Boston Calling 2017

Original post author: Ryan We had a great time at Boston Calling last weekend. Overall, the music was great, and we were with great company. I decided to organize my thoughts into some categories for your consumption and amusement. Enjoy.

Most embarrassing This one goes to me. Before even leaving the door on Friday morning I put my wristband on...the wrong wrist. And then I decided to read the instructions to learn that the wristbands can't be removed once cinched tight. Real smooth!!! I tried for an hour to remove it. The folks on YouTube make it look so easy, but it's not!! Ultimately, the wrist band being on my left wrist didn't matter.

Most exhilarating Mumford and Sons gets this one from Jess and I. These guys put on a great performance. They brought a lot of intensity. I was surprised to see the lead singer playing drums (while singing) for a few tracks. The crowd made the songs even better.

Most likely to succeed All the bands get this one...except for Mac Demarco. Even as someone who is a fan of his music, I found his concert boringgg. The crowd seemed to be more interested in chatting among themselves. My theory is that people pick up on Mac's "no care" attitude and it makes it seem like he doesn't care about his music. Mac, apply yourself, dude! I know Mac reads my blog, so he'll see that.

Most infuriating The food and bathroom lines - which could be 45 minutes or more long. It's painful to wait in line while a band you want to see is playing.

Most likely to be Chance the Rapper This goes to Chance the Rapper. The folks in our party really loved Chance - I thought he was good, but I didn't have enough familiarity with his material to feel the same way. What I do know is that his performance was really well rehearsed, and he was great at communicating with the crowd. He was talking a lot about how tough the road was to get to where he is now. I thought he was going to ask us to venmo him $5, and I probably would have done it.

Most likely to go unnoticed by the massive crowds of people This goes to the Mikkeller craft beer tent, which seemed to never get a long line all weekend.

Most disappointing We had some reasonable expectations for Tool, which headlined Sunday night. I was expecting a performance on par with the high bar set by Chance and Mumford the previous two nights - even if the music was less in-line with our tastes. But, I think Tool fell very short on this. Their concert leaned heavily on music videos playing on giant screens, and the main screen was embarrassingly malfunctioning. They didn't seem to use cameras to show the band on the big screens, and the lead singer was (mostly) hidden away as a silhouette - com'on man, take some ownership!

Most enjoyable non-headline act Bon Iver put on a great performance. I think their music was so good that they made it rain on Friday night. Honorable mention goes to Tegan and Sara who put on a fun show, even though their microphones cut in and out throughout the concert. We weren't able to see The 1975 because their show conflicted with Mumford, but that was likely great.

Most disgusting nip that we smuggled into the venue Got to give this one to that Sriracha flavored vodka. We were able to get some nice folks from Ottowa to drink the Rumchata nip, which was certainly in the running to win this very esteemed category. Maybe next year, Rumchata.

Best meeting spot Come on, gotta give it to that pole with the blue light. This meeting spot had it all: close to the main stages, visible at night, never enveloped by the crowd, plenty of room for Abby's dance moves, on the way out from the venue, close to a beer tent. We chose this spot without even knowing how good it was. Pro. Anyways, I'm looking forward to going again next year! Thanks to mom and dad for getting the tickets and watching Violet!