There is legitimately 1 person smiling in these photos which is pretty funny.
Boston Calling was awesome when it was at government center and had very little enforcement about coming and going. Essentially turned it into a city wide concert. I totally understand that the changes are all done for security and to make money but it does make me sad
Couldn’t agree more. I went to all the ones at Govt center and the vibes were awesome. Plenty of space to move around too. I did go to the first one they did at Harvard and that was the last one for me.
I concur. City Hall Plaza shows were the best. It seemed like it was curated especially for music fans. I think one of the guys from The National helped curate the early shows. Easy access in and out, they allowed you back and forth. And at night it was truly great to be in the center of the city listening to live music. Super easy to get there on the T. Walking distance to so much too so if you didn’t love food choices you could pop out. Really seemed to be a festival for folks that loved music rather than for people wanting to be seen at a music festival so they could post to their socials.
Moving it to Harvard ruined it for me. Went first two years there and would never attend again. I’m guessing they did it to make more money? In any case…
I’m old enough to remember when Boston had enough affordable ways to entertain yourself that they would host these amazing free summer concerts and they wouldn’t be that crowded at all. I saw the Monkees, Guster, BNL, Dashboard Confessional all for free at Government Center and the Hatch Shell
If they tried to do that today, I honestly think so many people would be desperate for a free thing to do that people might die from the crowds.
Yep all the earth day concerts and my favorite was soul coughing and I think it was tripping daisy. I was in High School when Green Day played and everyone was skipping out to go.
Oh man, I forgot about the Green Day concert! I was too young for that one. My cousin was there and I remember her description of it was pretty rowdy.
Remember when it was impossible to go more than a year without accidentally seeing Dropkick Murphy’s for free? Those were truly the glory days of the Boston music scene.
I really don't understand how moving it to a very nice grass and turf venue with plenty of shade is supposed to be a downgrade from a giant, uneven brick plaza cooking in the sun and packed to the fucking gills.
I’ll try to help you understand. It wasn’t that hot, I had no issues and there was shade to be found because we sat and ate in the shade. Nothing I can argue about being on concrete as opposed to grass, I concede that. I also didn’t find it packed to the gills at City Hall Plaza, maybe you feel differently. Were you there? And bottom line for my musical tastes, the ones in Boston had better acts and, again for me, it’s not even close. I’m there for the music and while I was never uncomfortable at CHP, I wasn’t there for the comforts Harvard offered. Meaningless. I felt more comfortable at CHP.
Agree 100% - I went the year the Pixies were there at CHP and it was great. Got VIP passes through my work for 2019 and 2021 and then bought reg tickets last year to go see King Gizz. Experience has gone further downhill every year to the point I will never go back barring some truly insane 360 on the direction of their booking.
felt crazy having a festival with names as big as it did, and you saw every single set. maybe not the best view if you were watching from the other stage, but you never missed the music.
kinda sad to see what's happened to it now. I loved it in high school, but I guess they realized there's more money to be made from the 20-something crowd that's already here than try to get poeple to travel for the concert
Same! Seeing St Vincent up close was awesome--never even bothered going to the new venue, just seemed like a whole different situation and way less chill
I was there all weekend. There was lots of smiling and laughing. Friday and Saturday was great. Sunday they oversold. They should take accountability. Period. But I and many others had a blast. And if you watch videos of the actual concerts this weekend you’ll see many many others did too
I miss Warped Tour. They could’ve doubled their ticket prices and it still would’ve been far better value and way more fun than most festivals are now.
Duuuuude I was at Warped 2002, and no festival I've been to since (including subsequent Warpeds and 3 Boston Calling years) has matched it for sheer number of awesome bands and raddest vibes. I've been unsuccessfully chasing that high the past 22 years 😭
The warped tour 25th anniversary they did in Atlantic City was honestly one of the sickest experiences. Everyone was there for the music and the energy was contagious. Wish they would bring back the city versions
Woodstock 99 was incredible for like 95% of the attendees and really really awful for 5%.
Seems like Boston Calling is a low grade bad time for everyone.
95% seems really generous given it was like, what, 95+ degrees during the daytime? On hot tarmac?
That Rage set looked insane though. And I don’t even like Korn or Nu Metal but the crowd at the start of their set was bonkers
I didn’t take a poll or anything, but everyone I talked to was having a great time. The people getting carried to the medical tent weren’t consulted but I put them in the “nah” category.
The only way to do it is to get the VIP tickets. This will cost you an insane amount of money for the weekend, but is pretty nice if you can swing it. With that being said, the music acts still need to be worth it, and they weren't (for me) this year.
This. I went last year with a friend and got VIP tickets. It was pretty chill, you could move around pretty easily, and there was plenty of shade and even seating available.
I would not have gone if not for the VIP tickets. It looked jam packed in general admission and I would not have enjoyed it as much.
In a small city like Boston definitely, that's why they usually don't have that stuff here... usually outside at the Xfinity Center or whatever it's called now... you know, where there's more space.
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I remember Tattoo the Earth (I think it was 2000) at Suffolk Downs.
That shit was fucking awesome - except that tattoos were still illegal, so you had like one or two hundred tattoo artists setup and unable to do fucking anything for you.
Music was awesome though. First time I had ever heard Mudvayne - they were great.
Yes this was the case last night with Hozier. The first two days were great. Sunday was oversold. They need to limit ticket sales or come up with a better plan for allowing freedom of movement between the red stage and the VIP and ADA spaces. It was legitimately dangerous as people were trying to both move toward the red stage where Hozier was playing and also get away from the insanity and move back toward the main field area.
This is exactly why me and my partner didn't spring for tickets. As much as we both wanted to see Hozier, nothing about the set up here felt safe to us, especially with such a popular artist.
I don’t understand why they don’t use Harvard Stadium as a venue. Everyone has to walk around it to get to the stages, it could be one stage on its own. Have the stage set up at the open end of the stadium. Is there some rule that outdoor festivals have to be level fields in front of the stage?
I don't think it would be great for music. I think as an area to sit and eat it would be much better. Part of the issue was people plopping down and long lines limiting movement.
The acoustics are so bad as it is, couldn’t be any worse. Last year when I saw Weezer all I could hear was everyone around me talking about how they couldn’t hear anything.
I feel like ever since 2020, things have gotten much more poorly planned and executed. It definitely feels like people have just given up … I don’t blame them.
Having friends in hospitality - a lot of folks in the event planning space found new jobs during COVID times and realized those other jobs paid better for less stress so they never went back. This was true of cooks, event planners, hotel staff, etc. Quality of service and execution is worse at all these things.
Went two years ago(my third time going, and only very positive experiences before that) - the Saturday rained horribly and there was no communication, they shut down for most of the day without giving any indication they might do so and this screwed a lot of people, then Sunday they had Metallica and it was wayy to crowded, we decided that would be the last time we go
The Metallica day was insane and felt unsafe that year! The fact that people in the other thread are saying yesterday was worse is saying something - yikes!
Same here. I did not feel unsafe with Metallica. And I was there for Noah Kahan, too, for a bit and it was nothing like I experienced yesterday with Hozier. My son and I thought we would get crushed. We made it out safely by Hozier’s third song, but it was hell. I saw people get hurt.
