With daydreams of a sunny and warm Memorial Day weekend dancing in our frigid post-holiday heads, Boston Calling has unveiled its 2023 edition. And it boasts a lineup as hot as the Bruins and deep as the Celtics (or is that the other way around?).
Headlining this year’s festival, going down May 26 to 28 at Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston, are Foo Fighters, The Lumineers, and Paramore. Dave Grohl and company return to the banks of the Charles River after withdrawing last year after the tragic death of drummer Taylor Hawkins. Paramore, set to release year-defining album This Is Why in February, are back at Boston Calling for the first time in five years, as we predicted back in November, and The Lumineers are set to make their festival debut after going viral on the streets of Boston last summer.
From there, the 2023 Boston Calling lineup boasts nearly 50 performing bands and artists, including 20 with homegrown ties to New England. The national side of the lineup includes Alanis Morissette (her first Boston appearance since 2012), the aughts art-punk spectacle Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and fest familiars The National, as well as The Walkmen, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Flaming Lips, Bleachers, Niall Horan, King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, Maren Morris, and others.
The new music discovery side of the lineup is intriguing, with Vanyaland faves The Beaches, Genesis Owusu, and LÉON leading a charge that includes Chelsea Cutler, Fletcher, 070 Shake, Teddy Swims, Joy Oladokun, The Linda Lindas, Brutus, The Aces, and more.
Last year, the Tivoli Audio Orange Stage was the place to be, putting the “Boston” right back at the front of Boston Calling, and this year’s local lineup, playing both the main stages and Tivoli’s, features another heathy slate: Neemz, Q-Tip Bandits, GA-20, Juice, Alisa Amador, Mint Green, Blue Light Bandits, Ali McGuirk, Coral Moons, Actor Observer, Workman Song, Brandie Blaze, Couch, Little Fuss, Najee Janey, Summer Cult, Sorry Mom, and Chrysalis.
A variety of ticket options — pre-sale three-day general admission, GA+, VIP, and Platinum tickets, plus single-day general admission, GA+, VIP and Platinum — go on sale Thursday (January 12) at 10 a.m. local time. For more information, including the new GA+ tier, where general admission pass holders can upgrade their tickets to access the Thomas Tew VIP Reserve Lounge, head to www.bostoncalling.com/tickets.
