Boston Calling Delivers Memorable Memorial Day with Paramore, Queens of the Stone Age: Recap

Ben Kaye

May 30, 2023 at 7:30 AM·12 min read

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The post Boston Calling Delivers Memorable Memorial Day with Paramore, Queens of the Stone Age: Recap appeared first on Consequence.

Last year was a rough one for festival season. It’s understandable, considering how out of practice everyone was, the unfortunate wave of bad weather, and the spate of band cancellations. Things seem to be going better in 2023, with a strong kickoff at Coachella (despite that one divisive headlining performance), and now Boston Calling delivering one of the best weekends in its 10-year history.

You couldn’t have asked for better performances, headlined by Foo Fighters making their long-promised appearance at the fest as they returned from personal tragedy. (Check out our full recap and photo gallery of that set.) You couldn’t have asked for better weather, with the hottest day (Sunday) hardly being oppressive. You couldn’t have even asked for better food, with local favorites like Tasty Burger and Roxy’s Grilled Cheese serving the crowd and acclaimed chefs dishing out steak and baked stuffed clams for the Platinum set.

A lot of the festival remained the same as it has been since coming to Harvard Athletic Complex – a testament to how well the organizers have mapped things out from the beginning. The grounds are easily and quickly navigable, and in fact they got easier; prior years saw crowd-flow issues caused by the entrances and exits of the VIP sections on the main stages, clusters which were largely solved with a bit of relocating this year.

Earlier this month, I wrote about how Boston Calling is a perfect fit for its New England home. In truth, the city has changed a lot in recent years, as shiny new developments have sprung up in juxtaposition with the Georgian and Brutalist structures for which the colonial city is known. Maybe that’s reflected in some of the premium upgrades now on offer at the festival, but no makeover is going to stop Boston from being Boston. Its people are strong and sturdy, proud of being exactly who they are and knowing they can stand up against any challengers.

That’s Boston Calling. Sure, its footprint is smaller, its market a bit narrower than other large-scale festivals, but it’s going to provide as worthwhile an experience as any of its competitors – if not more so. Like the city, the festival landscape is changing; like the city, Boston Calling is going to dare you to best it.

Calling All Locals

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Dropkick Murphys, photo by Ben Kaye

Speaking of Boston pride, the festival once again welcomed a score of local talent. While The Q-Tip Bandits earned strong word-of-mouth with their jammy soul bops on the Blue Stage, rapper Brandie Blaze and her band tore into a cover of Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls on Parade” over on the smaller Orange Stage. Between post-hardcore shredding during their own Orange Stage set, Actor Observer reminded fans why cherishing your local scene is so important.

“We’ve seen too many local businesses and venues disappear due to the rising cost of living and a lack of social support,” said frontman Greg Marquis. “Don’t let this weekend be the only time you show up for your local music scene.”

On the other end of the spectrum were Dropkick Murphys, hometown heroes who were a last minute fill-in for Yeah Yeah Yeahs. “The Yeah Yeah Yeahs said, ‘No, no, no,’ so we said, ‘Sure, we’ll go anywhere,”’ joked vocalist Ken Casey. Telling tales of how the band went from gambling-addicted bartenders to celtic-punk icons, Casey proved why Dropkick are such a quintessential Boston band. This marked the first time they’d played BC, as tickets for their annual St. Patrick’s Day residency conflict with the on-sale for the festival; something about it taking a decade for one of the biggest local acts to finally play Boston Calling and even then only having it come together due to an unfortunate illness-induced cancellation is somehow the most Boston thing ever.

Queens of the Rock Age

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The Linda Lindas, photo by Ben Kaye

Boston Calling has done well with balanced representation over the years (even if booker Peter Boyd and co-founder Brian Apple chalk that up as much to circumstance as intention), and 2023 continued the trend. Femme and queer rockers in particular made their presence known across the stages. Connecticut-formed, New York-based Sorry Mom brought furious, cheeky punk to the Orange Stage with tracks like “I Fucked Yr Mom.” Over on the Green Stage, Toronto act The Beaches turned in hooky dance rock that had the audience singing along to every song after just one chorus. (“They’re serving what’s on the menu,” praised my girlfriend.)

The Linda Lindas were standouts during their Red Stage performance. When you get a chance to catch them at a festival alongside major acts like Paramore or Foo Fighters, you really understand how beyond their years they are. Beyond their punk chops, they have some of the most at-ease stage banter you’ll see. Some of their references may not always hit (bassist Eloise Wong lost just about everyone when her train of thought went from Boston’s affinity for ducks to the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard book series), but that awkward teenaged confidence is also endlessly endearing. It’s what allowed guitarist Lucia de la Garza to say, “We’re from LA, so that’s why they told me not to talk about sports” – a day after the Celtics forced a Game 7, mind you – before leading the crowd in a chant of “Sports! Sports! Sports!”