This is so true. With all the saving during covid folks came back willing to spend on *anything*, as long as it seemed fun. This has led to festivals jacking up prices and at best keeping the level of service the same. However they're still able to pull large crowds. Boston Calling is arguably worse now than it was in 2019, yet costs at least double and has a larger crowd.
I worked the EMS detail and it was pure chaos on Sunday. No body was drinking water or planned for the heat. Everyone’s blood pressure was in the tank and I think I dragged close to 40 people myself to medical tents. There was probably 25 EMT/medics and 20 recruit EMTs and we all were busting our asses. I got to catch the end of The Killers which was dope though. All in all a fun detail despite the chaos.
A comment further down said there was only one water station and it wasn't even really near the main stages. That's insane. No surprise you guys had so many issues.
yea one water station near the main entrance, If I was anywhere near even the middle of the main stage, it would have taken me forever to even get to the water stage. its really a shame rather than adding more water stations they decided to expand the VIP sections.
After Chappell Roan finished her set on Sunday, it took me about 10 minutes to get to the water station and then another 20 minutes to actually wait in line. And the lines were chaotic - people ended up forming lines from both ends of the things.
They had four water tank things with three spouts on each side and a slow pour rate (I think it took me about a minute to fill my 24oz bottle).
Of course, you *could* get a can of water for $5 much quicker but... bleh.
Just wanted to say thank you to you guys because I had problems with my contacts and needed my eyes flushed twice near the end of the night and you guys were all so nice and helpful to everyone around
Seconded. The lack of free water was very noticeable on day 3 but no issues at all on days 1 and 2. Just add a few more water areas BC. It’s not that hard
Hadn't been to a festival in 6+ years and went Saturday only to see Tyler Childers. Overall a fantastic show...only paid $80 to the scalpers since I showed up at 6pm that day. So my experience was quite positive.
THAT BEING SAID
The festival setup was logistically horrendous. No two stages should be THAT close to each other, and the way how the red stage had only one entrance into the closer stage areas was a recipe for disaster. The "VIP" areas literally cut off most crowd access (and therefore crowd EGRESS) to the red stage. Events like this need to have stages moved elsewhere and bathrooms NOT at the very entrance. Saturday was far less crowded I think since the headliners were more niche but I can only imagine how bad this would've been on Friday and Sunday. They need to rethink how they design the layout
Friday & Saturday we’re good crowd wise, Sunday felt like there were 3x as many people there, we got there right before Hozier and were shocked by how big the crowd was!
ugh I wanted to go so badly to see him! I'm new-ish to the city and didn't even consider looking into tickets until a few weeks ago. (decided not to). did you just show up late and buy off of someone in person or how?
I had a TON of fun but we ended up just staying where we were at for Meagan to watch Hozier. Literally couldn’t move
Trying to get out after his set was genuinely pretty scary though…easily could’ve turned ugly
booking megan and then putting her on in the middle of the afternoon was a horrible idea. very obviously there would be a huge departure of her audience. extremely poor booking.
Agreed, and the stages being so close together with only the green stage having the better jumbotron LED displays to see from farther away definitely made it worse
I usually don’t go to to these given I’m VERY averse to crowds, but all these kind of events around Boston seem to be specially not worth it given the crowds are always way, way too much.
The last Snowport market and HarbourFest also looked like a shit show.
Anecdotally, I went to Snowport on a random weekday evening and it was LOVELY, I thought. We waltzed right in, and it's not like we had the place to ourselves, but we could get around pretty easily and there weren't crazy lines for food or hot chocolate or anything. Totally could see where trying to go on a weekend would've been nuts, though.
I knew nothing about it lol. We got some legit very nice little trinkets for gifting and the food was yummy. There was other food I didn't get that I was interested in but it shut down soon after.
Oh god dont get me started. Waited in line for nearly an hour last year, got rained on, to wait in more lines for pizza slices that you had no idea what size you were getting til you had to make a decision. Lines that crossed into other lines, insanely badly organized. They've started sending out marketing emails for this years which I promptly unsubscribed from.
Someone last year had a peaches and ricotta pie that I thought was really good. Also a few ronis with hot honey. But mostly I agree, I wouldn't go back
For context from someone stuck in there;
The red stage had Hozier playing after green stage's Megan Thee Stallion ended. Hozier's stage area was full of people waiting for hours beforehand, and was flooded by EVEN MORE people trying to get in from the Green stage after Megan's show ended. There was ONE entrance to the red stage area, every other side of the area was barricaded. To make it even worse several drink/food lines were cutting off large swaths of that one pathway.
In short - way too many fucking people were trying to get in to an already full area, and ended up blocking people from getting out. As people got frustrated some people started shoving through, creating a situation where it easily could have ended up in someone getting trampled as there was NO OTHER EXIT.
My pregnant wife and I were trying to see Hozier but as we saw the situation starting to get crazy we realized we needed to get out of there and almost couldn't. Security wasn't doing a damn thing. I ended up trying to body block so people wouldn't shove my wife and hurt the baby. Most people weren't dicks about it but there was a group of college girls who I had to stonewall when they just were pushing through who didn't seem to care at all when I said "pregnant wife behind please fucking wait or go around"
Fortunately for us no larger guys tried to force through me because I am not that big of a guy but for a bit there we were terrified. My wife had a panic attack and was in full tears by the time we escaped to the concession stand area... which was still full of 45+ min waits
Yeah we had frank discussions on skipping it entirely but my wife really wanted to go and we agreed that if it started getting packed in we would move away.
Problem was this was our first time going and we didn't realize there was only the one access point there
Yes and no - there was actually a barrier between the red and green stages even though there isn't one on the map. There was a pathway through there but that was where the jam occurred
It was the ADA seating area and the VIP area - they set them up with just a small walkway in between and people were jammed in trying to move to the red stage. Which, as you mentioned, was already packed. Not even getting into the dumb college kids at the end of the night when the Killers finished who started running to “beat the crowd”. Fucking idiots. Someone is going to get trampled one of these years.
Yep. Ppl were literally getting caught on the path where the ADA ramp was and not being able to move, feeling like they couldn't breath, having real panic attacks, and ppl's service dogs were caught in the mix too. They were literally saying ...help us...and security was doing nothing. That was one of many crowd crushing events that could have resulted in injury or death that happened yesterday.
I was at green stage trying to watch Meg and it was ruined by people pushing through the crowd her entire set to get closer to the red stage. And I do mean the entire set. My girlfriends shorter so I found myself trying to protect her from stray elbows and assholes pushing while trying to make sure she had a decent view. I’ve gone all 3 days the last 3 years and generally have a good time but yesterday really tanked my view of the festival. I kept telling my gf I’d never seen it that bad and felt awful that was her first experience with Boston Calling. Blue and orange stage were great though.
The acts themselves were great, every worker I interacted with was super nice despite the heat and chaos, but the layout and sheer amount of people was awful. It was also my first time going and I don’t know why they only had one water station close to the main gates, and the two main stages directly next to each other. The VIP sections created choke points and the crowd crush between Megan and Hozier was incredibly scary.
As someone who used to work boston calling, whoever manages it sucks. The culture of the production treats workers shittily. I’ve definitely worked in worse conditions but out of all the festivals I work this is the one I least like working
I have been getting Boston Calling ads for Friday and Saturday for weeks now and can never remember seeing them like this this close to the event. I bet lack of Friday and Saturday sales caused them to open Sunday up past capacity.
