Over the past few years, there's been an explosion of summer music festivals around New England. And we're not just talking about Boston, which has seen an unexpected uptick in cool with the addition of Boston Calling Music Festival, the bi-annual City Hall Plaza bash that celebrates its seventh edition this Memorial Day with Robyn, Sia, Disclosure, and others. From Waking Windows in Winooski, Vermont to the legendary Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, large-scale music parties new and old are providing the perfect road trip excuse for idle New Englanders.
With summer fast approaching, here's are a handful of upcoming fests certain to spice up your summer soundtrack and provide a sonic bop to the mid-year doldrums.
Green River Festival
Website: greenriverfestival.com
Dates: July 8 to 10
Where: Greenfield Community College, Greenfield, Massachusetts
Price: $119 weekend pass, $99 Saturday and Sunday, $64.99 Saturday or Sunday, $29.99 Friday
Bands To See: Dawes, Shakey Graves, Peter Wolf, And The Kids, Felice Brothers
What’s The Deal: The 30th anniversary of the Green River Festival is the perfect excuse to cruise west on the Mass Pike and explore the other half of the state (and as Boston continues its spiral into the un-fun, many of these weekend trips might soon become one-way deals). The dapper gents of Dawes and Austin troubadour Shakey Graves lead the charge here, and the undercard is also impressive; but let’s be real — more than a few teenagers will be blown away by seeing for the first time the skill and showmanship of Peter Wolf up on stage. They don’t make ’em like him anymore. Read our review of last year’s Green River here.
