St. Vincent, Beck, and More Heat Up Boston Calling on Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend kicked off in style at the Boston Calling Festival. The three-day event, set beneath the buildings surrounding City Hall Plaza, received strong performances from headliners Beck, My Morning Jacket, and the Pixies, with a well-rounded supporting cast that included Tame Impala, St. Vincent, and TV on the Radio.

Split between two adjacent stages, 23 artists in all rocked out under the clear skies and warm weather of what has blossomed into a beautiful springtime in Boston. It was the fifth edition of the bi-annual festival, which returns this fall with a lineup that was just announced via the festival’s website.

Beck, coming off of his Grammy win for Album of the Year on Morning Phase, played an energetic lineup of old and new songs. St. Vincent, who was the Alternative Album of the Year Grammy victor this year with her self-titled LP, impressed on all fronts. She pranced throughout the performance in a fusion of part-robotic, part-balletic fashion, shredding through guitar solos on tracks like “Rattlesnake” and “Digital Witness” and capping it off with a surf in the crowd.

The Aussies of Tame Impala, fresh off the release of their video for “‘Cause I’m a Man”, graced the stage with their unique blend of psychedelic rock. TV on the Radio, touring off their latest album Seeds, put together a vibrant set culminating with their 2004 hit “Staring at the Sun”.

Good weather and live music are always a winning combination. The festival season is, indeed, back in swing, and a time to cherish.

Photos by Samara Vise