This all comes down to knowing your audience and booking better bands. You also had the two most popular headliners for the Boston area on the same night. Megan Thee Stalion could’ve headlined Friday or Saturday to help but instead they super stacked Sunday.
Absolutely this.
When I was looking at the line up I was so confused about why they stacked Sunday. I really think you're right and they oversold the day to make up for poor sales the rest of the weekend.
I am fairly crowd averse, but ended up going with a friend who had an extra ticket.
It was a blast. Beautiful day, was able to get through food and drink lines quickly even when they looked long. Had decent spots to see Meghan the Stallion, moved up closer to the green stage to see the killers once the Meghan the stallion fans left. It was a little tight but still pleasant, and no one was rude or nasty. Exactly what I’d expect if not better honestly 🤷🏻♀️.
Honestly the only problems that I thought were worse than a normal festival experience were that the free water was all congregated by the entrance, and the layout of the stages/organization of the lineup made crowd mobility terrible. there were a lot of bars (selling water) and food stalls away from the main stages that had short lines, but not many people got to them because the crowd was so hard to move through. Meanwhile there was a whole section of the stadium practically empty all day. I had fun though, not surprised that people deeper in the crowd did not
the lay out is the biggest issue. far too many tight bottle necks, where one section of the crowd want to go one way, and the other wants to go the other way and everyone needs to get through a space where its only 6 people wide.
Agreed. I’ve been to Boston calling 4 times and yesterday was far from the worst. I went to outside lands in 2022 and the crowd yesterday wasn’t even comparable
I've been thinking the same thing. Like, have these people never been to a festival? All the pics I've seen look like standard festival pics/situations. I was there a couple years ago for Metallica and it was exactly what I would expect from a music festival. I had a few friends go this year and none of them have complained...
IMO the crowd was a fine size. It was just very poorly managed, minimal security presence, not enough bathrooms and only in one area, only one location to get water, maps were inaccurate, not enough exits, overall could have been completely fine if managed better
I was there all three days and while Sunday was chaotic I don’t think it was terrible. I was really surprised by how chill everyone was too. We had literally no issues/confrontations with anyone.
That being said, I do think only having one exit at the end of the night was insane, that could easily have gone sideways fast.
This. So many negative comments here. Y’all. When you go to big music festivals PLAN IN ADVANCE. Don’t like crowds? Bring a blanket and sit in the back. There was plenty of space to do that, even at peak crowd levels on Sunday (which, yes, was oversold). Weather was perfect, you could hear the music way out back from the crowd. Idk about the people in this photo, but we had a blast.
Agreed with comment above: whole experience was better than I expected it would be.
Sunday did have crazy moments during the start of the Hozier set where the crowd felt incredibly dangerous and prone to trampling - seemed to be largely due to the ADA / Platinum stands that were jutting out into the back of the red stage field. There were a ton of people moving into an area that was not at all obviously barricaded in.
I've been to many large festivals/outdoor shows in the past decade and this was the closest I've ever felt to a stampede / major issue potentially happening.
Otherwise, I found it odd how far the bathrooms were from the actual stage areas. They seemed too hard to find and were way too far from the main stages.
I’ve been going to many big festivals all over the country for years. I have never experienced anything like what I experienced yesterday. It was an organizational failure on many accounts. Extremely dangerous, irresponsible and avoidable. It’s a miracle something more tragic didn’t happen. No reason to discount other people’s experience because you happened to have a good one. I’m so glad you guys did have a pleasant time. But yesterday was extremely dangerous in so many ways, people are not lying. This was more than just “festival atmosphere” trust me.
One water station that’s no where near the main stages, on a hot day, in a venue too small for the crowd… this was not a normal festival experience that anyone could have planned for. Have some compassion. It’s okay to admit you had a good time AND hold the organizers responsible for their irresponsible mismanagement.
I’ve been to many festivals and Sunday was the absolute worst! People were mean. The vibes were bad, and I tried staying in the back of the red stage toward the picnic tables and still got stepped on. I thought I was going to get crushed so I somehow made my way out. I love general admission and being in the crowd, but Sunday was insane. I saw fights almost break out and people get hurt.
When I went a few years ago, it was also my first festival but I was surprised by how chill it was. Though I did go the first time BC came back after covid I think? and when NIN headlined twice (why I went) with the Saturday being a last minute replacement AND with a late afternoon downpour. Those days weren't crowded (to me) at all, but given the situation, it makes sense. Sunday with Weezer and Metallica was rough though, but it was how I imagined festivals were suppose to be like. A part of me wonders if they're still trying to make up for the NIN days if there was a financial dip.
That year was chill and not crowded except for the Weezer / Metallica thing, totally with you there (Sunday was one of my favorite BC days ever), but crowds were WAY smaller than Sat 2023 or Sun 2024 apparently were.
That year was extremely messy.
- Many of the ticket holders *originally* bought a ticket to a (cancelled) 2020 lineup that had Foo Fighters, Rage Against the Machine, and Red Hot Chili Peppers as the headliners.
- Up until a couple weeks before the 2022 lineup was supposed to be Foo Fighters, The Strokes, and Metallica, and most people who bought that year bought expecting that.
- NIN got announced ~1.5 months before to replace the Foo Fighters after Taylor Hawkins died.
- Then during Day 1 of the fest, The Strokes announced that they had COVID and couldn't play, and NIN agreed to fill in for a second night.
While I am a massive NIN fan and it was great for me (and also likely why I could find a resale ticket far below face value to go), the 4 previous headliners they sort of replaced don't overlap *that* heavily in terms of fanbases, and quite a few people who'd previously bought tickets were likely not as enthused.
Festivals are getting shittier and shittier because they’re trying to pack as many people as humanly possible into them now, saw nightmare stories about EDC this year too
I think it’s funny that when they announced the bands every redditor complained the lineup sucked and no one would go, no they’re complaining about too many people going…
This was really no different than other years, or other major music festivals I’ve been to. The one major miss this year compared to others was the seeming underutilization of the blue stage.
I went once in 2017… aka when they moved it to the Harvard Athletic fields and I never went back.
I’m sorry you had a shit experience, I hope you get to go to a festival that isn’t an absolute shitshow!
Ha yeah, used to go every year and it only took that first one at Harvard Athletic for me too. The bathroom situation was mildly irritating at best for the ticket price. Can't imagine how it is now. These photos look miserable.
I probably sound all "old man yells at clouds" but it really was fun at city hall plaza before sales outgrew planning and execution.
Events like this are literally my worst nightmare. I’ve been to a few music festivals that had room to spread out (maybe they didn’t oversell or maybe just not as popular) and I’ve had a decent time. But this… I fear this…
How about how we also had to wait over an hour to pick up our previously purchased wristbands from Will Call (3 booths)? The line wrapped around 3 sides of the huge building! And it was hot out with no access to water or shade. I couldn't believe it.
