s a great listen and is sure to be a hit come May-end.
The Menzingers
Mosh pit alert! Scranton, PA natives The Menzingers bring a passionate aggression to the Boston Calling lineup. Punk rock is their forte and they’ve been supplying head bangers with ska-like tunes since their debut release back in 2006. Their latest release ‘After the Party’ has received high praise including publications claiming it as one of the best albums released last year. If punk rock is of interest, take a listen… it will not disappoint. Then come see them for yourself in Boston.
Alvvays
Hailing from north of the border, Alvvays is an up-and-coming indie-pop group formed in Toronto, Ontario back in 2011. They’re popularity has continually grown across both the US and Canada through tours with The Decemberists (another great Boston Calling 2018 group) and their two studio albums. Released in 2017, their latest album ‘Antisocialities’ has found itself on numerous pop charts and has enjoyed a great amount of success. It very much has a Cranberries feel to it. These guys create beautiful, easy listening music.
In addition to the music, comedy shows will be running throughout the weekend within the arena at the athletic complex. Led by Harvard alum Natalie Portman, a fantastic group of comedians has been curated for this festival. Miss Portman (who is just wonderful), with support from a long list comedians are sure to keep attendees rolling on the ground laughing all weekend.
Between the wide array of great music, comedy and the spectacular venue, it’s sure to be a great weekend, so get out there and buy your tickets HERE before it is too late!