Studio 52 is a community artist space located in the heart of Allston, and is proud to support the Boston music scene and local artist community.
As Earth Day came and went around the world this past weekend, one major component was missing from the Boston music landscape: ALT 92.9, the FM rock radio station formerly known as Radio 92.9, never announced the lineup of their annual free environmentally-aware concert, EarthFest.
Instead, when no one was looking, the radio station revealed on Twitter that there would be no EarthFest this year, but rather three free late-summer concerts in the South End instead.
After a fan on Twitter asked repeatedly about whether or not there would be a 2017 edition of Earthfest, ALT 92.9 tweeted the following on April 17: “discontinuing decades of free music to Boston would be discourteous 4 sure, There is not 1 EarthFest show in May, but rather 3 shows in 2017”.
@TyroneWalden Discontinuing decades of free music to Boston would be discourteous 4 sure, There is not 1 EarthFest show in May but rather 3 shows in 2017
— ALT 92.9 Boston (@ALT929boston) April 17, 2017
In addition, the station tweeted that it “had to switch things up, so no EF in May. We are absolutely still doing free shows in the city & info is here” with a link to information on their new “ALT Rocks Boston 2017” series. While no bands have been announced yet, the dates of the shows will be August 17, August 31, and September 9, all at the SoWa Open Market. The concert lineups will be announced sometime in July.
ALT 92.9 also tweeted that EarthFest “was becoming less about music & more about other things 2 get back 2 basics and do free shows for music lovers.”
@whothheckismatt There is not. EF was becoming less about music & more about other things so we wanted 2 get back 2 basics and do free shows for music lovers
— ALT 92.9 Boston (@ALT929boston) April 17, 2017
For 23 years, EarthFest was WBOS’s free, public concert that drew tens of thousands of attendees to the DCR Hatch Memorial Shell between the Charles River and Storrow Drive with performances by bands like Neon Trees, Guster, Sheryl Crow, Gin Blossoms, Collective Soul, The Lemonheads, and Third Eye Blind. Just last year, Fitz & the Tantrums, Joywave, and The Strumbellas packed the Hatch Shell the weekend before Memorial Day.
In past years, the radio station hosted a battle of the bands for local groups to compete for the opening slot; among those selected to play were the The Venetia Fair, Twin Berlin, and 2017 Rock And Rumble participant Flight of Fire, which opened the show last year.