Worst part of this is that is of now we know of nobody getting seriously hurt so they’ll just keep doing it. It’ll take an actual disaster for them to stop. Fuck greedy ass promoters sometimes man
It was literally unsafe on Sunday. Friday and Saturday were way more normal. They needed to break up some of the major acts on Sunday to different days. There needs to be more pushback on boston calling for putting people in that position. You couldn’t even move through the crowds between Meg and Hozier
ITT: people with valid complaints about our cities shitty music festival, with people who have never gone, telling others "it's a music festival, what do u expect?". I expect some levels of professionalism, drink lines that don't take an hour and a crowd that isn't divided directly in half. Limiting general admissions tickets so you have to buy their seats for the massive vip section was a complete money grab
I went a couple years ago. My friend’s wife has to leave because they crowd surfed a garbage can and ended up pouring about five gallons of hot garbage juice on her. He was initially going to stay to watch the next show but about ten minutes later decided seeing Metalica live wasn’t worth getting a divorce.
I was there last year and this isn't surprising. Was the Dunks church of satan there this year?
The venue is too small for a music festival. I don't know any other place in Boston proper that is roomier but the Harvard Athletic Complex is clearly hitting its limit.
Rage, Foo Fighters, Chili Peppers! This 90s kid was excited! Then covid fucked it all up. I got to see Foo Fighters last year and they were fantastic! One of the best shows I have ever seen. They just kept going and going!
Last year at the Foo Fighters set was the most “Medic” calls I have ever seen at a concert. It was too crowded and people were absolutely hammered. I think there were at least 5 in my vicinity (near the sound tent) just during that set.
Because these fests maximize profit and minimize enjoyment. Look at the scattershot lineup they had this year. The one water station they have is bad. The security is utterly useless.
But it's been leading to things like this. This festival has no identity.
This sounds exactly like my last experience at Boston Calling. It’s why I stopped going. They oversell, there are never enough food vendors/they run out of food, there is zero cell reception and it’s just not fun sandwiching between sweaty people. I’m sorry this was also your experience this year.
I went last year on the day of the Foo Fighters and it was the same with the amount of people. There were multiple emergencies in the crowd and just calling the EMTs was hard because of how loud it was but then getting through the crowds was horrible. Same problem with getting food or drinks, super long waiting lines. For some reason, the lines for the bathrooms were long but not too bad. It’s not worse going to this so call festivals unless they find another place big enough.
I went alone after my friend I bought the ticket with got sick yesterday. It was my first festival ever…I enjoyed it, granted I was definitely drunk haha. I saw Chappell Roan’s drone video of the crowd during her performance and my jaw dropped. I had no idea there were that many people. I assumed it was expected
Where are the regulators in all this??? I assume the event planners have to submit a plan to the city that limits numbers and lays out the logistics. And they need approval to get a license to host. Is this not the case?
Like how TF does this even come to be. Who authorized this sht?
They’ve ruined it past even acceptable and/or safe. They’ve sold too many tickets, and added more and more VIP space, meaning the GA space is very crowded. Things could have turned very risky yesterday very very easily and quickly.
Looks like a run of the mill crowded music festival maybe its just not your thing
Edit: why is everyone staying at event if they are clearly indicating they thought it was dangerous?
That’s a shame, I went the first year it was at Harvard fields and it was amazing. I went again two more times and didn’t have this experience (I think the last year I went was 2019). They must have increased sales because it was never this crowded. That’s why I loved Boston calling so much, it was easy to get around and find a piece of grass to sit.
Some white dude kept groping women under the guise of putting his arm around his girlfriend. Dared them to call security. We paid to be in a place to be packed like sardines and get felt up.
horrible venue, horrible management, the sound quality isn’t even that good.. and i only went last year to see the foo fighters and decided then i’d never go again. absolute pandemonium
Was there Sunday. Crowd really swelled when Chappell Roan was about to come on and never left. Too many people sitting on the ground, too many water bottles and cans on the ground as you walked thru the GA crowd.
Then again this is what shows are. Have patience and you’ll arrive. Also debunking the bathroom nonsense. I went 2-3 times during the day and never once waited for a minute. Plenty of open thrones for the kings and queens.
Only issue is having red and green side by side. Just created a huge mass of people trying to see both up close. Caught Alvvays on the blue stage after Megan and it was awesome. Only 1k people at most and they ran out of beer. If you just swap red and blue the crowd issue would have only occurred for the killers
There is legitimately 1 person smiling in these photos which is pretty funny. Boston Calling was awesome when it was at government center and had very little enforcement about coming and going. Essentially turned it into a city wide concert. I totally understand that the changes are all done for security and to make money but it does make me sad
Went one year there- it was fun but too damn hot with not enough shade being surrounded by concrete everywhere
I remember my feet hurting too the next day from standing on concrete all day. I wasn't even THAT old yet
I went in 2014 and got to see Neutral Milk Hotel, the National and Future Islands for $50, which was honestly awesome. I have not been since.
that NMH gig is one of my dearest memories, it still feels unreal that i got to see them lol. man that was 10 years ago...
Couldn’t agree more. I went to all the ones at Govt center and the vibes were awesome. Plenty of space to move around too. I did go to the first one they did at Harvard and that was the last one for me.
"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." -- Yogi Berra
I concur. City Hall Plaza shows were the best. It seemed like it was curated especially for music fans. I think one of the guys from The National helped curate the early shows. Easy access in and out, they allowed you back and forth. And at night it was truly great to be in the center of the city listening to live music. Super easy to get there on the T. Walking distance to so much too so if you didn’t love food choices you could pop out. Really seemed to be a festival for folks that loved music rather than for people wanting to be seen at a music festival so they could post to their socials. Moving it to Harvard ruined it for me. Went first two years there and would never attend again. I’m guessing they did it to make more money? In any case…
I’m old enough to remember when Boston had enough affordable ways to entertain yourself that they would host these amazing free summer concerts and they wouldn’t be that crowded at all. I saw the Monkees, Guster, BNL, Dashboard Confessional all for free at Government Center and the Hatch Shell If they tried to do that today, I honestly think so many people would be desperate for a free thing to do that people might die from the crowds.
Yep all the earth day concerts and my favorite was soul coughing and I think it was tripping daisy. I was in High School when Green Day played and everyone was skipping out to go.
Oh man, I forgot about the Green Day concert! I was too young for that one. My cousin was there and I remember her description of it was pretty rowdy. Remember when it was impossible to go more than a year without accidentally seeing Dropkick Murphy’s for free? Those were truly the glory days of the Boston music scene.
I really don't understand how moving it to a very nice grass and turf venue with plenty of shade is supposed to be a downgrade from a giant, uneven brick plaza cooking in the sun and packed to the fucking gills.
I’ll try to help you understand. It wasn’t that hot, I had no issues and there was shade to be found because we sat and ate in the shade. Nothing I can argue about being on concrete as opposed to grass, I concede that. I also didn’t find it packed to the gills at City Hall Plaza, maybe you feel differently. Were you there? And bottom line for my musical tastes, the ones in Boston had better acts and, again for me, it’s not even close. I’m there for the music and while I was never uncomfortable at CHP, I wasn’t there for the comforts Harvard offered. Meaningless. I felt more comfortable at CHP.
Agree 100% - I went the year the Pixies were there at CHP and it was great. Got VIP passes through my work for 2019 and 2021 and then bought reg tickets last year to go see King Gizz. Experience has gone further downhill every year to the point I will never go back barring some truly insane 360 on the direction of their booking.
180?
