It’s the damndest thing. Despite Boston Calling granting fewer slots to women and women-fronted bands this year (don’t believe it? glance at the headliners), every entry in our “best of 2024” notes traces back to the creative visions, vitality, and visceral sexuality of woman performers. From Chappell Roan devotees effectively providing a sensual backing track to the pop singer’s buoyant set, to the visual choices that made sets n’ stages pop, here are the best — and most head-scratching — moments from Boston Calling’s 11th year. Also referred to as “why women ruled Boston Calling this spring, and other quirky anecdotes from the Harvard Athletic Complex.”
Best: Cakeswagg hosts an inclusive ‘Bad Bitch Link Up’
Alongside 11 other standout sets from New England acts on the Orange Stage Cakeswagg’s performance was the cherry on top, with the Boston emcee serving “Big Plays” by the pound on Saturday afternoon. Strutting in a lilac jumpsuit dripping with bejeweled fringe, Cakeswagg doled out tastes of her sweet and sour sides, tenderly honoring her mother (“Thank You Black Girl”) after teasing fans with a torrent of unreleased material. To her right, an ASL interpreter signed every bar. “We take inclusivity very seriously in our camp,” the rapper noted — because bad bitch link ups aren’t complete until everyone can enjoy them.
WTF: We guess Frank Turner’s favorite word
This falls under the “WTF” category strictly on a technicality, because we condone cussing as an art form, but you truly have to marvel at Frank Turner’s ratio of uttering “fuck” to literally any other word (he even dropped a bunch in our Media Tent interview). Our estimate is that roughly one in four words was an f-bomb while Turner bantered with the crowd on Saturday evening (which, for anyone keeping score, was show No. 2,884 for the British punk). Coincidentally, “fuck” is also what every parent who brought their child to his set was thinking to themselves.
Best: Chappell Roan finds 30,000 backup singers
You know what they say: Never waste a Sunday afternoon sweating your sequins off at a music festival. But there they were — thousands of Chappell Roan fans in cowboy boots with their sweaty hair matted to pink cowgirl hats, dutifully reciting every one of the Midwest princess’ monologues at 4 p.m. The droves of rabid Roan fans completed the pop singer’s call-and-response songcraft, particularly on the second verse of “Red Wine Supernova,” where they overzealously chimed “want me to fuck you!” without prompting. Saturday may have been the festival’s designated “country day” with the likes of headliner Tyler Childers, but Sunday was Roan’s randy rodeo.
WTF: Reneé Rapp flaunts her love-hate relationship with Boston
Ah, the thrilling quasi-beef continues. Roughly 24 hours after clearing the air about her infamous “I Hate Boston” song and billboard — professing “love you, Boston, X-O-motherfucking-X-O” to a rapt festival crowd on Friday — Rapp posted “I hate Boston Calling” on Instagram. It’s (probably) a cheeky play on words for the situation, but damn girl, just tell us how you really feel.
Best: Megan Thee Stallion commences Boston’s hot girl summer with Olympic twerking
Just like how spring doesn’t arrive until Punxsutawney Phil declares it, summer won’t arrive until Megan Thee Stallion drops it low and makes it so. With a ribald set that could only be rivaled by Chappell Roan’s refrain on “Casual,” Megan’s eruption of raw sexuality — an earthquake of bass, rapid bars, and proud and frequent twerking — heralded the changing seasons better than the weekend’s mini heatwave. A choice excerpt: The rapper spitting “it never happened if the dick wasn’t snappin'” while wearing an unimpressed frown and making the pinching hand gesture for small during “Girls In The Hood.”
WTF: Liquid Death distributes unhinged “horrorscopes”
If you, too, were one of the deranged individuals willing to “sell their soul” for access to air conditioning and airbrushed tattoos at Liquid Death’s pop-up “country club,” then you also probably received a “horrorscope” detailing your future from the club’s fortune telling machine. Such as, say, a note proclaiming that “a group of psychotic clowns will capture you, turn you into a human piñata and beat you until you shower them with your sweet insides.” Mind you: Liquid Death is a canned water company. They sell still and sparkling flavored water. It’s not that serious; this “horrorscope” is Gemini discrimination.
Best: Tysk Tysk Task and Khruangbin set the scene
Lowell isn’t exactly famous for its flora, but you wouldn’t know it from the way Tysk Tysk Task adorned the Orange Stage on Sunday, encircling themselves with vines and vegetation to evoke their signature “woodland grunge.” One day prior, Khruangbin installed a trio of color-changing arched windows on a platform atop the Green Stage, scaling the steps to swirl notes of dub and psychedelia while onlooking fans swirled FoMu ice cream flavors. Typically only headliners devote such attention to their stage setups (remember Travis Scott’s carnival theme in 2019?); the extra effort from both bands added a pop of personality and a welcome portal into their creative headspace.
Best and WTF: Alvvays shout out Jayson Tatum
Let’s go ahead and dub Alvvays’ random dedication of “Velveteen” to Jayson Tatum as a good luck charm for the Celtics, who are currently cruising through the NBA playoffs. The bad news? While there was certainly a crowd present to witness the band’s crystalline dream-pop pool underneath the glow of the nearby Ferris Wheel, it seemed like most Boston Calling guests elected to weep to Hozier at the Happy Valley Red Stage during Alvvays’ slot. At least when Alvvays fans got teary, there was actually room to reach into their pocket for a tissue without elbowing a stranger in the ribs.
WTF: Someone sending a 100 percent real text asking “aren’t The Killers, like, 70?”
Look, Hot Fuss and 2004 feel like a lifetime ago, but let’s reel it in. The message gives a new meaning to the “All These Things That I’ve Done” lyric “don’t you put me on the back burner,” which ironically the Las Vegas band used to open their headlining set on Sunday. Brandon Flowers is speaking directly to you, mystery juvenile.