And the Kings, Too

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Queens of the Stone Age, photo by Ben Kaye

Don’t fret, guys – male rockers also put on a show. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard made a triumphant sub-headlining appearance after having to cancel last year. “We finally made it – and we still have COVID!” they cracked upon taking the stage. The National put on a typically solid performance, opening with First Two Pages of Frankenstein cuts “Tropic Morning News” and “Eucalyptus” as if to prove their newest material stacks up to their classics in a live setting (and it does). And The Walkmen showed us that even after a decade away, they still enjoy the hell out of playing tracks like “The Rat” and “Juveniles” together.

Of course, one of the biggest gets was Queens of the Stone Age, playing just their second show in five years. Opening with “Misfit Love” for the first time since 2018 and debuting new track “Negative Space,” the guys sounded as strong as ever – stronger, even. Josh Homme in particular seemed to be finding some peace in the fury of their performance, smiling contently throughout the set. “What a pleasure it is to bring you pleasure,” he told the rapturous crowd – and the look on his face made it clear he meant it. It all bodes extremely well for their new album, In Times New Roman…

Second Tier Headliner

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Noah Kahan, photo by Ben Kaye

The Lumineers were the headliners on Saturday, but in name only. In truth, the crowds for Mt. Joy and, especially, Noah Kahan were the largest of the entire weekend. The festival’s second day was reportedly the only GA sell-out, and most of those ticket sales could be chalked up to second-tier-billing Kahan. New England’s newest favorite son has fostered a major connection with a younger generation – and honestly it’s a bit head-scratching as to why. To be clear, Kahan is a hell of a songwriter, and Stick Season is a wonderful record; it’s just that he’s not operating in the same sonic realm as, say, Declean McKenna or Niall Horan, two other major youth draws. But there he was, running down the pit chute, having a blast as his fans belt his lyrics back in his face.

“I’ve been called the Jewish Ed Sheeran. I’ve been called Folk Malone,” Kahan quipped. “But tonight, I’m Jewish Capaldi.” With songwriting like that bringing in crowds like that, you can call yourself whatever you want.

Top Tier Headliner

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Paramore, photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images

Besides Foo Fighters, Paramore delivered the strongest true headlining set. It’s always nice to a see a band rise through the ranks of the lineup on their way to top billing, and after playing the Blue Stage in ’18, Hayley Williams showed her appreciation for fans helping Paramore reach the Green Stage. “Thank you for making this possible for us,” she said, “proving ourselves wrong; proving any doubters wrong.”

There’s no doubt Paramore are true festival headliners. They dropped in snippets of Tine Turner and Blondie into cuts like “Hard Times” and “Told You So,” and had the confidence to close with the title track off their latest LP rather than can’t-miss cuts like “Ain’t It Fun” and “Hard Times.” True to their reputation as artists who take care of their fans, they stopped the show twice to help audience members. (After “Figure 8,” they left the stage as a picture of a missing girl was shown on the screens and an announcement was made; the girl was found, apparently separated from her group as she marked up for a good spot at Paramore.) Per tradition, they also brought up a fan to sing the end of “Misery Business, a lucky person who just happened to get their hair styled at Williams’ Fruits Hair Lab in Nashville and took the stage like a pro. It was like they’d studied Williams’ performance style, and shows like this prove why Paramore are performers worth imitating.

Head of the Charles

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Alanis Morissette, photo by Ben Kaye

Alanis Morissette and Genesis Owusu win for best performances of the weekend, with the latter taking the ultimate crowd. Despite some sound issues (the crowd’s call-in-response chant of “Let’s go Celtics! Turn her mic up!” went unheeded), Morissette was still able to demonstrate some of the best pipes in music. Coming out a bit late and opening with a slightly too long intro video meant she never got to “Thank You,” but her renditions of “Smiling” and closer “Uninvited” were some of the most emotionally resonant performances fo the weekend. (I may be biased by the fact that I was watching next to one of the performers from the Jagged Little Pill musical, but only slightly.)

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Genesis Owusu, photo by Ben Kaye

Genesis Owusu, meanwhile, turned in an art piece that captivated his crowd. Entering atop his three BDSM-garbed backing dancers/screamers à la “giant doctor” from Scrubs, he was a towering figuring — but even once he stepped off their shoulders, his energy lent him equal presence. Multiple times during the set, the crowd showed their appreciation by breaking out into chants of “Genesis!” “This is my second time out here and y’all treating me like family,” he responded. Tracks like “Get Inspired” and “Don’t Need You” had the audience in a frenzy, and when Owusu joined them during “Black Dogs!”, he created a weekend highlight for many — this writer included.

Photo Gallery – Boston Calling 2023 (click to expand and scroll through):