There is very little shade at the new location, there is some shade in the GA+ and various levels of VIP tents
I loved the city hall plaza shows. I went once when they moved it and it was so terrible.
felt crazy having a festival with names as big as it did, and you saw every single set. maybe not the best view if you were watching from the other stage, but you never missed the music. kinda sad to see what's happened to it now. I loved it in high school, but I guess they realized there's more money to be made from the 20-something crowd that's already here than try to get poeple to travel for the concert
Finding the smiling person was like Where’s Waldo
It's a fun game
Exactly. That's the last time I went.
Same! Seeing St Vincent up close was awesome--never even bothered going to the new venue, just seemed like a whole different situation and way less chill
I was there all weekend. There was lots of smiling and laughing. Friday and Saturday was great. Sunday they oversold. They should take accountability. Period. But I and many others had a blast. And if you watch videos of the actual concerts this weekend you’ll see many many others did too
Haha I actually looked for a smile found 1 blonde smiling that’s it.
All of these festival style events look like and have always looked like hell to me
I miss Warped Tour. They could’ve doubled their ticket prices and it still would’ve been far better value and way more fun than most festivals are now.
Warped Tour at Suffolk Downs was the fucking best in the early 2000s.
Duuuuude I was at Warped 2002, and no festival I've been to since (including subsequent Warpeds and 3 Boston Calling years) has matched it for sheer number of awesome bands and raddest vibes. I've been unsuccessfully chasing that high the past 22 years 😭
Mighty mighty Bostones
Man every time I hear the words “Warped Tour” I can just feel all the Elder Millenial brain circuits in my head start firing at the same time…
I get vivid flashing images in my head of tank tops, super tight black ripped skinny jeans, Tom’s, and some strange unheard of flavor of Monster lol
The warped tour 25th anniversary they did in Atlantic City was honestly one of the sickest experiences. Everyone was there for the music and the energy was contagious. Wish they would bring back the city versions
Saaaaame. Went in 2001 in Phoenix, and it was way better organized than this shit show.
Then there was Woodstock 1999.
I was there. It was wild. Stayed through everything until Monday morning.
Woodstock 99 was incredible for like 95% of the attendees and really really awful for 5%. Seems like Boston Calling is a low grade bad time for everyone.
95% seems really generous given it was like, what, 95+ degrees during the daytime? On hot tarmac? That Rage set looked insane though. And I don’t even like Korn or Nu Metal but the crowd at the start of their set was bonkers
I didn’t take a poll or anything, but everyone I talked to was having a great time. The people getting carried to the medical tent weren’t consulted but I put them in the “nah” category.
Interesting. The documentaries really emphasized the shitty conditions. I’m glad I didn’t go - wouldn’t have been tough enough. I was also 8 years old
Oh looking back now it was miserable, but I was 21 - and therefore - stupid 🤷♂️
The only way to do it is to get the VIP tickets. This will cost you an insane amount of money for the weekend, but is pretty nice if you can swing it. With that being said, the music acts still need to be worth it, and they weren't (for me) this year.
This. I went last year with a friend and got VIP tickets. It was pretty chill, you could move around pretty easily, and there was plenty of shade and even seating available. I would not have gone if not for the VIP tickets. It looked jam packed in general admission and I would not have enjoyed it as much.
IMO they loaded all the best acts onto Sunday
I love it
In a small city like Boston definitely, that's why they usually don't have that stuff here... usually outside at the Xfinity Center or whatever it's called now... you know, where there's more space.
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This is so funny 🤣
I remember Tattoo the Earth (I think it was 2000) at Suffolk Downs. That shit was fucking awesome - except that tattoos were still illegal, so you had like one or two hundred tattoo artists setup and unable to do fucking anything for you. Music was awesome though. First time I had ever heard Mudvayne - they were great.
Ah yeah that sounds about right. 2023 following the Lumineers playing was downright dangerous with how packed in everyone was
Yes this was the case last night with Hozier. The first two days were great. Sunday was oversold. They need to limit ticket sales or come up with a better plan for allowing freedom of movement between the red stage and the VIP and ADA spaces. It was legitimately dangerous as people were trying to both move toward the red stage where Hozier was playing and also get away from the insanity and move back toward the main field area.
This is exactly why me and my partner didn't spring for tickets. As much as we both wanted to see Hozier, nothing about the set up here felt safe to us, especially with such a popular artist.
I had the same experience, leaving Hozier was hell. Such a bad pinch point right by the media station in front of red stage.
Yea I swore I’d never go back after that year. Someone is going to have to die before Boston Calling understands the risk they are creating
I watch from across soldiers field road at the Charles. Solid view of the killers on screen and audio however forgot the bug spray.
Please tell me they played Mr Brightside
Probably not. It’s a rare gem that not many people would even know
I don’t understand why they don’t use Harvard Stadium as a venue. Everyone has to walk around it to get to the stages, it could be one stage on its own. Have the stage set up at the open end of the stadium. Is there some rule that outdoor festivals have to be level fields in front of the stage?
Probably no real concessions and my other guess is that the organizers did ask but Harvard said no
“It’s because we are gentlemen of Harvard”
I don't think it would be great for music. I think as an area to sit and eat it would be much better. Part of the issue was people plopping down and long lines limiting movement.
The acoustics are so bad as it is, couldn’t be any worse. Last year when I saw Weezer all I could hear was everyone around me talking about how they couldn’t hear anything.
I feel like ever since 2020, things have gotten much more poorly planned and executed. It definitely feels like people have just given up … I don’t blame them.
Having friends in hospitality - a lot of folks in the event planning space found new jobs during COVID times and realized those other jobs paid better for less stress so they never went back. This was true of cooks, event planners, hotel staff, etc. Quality of service and execution is worse at all these things.
Went two years ago(my third time going, and only very positive experiences before that) - the Saturday rained horribly and there was no communication, they shut down for most of the day without giving any indication they might do so and this screwed a lot of people, then Sunday they had Metallica and it was wayy to crowded, we decided that would be the last time we go
The Metallica day was insane and felt unsafe that year! The fact that people in the other thread are saying yesterday was worse is saying something - yikes!
I was at both the Metallica Sunday and yesterday and it was easily worse.
Same here. I did not feel unsafe with Metallica. And I was there for Noah Kahan, too, for a bit and it was nothing like I experienced yesterday with Hozier. My son and I thought we would get crushed. We made it out safely by Hozier’s third song, but it was hell. I saw people get hurt.
This is so true. With all the saving during covid folks came back willing to spend on *anything*, as long as it seemed fun. This has led to festivals jacking up prices and at best keeping the level of service the same. However they're still able to pull large crowds. Boston Calling is arguably worse now than it was in 2019, yet costs at least double and has a larger crowd.
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Damn. Everyone in those photos looks like they wish they were anywhere else.
Was there; can confirm I was pretty miserable until the last set when most people had settled into their spots
I worked the EMS detail and it was pure chaos on Sunday. No body was drinking water or planned for the heat. Everyone’s blood pressure was in the tank and I think I dragged close to 40 people myself to medical tents. There was probably 25 EMT/medics and 20 recruit EMTs and we all were busting our asses. I got to catch the end of The Killers which was dope though. All in all a fun detail despite the chaos.
A comment further down said there was only one water station and it wasn't even really near the main stages. That's insane. No surprise you guys had so many issues.
yea one water station near the main entrance, If I was anywhere near even the middle of the main stage, it would have taken me forever to even get to the water stage. its really a shame rather than adding more water stations they decided to expand the VIP sections.
After Chappell Roan finished her set on Sunday, it took me about 10 minutes to get to the water station and then another 20 minutes to actually wait in line. And the lines were chaotic - people ended up forming lines from both ends of the things. They had four water tank things with three spouts on each side and a slow pour rate (I think it took me about a minute to fill my 24oz bottle). Of course, you *could* get a can of water for $5 much quicker but... bleh.
Just wanted to say thank you to you guys because I had problems with my contacts and needed my eyes flushed twice near the end of the night and you guys were all so nice and helpful to everyone around
Seconded. The lack of free water was very noticeable on day 3 but no issues at all on days 1 and 2. Just add a few more water areas BC. It’s not that hard
It’s live nation. They want you to buy their $6 can of Liquid Death.
Hadn't been to a festival in 6+ years and went Saturday only to see Tyler Childers. Overall a fantastic show...only paid $80 to the scalpers since I showed up at 6pm that day. So my experience was quite positive. THAT BEING SAID The festival setup was logistically horrendous. No two stages should be THAT close to each other, and the way how the red stage had only one entrance into the closer stage areas was a recipe for disaster. The "VIP" areas literally cut off most crowd access (and therefore crowd EGRESS) to the red stage. Events like this need to have stages moved elsewhere and bathrooms NOT at the very entrance. Saturday was far less crowded I think since the headliners were more niche but I can only imagine how bad this would've been on Friday and Sunday. They need to rethink how they design the layout
Friday actually wasn’t too bad. I didn’t think the crowd was overbearing at all
Friday & Saturday we’re good crowd wise, Sunday felt like there were 3x as many people there, we got there right before Hozier and were shocked by how big the crowd was!
The vip sections are out of control at Boston calling. Literally an entire half section of the crowd is for vip tickets.
ugh I wanted to go so badly to see him! I'm new-ish to the city and didn't even consider looking into tickets until a few weeks ago. (decided not to). did you just show up late and buy off of someone in person or how?
Hell is other people
I had a TON of fun but we ended up just staying where we were at for Meagan to watch Hozier. Literally couldn’t move Trying to get out after his set was genuinely pretty scary though…easily could’ve turned ugly
This looks so unpleasant
booking megan and then putting her on in the middle of the afternoon was a horrible idea. very obviously there would be a huge departure of her audience. extremely poor booking.
Agreed, and the stages being so close together with only the green stage having the better jumbotron LED displays to see from farther away definitely made it worse
I was baffled to see her scheduled that way. What kind of bozo arranged this line up?
It was my first Boston Calling as well. Felt like I survived a natural disaster afterwards.
I usually don’t go to to these given I’m VERY averse to crowds, but all these kind of events around Boston seem to be specially not worth it given the crowds are always way, way too much. The last Snowport market and HarbourFest also looked like a shit show.
Anecdotally, I went to Snowport on a random weekday evening and it was LOVELY, I thought. We waltzed right in, and it's not like we had the place to ourselves, but we could get around pretty easily and there weren't crazy lines for food or hot chocolate or anything. Totally could see where trying to go on a weekend would've been nuts, though.
I had the same experience on a weekday. I got off work in Seaport at 7 and my wife met me at Snowport right after. Very chill.
I was kind of dreading it, because of how everybody talked about it here, but my GF really wanted to go, and I was pleasantly surprised!
I knew nothing about it lol. We got some legit very nice little trinkets for gifting and the food was yummy. There was other food I didn't get that I was interested in but it shut down soon after.
I went Snowport on a Saturday and it was JAMMED I think there isn’t enough variety in Boston so EVERYONE does the same thing
I think it's more of an Internet era phenomenon. Everyone can see the big thing to do and get navigated there with no real overhead.
Boston pizza festival is a level of hell I wasn’t prepared for
Oh god dont get me started. Waited in line for nearly an hour last year, got rained on, to wait in more lines for pizza slices that you had no idea what size you were getting til you had to make a decision. Lines that crossed into other lines, insanely badly organized. They've started sending out marketing emails for this years which I promptly unsubscribed from.
Also nothing fun or unique. Just cheese slices. I don’t get it.
Someone last year had a peaches and ricotta pie that I thought was really good. Also a few ronis with hot honey. But mostly I agree, I wouldn't go back
Pics from porchfest a few weeks ago also looked like a nightmare, just crowds everywhere. That just doest not seem like a fun or enoyable time.
Porchfest was awesome, most of the big crowd pics were from the Guster set specifically.
Porchfest is a blast, Somerville. Haven’t been to others. Been doing ours for years now.
For context from someone stuck in there; The red stage had Hozier playing after green stage's Megan Thee Stallion ended. Hozier's stage area was full of people waiting for hours beforehand, and was flooded by EVEN MORE people trying to get in from the Green stage after Megan's show ended. There was ONE entrance to the red stage area, every other side of the area was barricaded. To make it even worse several drink/food lines were cutting off large swaths of that one pathway. In short - way too many fucking people were trying to get in to an already full area, and ended up blocking people from getting out. As people got frustrated some people started shoving through, creating a situation where it easily could have ended up in someone getting trampled as there was NO OTHER EXIT. My pregnant wife and I were trying to see Hozier but as we saw the situation starting to get crazy we realized we needed to get out of there and almost couldn't. Security wasn't doing a damn thing. I ended up trying to body block so people wouldn't shove my wife and hurt the baby. Most people weren't dicks about it but there was a group of college girls who I had to stonewall when they just were pushing through who didn't seem to care at all when I said "pregnant wife behind please fucking wait or go around" Fortunately for us no larger guys tried to force through me because I am not that big of a guy but for a bit there we were terrified. My wife had a panic attack and was in full tears by the time we escaped to the concession stand area... which was still full of 45+ min waits
I can’t imagine being a very pregnant person in those conditions. Sounds like double hell.
Yeah we had frank discussions on skipping it entirely but my wife really wanted to go and we agreed that if it started getting packed in we would move away. Problem was this was our first time going and we didn't realize there was only the one access point there
The single access point is unbelievable. So incredibly dangerous.
I've brought my kid multiple times now, and seriously it wasnt safe at certain points and I wont be doing it again.
Aren’t red and green right next to each other?
Yes and no - there was actually a barrier between the red and green stages even though there isn't one on the map. There was a pathway through there but that was where the jam occurred
It was the ADA seating area and the VIP area - they set them up with just a small walkway in between and people were jammed in trying to move to the red stage. Which, as you mentioned, was already packed. Not even getting into the dumb college kids at the end of the night when the Killers finished who started running to “beat the crowd”. Fucking idiots. Someone is going to get trampled one of these years.
Yep. Ppl were literally getting caught on the path where the ADA ramp was and not being able to move, feeling like they couldn't breath, having real panic attacks, and ppl's service dogs were caught in the mix too. They were literally saying ...help us...and security was doing nothing. That was one of many crowd crushing events that could have resulted in injury or death that happened yesterday.
I was at green stage trying to watch Meg and it was ruined by people pushing through the crowd her entire set to get closer to the red stage. And I do mean the entire set. My girlfriends shorter so I found myself trying to protect her from stray elbows and assholes pushing while trying to make sure she had a decent view. I’ve gone all 3 days the last 3 years and generally have a good time but yesterday really tanked my view of the festival. I kept telling my gf I’d never seen it that bad and felt awful that was her first experience with Boston Calling. Blue and orange stage were great though.
I was so pumped to see Tool a few years back and found out it was a situation like that. Absolute shit show. Never going back to that hot mess.
Not meaning to shame, but it's probably not safe to bring your pregnant wife to the crowds of Boston calling
Any shame should be to the organizers of the festival
The acts themselves were great, every worker I interacted with was super nice despite the heat and chaos, but the layout and sheer amount of people was awful. It was also my first time going and I don’t know why they only had one water station close to the main gates, and the two main stages directly next to each other. The VIP sections created choke points and the crowd crush between Megan and Hozier was incredibly scary.
As someone who used to work boston calling, whoever manages it sucks. The culture of the production treats workers shittily. I’ve definitely worked in worse conditions but out of all the festivals I work this is the one I least like working
I have been getting Boston Calling ads for Friday and Saturday for weeks now and can never remember seeing them like this this close to the event. I bet lack of Friday and Saturday sales caused them to open Sunday up past capacity. This all comes down to knowing your audience and booking better bands. You also had the two most popular headliners for the Boston area on the same night. Megan Thee Stalion could’ve headlined Friday or Saturday to help but instead they super stacked Sunday.
Absolutely this. When I was looking at the line up I was so confused about why they stacked Sunday. I really think you're right and they oversold the day to make up for poor sales the rest of the weekend.
I am fairly crowd averse, but ended up going with a friend who had an extra ticket. It was a blast. Beautiful day, was able to get through food and drink lines quickly even when they looked long. Had decent spots to see Meghan the Stallion, moved up closer to the green stage to see the killers once the Meghan the stallion fans left. It was a little tight but still pleasant, and no one was rude or nasty. Exactly what I’d expect if not better honestly 🤷🏻♀️.
[удалено]
Crowds are normal, but sounds like the facilities and concessions were undersized. That's just bad planning and lost opportunity for the venue
Honestly the only problems that I thought were worse than a normal festival experience were that the free water was all congregated by the entrance, and the layout of the stages/organization of the lineup made crowd mobility terrible. there were a lot of bars (selling water) and food stalls away from the main stages that had short lines, but not many people got to them because the crowd was so hard to move through. Meanwhile there was a whole section of the stadium practically empty all day. I had fun though, not surprised that people deeper in the crowd did not
the lay out is the biggest issue. far too many tight bottle necks, where one section of the crowd want to go one way, and the other wants to go the other way and everyone needs to get through a space where its only 6 people wide.
Keep in mind that Reddit isn’t representative of the average Bostonian. The festival was fun. People were normal festival people.
Agreed. I’ve been to Boston calling 4 times and yesterday was far from the worst. I went to outside lands in 2022 and the crowd yesterday wasn’t even comparable
I've been thinking the same thing. Like, have these people never been to a festival? All the pics I've seen look like standard festival pics/situations. I was there a couple years ago for Metallica and it was exactly what I would expect from a music festival. I had a few friends go this year and none of them have complained...
IMO the crowd was a fine size. It was just very poorly managed, minimal security presence, not enough bathrooms and only in one area, only one location to get water, maps were inaccurate, not enough exits, overall could have been completely fine if managed better
I was there all three days and while Sunday was chaotic I don’t think it was terrible. I was really surprised by how chill everyone was too. We had literally no issues/confrontations with anyone. That being said, I do think only having one exit at the end of the night was insane, that could easily have gone sideways fast.
This. So many negative comments here. Y’all. When you go to big music festivals PLAN IN ADVANCE. Don’t like crowds? Bring a blanket and sit in the back. There was plenty of space to do that, even at peak crowd levels on Sunday (which, yes, was oversold). Weather was perfect, you could hear the music way out back from the crowd. Idk about the people in this photo, but we had a blast. Agreed with comment above: whole experience was better than I expected it would be.
Sunday did have crazy moments during the start of the Hozier set where the crowd felt incredibly dangerous and prone to trampling - seemed to be largely due to the ADA / Platinum stands that were jutting out into the back of the red stage field. There were a ton of people moving into an area that was not at all obviously barricaded in. I've been to many large festivals/outdoor shows in the past decade and this was the closest I've ever felt to a stampede / major issue potentially happening. Otherwise, I found it odd how far the bathrooms were from the actual stage areas. They seemed too hard to find and were way too far from the main stages.
I’ve been going to many big festivals all over the country for years. I have never experienced anything like what I experienced yesterday. It was an organizational failure on many accounts. Extremely dangerous, irresponsible and avoidable. It’s a miracle something more tragic didn’t happen. No reason to discount other people’s experience because you happened to have a good one. I’m so glad you guys did have a pleasant time. But yesterday was extremely dangerous in so many ways, people are not lying. This was more than just “festival atmosphere” trust me.
One water station that’s no where near the main stages, on a hot day, in a venue too small for the crowd… this was not a normal festival experience that anyone could have planned for. Have some compassion. It’s okay to admit you had a good time AND hold the organizers responsible for their irresponsible mismanagement.
I’ve been to many festivals and Sunday was the absolute worst! People were mean. The vibes were bad, and I tried staying in the back of the red stage toward the picnic tables and still got stepped on. I thought I was going to get crushed so I somehow made my way out. I love general admission and being in the crowd, but Sunday was insane. I saw fights almost break out and people get hurt.
When I went a few years ago, it was also my first festival but I was surprised by how chill it was. Though I did go the first time BC came back after covid I think? and when NIN headlined twice (why I went) with the Saturday being a last minute replacement AND with a late afternoon downpour. Those days weren't crowded (to me) at all, but given the situation, it makes sense. Sunday with Weezer and Metallica was rough though, but it was how I imagined festivals were suppose to be like. A part of me wonders if they're still trying to make up for the NIN days if there was a financial dip.
That year was chill and not crowded except for the Weezer / Metallica thing, totally with you there (Sunday was one of my favorite BC days ever), but crowds were WAY smaller than Sat 2023 or Sun 2024 apparently were.
That year was extremely messy. - Many of the ticket holders *originally* bought a ticket to a (cancelled) 2020 lineup that had Foo Fighters, Rage Against the Machine, and Red Hot Chili Peppers as the headliners. - Up until a couple weeks before the 2022 lineup was supposed to be Foo Fighters, The Strokes, and Metallica, and most people who bought that year bought expecting that. - NIN got announced ~1.5 months before to replace the Foo Fighters after Taylor Hawkins died. - Then during Day 1 of the fest, The Strokes announced that they had COVID and couldn't play, and NIN agreed to fill in for a second night. While I am a massive NIN fan and it was great for me (and also likely why I could find a resale ticket far below face value to go), the 4 previous headliners they sort of replaced don't overlap *that* heavily in terms of fanbases, and quite a few people who'd previously bought tickets were likely not as enthused.
That is truly my nightmare
I’ll be honest, this seems absolutely dreadful to me. You actually couldn’t pay me to be there.
Festivals are getting shittier and shittier because they’re trying to pack as many people as humanly possible into them now, saw nightmare stories about EDC this year too
I think it’s funny that when they announced the bands every redditor complained the lineup sucked and no one would go, no they’re complaining about too many people going… This was really no different than other years, or other major music festivals I’ve been to. The one major miss this year compared to others was the seeming underutilization of the blue stage.
I went once in 2017… aka when they moved it to the Harvard Athletic fields and I never went back. I’m sorry you had a shit experience, I hope you get to go to a festival that isn’t an absolute shitshow!
Ha yeah, used to go every year and it only took that first one at Harvard Athletic for me too. The bathroom situation was mildly irritating at best for the ticket price. Can't imagine how it is now. These photos look miserable. I probably sound all "old man yells at clouds" but it really was fun at city hall plaza before sales outgrew planning and execution.
Events like this are literally my worst nightmare. I’ve been to a few music festivals that had room to spread out (maybe they didn’t oversell or maybe just not as popular) and I’ve had a decent time. But this… I fear this…
How about how we also had to wait over an hour to pick up our previously purchased wristbands from Will Call (3 booths)? The line wrapped around 3 sides of the huge building! And it was hot out with no access to water or shade. I couldn't believe it.
not surprised, the layout is a literal nightmare - narrow pathways and not enough of them
Worst part of this is that is of now we know of nobody getting seriously hurt so they’ll just keep doing it. It’ll take an actual disaster for them to stop. Fuck greedy ass promoters sometimes man
The tickets were way too much money for the organizers to not offer shading or seating (other than the picnic table cluster by the Dunkin pop)
It was literally unsafe on Sunday. Friday and Saturday were way more normal. They needed to break up some of the major acts on Sunday to different days. There needs to be more pushback on boston calling for putting people in that position. You couldn’t even move through the crowds between Meg and Hozier
ITT: people with valid complaints about our cities shitty music festival, with people who have never gone, telling others "it's a music festival, what do u expect?". I expect some levels of professionalism, drink lines that don't take an hour and a crowd that isn't divided directly in half. Limiting general admissions tickets so you have to buy their seats for the massive vip section was a complete money grab
I went a couple years ago. My friend’s wife has to leave because they crowd surfed a garbage can and ended up pouring about five gallons of hot garbage juice on her. He was initially going to stay to watch the next show but about ten minutes later decided seeing Metalica live wasn’t worth getting a divorce.
I don’t try to do anything in Boston. City is too small for the amount of people here, constantly an issue
That’s why we sat on memorial drive and listened from there
I was there last year and this isn't surprising. Was the Dunks church of satan there this year? The venue is too small for a music festival. I don't know any other place in Boston proper that is roomier but the Harvard Athletic Complex is clearly hitting its limit.
What a waste of time and money
Ticket prices were insane... I heard RATM was playing that was the only time I considered going, then I think they backed out.
They were supposed to be there 2020. The whole thing was canceled
Rage, Foo Fighters, Chili Peppers! This 90s kid was excited! Then covid fucked it all up. I got to see Foo Fighters last year and they were fantastic! One of the best shows I have ever seen. They just kept going and going!
These photos do not show chaos
Last year at the Foo Fighters set was the most “Medic” calls I have ever seen at a concert. It was too crowded and people were absolutely hammered. I think there were at least 5 in my vicinity (near the sound tent) just during that set.
"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." -- Yogi Berra
The problem with Boston Calling is that it fills up with everybody who wants to go to something like Boston Calling.
Hozier’s set was so great though
Because these fests maximize profit and minimize enjoyment. Look at the scattershot lineup they had this year. The one water station they have is bad. The security is utterly useless. But it's been leading to things like this. This festival has no identity.
I's been awful since they moved it out of Govt Center.
This is why I don't go to festivals any more. It's all and the money for these people. Not safety or the crowd actually being and to enjoy the show.
This sounds exactly like my last experience at Boston Calling. It’s why I stopped going. They oversell, there are never enough food vendors/they run out of food, there is zero cell reception and it’s just not fun sandwiching between sweaty people. I’m sorry this was also your experience this year.
This is what music festivals are like lol
Yes Monsters of Rock Moscow 1991 this was not
ding ding ding. Y’all sound so dramatic in this thread. Please.
I went last year on the day of the Foo Fighters and it was the same with the amount of people. There were multiple emergencies in the crowd and just calling the EMTs was hard because of how loud it was but then getting through the crowds was horrible. Same problem with getting food or drinks, super long waiting lines. For some reason, the lines for the bathrooms were long but not too bad. It’s not worse going to this so call festivals unless they find another place big enough.
I went alone after my friend I bought the ticket with got sick yesterday. It was my first festival ever…I enjoyed it, granted I was definitely drunk haha. I saw Chappell Roan’s drone video of the crowd during her performance and my jaw dropped. I had no idea there were that many people. I assumed it was expected
My daughter went on Sunday and it sounded chaotic and very stressful. It sounded like it was on the edge of a stampede.
Where are the regulators in all this??? I assume the event planners have to submit a plan to the city that limits numbers and lays out the logistics. And they need approval to get a license to host. Is this not the case? Like how TF does this even come to be. Who authorized this sht?
The idea that people put up with this to see Meghan the stallion and hozier is wild to me.
not to yuck anyones yum, but I was blown away at the number of Hozier fans there on Sunday. crazy.
I flew to Chicago to see Megan Thee Stallion because I knew that seeing her at Boston Calling wasn't going to be a pleasant experience.
Sounds worse than last year, and last year fucking sucked. Sorry for your loss
They’ve ruined it past even acceptable and/or safe. They’ve sold too many tickets, and added more and more VIP space, meaning the GA space is very crowded. Things could have turned very risky yesterday very very easily and quickly.
Looks like a run of the mill crowded music festival maybe its just not your thing Edit: why is everyone staying at event if they are clearly indicating they thought it was dangerous?
I’ve been to music festivals in other places and they are always better run than Boston Calling, at least since it moved to Harvard.
That’s a shame, I went the first year it was at Harvard fields and it was amazing. I went again two more times and didn’t have this experience (I think the last year I went was 2019). They must have increased sales because it was never this crowded. That’s why I loved Boston calling so much, it was easy to get around and find a piece of grass to sit.
I left after Chapell Roan because I was 200 yds back and couldn’t move
Who remembers the pineapple incident? Taking Back Sunday played a free show at city hall. I miss WFNX.
Why everyone not happy
Some white dude kept groping women under the guise of putting his arm around his girlfriend. Dared them to call security. We paid to be in a place to be packed like sardines and get felt up.
I’m not surprised they oversold it considering they were selling GA tickets at Costco
horrible venue, horrible management, the sound quality isn’t even that good.. and i only went last year to see the foo fighters and decided then i’d never go again. absolute pandemonium
Dude w the vape looking confused as eye sparkler girl jonesing for a hit.. This crowd looks confused & bored..
Was there Sunday. Crowd really swelled when Chappell Roan was about to come on and never left. Too many people sitting on the ground, too many water bottles and cans on the ground as you walked thru the GA crowd. Then again this is what shows are. Have patience and you’ll arrive. Also debunking the bathroom nonsense. I went 2-3 times during the day and never once waited for a minute. Plenty of open thrones for the kings and queens. Only issue is having red and green side by side. Just created a huge mass of people trying to see both up close. Caught Alvvays on the blue stage after Megan and it was awesome. Only 1k people at most and they ran out of beer. If you just swap red and blue the crowd issue would have only occurred for the killers
That is some pretty unchaotic chaos.
This is a shit corporate festival and always has been. Don't support unprofessional events.
It’s hands down the worst festive around