Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
Also totally missed Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, he is ridiculously good
How many people had no reaction when they saw the name Genesis Owusu on the poster last year, but now consider it one of the highlights of the weekend?
Half the fun of festivals is getting turned on to new (to you) artists, even if you never go further with their music than enjoying their festival set.
I'm going to check out two or three songs on YouTube by every artist with whom I'm unfamiliar. I did that tonight with Royel Otis and Stefan Thev and liked what I heard on both counts.
Last Edit: Jan 9, 2024 22:27:11 GMT -5 by tw12 - Back to Top
this is probably my last calling for a while. If it werent for the fact that my partner really wants to see Megan i’d prob skip this year. But 2025 i’m doing Movement instead for sure.
Checked out the posts on Twitter/X and Reddit last night. Beyond general unhappiness among many about the lineup, it was the usual complaints: not enough of the genre I like, too much of the genres I don't like, not enough diversity (which translates to "I didn't bother to check out the artists with whom I'm unfamiliar, so I don't realize how diverse the lineup actually is"), not enough female performers (which translates to "I only pay attention to the bold names at the top of the poster"), why isn't it all local performers, etc.
Some complained that Bottlerock and Bonnaroo have much better lineups in terms of musical, gender, and racial diversity, while conveniently ignoring the fact that when you've got 3-5 stages running simultaneously, you can cover every base, but with only two artists performing at any one time at Boston Calling, you can't do it all and keep everyone happy.
The calls for a return to City Hall Plaza were ridiculous. The sound was bad, there was generally only one performer at a time (until they set up a small local artist stage), and standing on concrete and brick all day wasn't particularly comfortable.
Personally, I don't like the fact that Hozier is the only strong existing favorite of mine whom they've booked and presented since breaking for a couple of years, but I take it as an opportunity to check out new-to-me artists, both before the event happens and then at the festival. I've gotten into Isbell, Goose, Kahan, and King Gizzard specifically due to Boston Calling. Sure, I want that sweet spot of seeing one of my favorites at Boston Calling once or twice per edition, but it doesn't usually happen. I can hope for Guided By Voices and Wilco all I want, but walk through the gates on Friday realizing that by Sunday night, I may have run across someone I might end up liking that much.
There are a few other festivals in New England which invariably have lineups that appeal to me more than Boston Calling, but rather than complain about BC, I take it as an opportunity to see some performers whom I've wanted to check out live but don't like enough to spend money upon for tickets, check out new artists, sample genres that I usually avoid, etc.
I'd trade this year's Boston Calling lineup for the 2024 Solid Sound lineup without a moment's hesitation, but that's not happening, so I'm going to make the best of it.
Getting over the fact that Ed Sheeran is headlining Boston Calling, the biggest gripe I have about this lineup and direction of the festival is that Friday and Saturday are basically genre days.
Friday's top 3.5 lines (removing the local acts), with the exception of Leon Bridges (who I love), are all pop-aligned.
Saturday's top 3.5 lines are primarily country/folk with a small sprinkle of jam/psych/pop, depending on Frank Turner's set.
So, if I want to get a mix of genres, which has been Boston Calling's staple, I can't during the first 2 days.
I don't get the thinking, from a business perspective, to compartmentalize the days into genre specific vs spreading genres across the 3 days. Was Saturday of 2023 that big of an influencer? I'd argue, and I think many would agree, that Noah Kahan was a key driver in selling Saturday out vs the overall Americana theme. Is C3 hoping to sell out all 3 days by targeting specific audiences each day and going the single day pass route vs selling 3 day passes? Looking at the ticket prices, they seem to want to push the 3 day pass as the cost of 2 single day passes is slightly less than the 3 day pass, depending on the tier (2 single-day GA = $350 vs 3 day GA = $360, 2 single-day GA+ = $598 vs 3 day GA+ = $599). It's just head-scratching.
I'm a fan of giving local artists opportunities to perform at the festival with the inclusion of the Orange stage, but it seems like the # of local artists has gone up and we're missing out on smaller, up and coming national acts.
Also, it looks like there is going to be a Platinum section in front of the Green Stage. So, pushing GA further from the stage each year.
Getting over the fact that Ed Sheeran is headlining Boston Calling, the biggest gripe I have about this lineup and direction of the festival is that Friday and Saturday are basically genre days.
Friday's top 3.5 lines (removing the local acts), with the exception of Leon Bridges (who I love), are all pop-aligned.
Saturday's top 3.5 lines are primarily country/folk with a small sprinkle of jam/psych/pop, depending on Frank Turner's set.
So, if I want to get a mix of genres, which has been Boston Calling's staple, I can't during the first 2 days.
I don't get the thinking, from a business perspective, to compartmentalize the days into genre specific vs spreading genres across the 3 days. Was Saturday of 2023 that big of an influencer? I'd argue, and I think many would agree, that Noah Kahan was a key driver in selling Saturday out vs the overall Americana theme. Is C3 hoping to sell out all 3 days by targeting specific audiences each day and going the single day pass route vs selling 3 day passes? Looking at the ticket prices, they seem to want to push the 3 day pass as the cost of 2 single day passes is slightly less than the 3 day pass, depending on the tier (2 single-day GA = $350 vs 3 day GA = $360, 2 single-day GA+ = $598 vs 3 day GA+ = $599). It's just head-scratching.
I'm a fan of giving local artists opportunities to perform at the festival with the inclusion of the Orange stage, but it seems like the # of local artists has gone up and we're missing out on smaller, up and coming national acts.
Also, it looks like there is going to be a Platinum section in front of the Green Stage. So, pushing GA further from the stage each year.
This is reminiscent of the fall 2013 edition, which had one day that was mostly rap, EDM, and pop, and the other day devoted to indie rock with a couple of Americana-leaning bands.
Getting over the fact that Ed Sheeran is headlining Boston Calling, the biggest gripe I have about this lineup and direction of the festival is that Friday and Saturday are basically genre days.
Friday's top 3.5 lines (removing the local acts), with the exception of Leon Bridges (who I love), are all pop-aligned.
Saturday's top 3.5 lines are primarily country/folk with a small sprinkle of jam/psych/pop, depending on Frank Turner's set.
So, if I want to get a mix of genres, which has been Boston Calling's staple, I can't during the first 2 days.
I don't get the thinking, from a business perspective, to compartmentalize the days into genre specific vs spreading genres across the 3 days. Was Saturday of 2023 that big of an influencer? I'd argue, and I think many would agree, that Noah Kahan was a key driver in selling Saturday out vs the overall Americana theme. Is C3 hoping to sell out all 3 days by targeting specific audiences each day and going the single day pass route vs selling 3 day passes? Looking at the ticket prices, they seem to want to push the 3 day pass as the cost of 2 single day passes is slightly less than the 3 day pass, depending on the tier (2 single-day GA = $350 vs 3 day GA = $360, 2 single-day GA+ = $598 vs 3 day GA+ = $599). It's just head-scratching.
I'm a fan of giving local artists opportunities to perform at the festival with the inclusion of the Orange stage, but it seems like the # of local artists has gone up and we're missing out on smaller, up and coming national acts.
Also, it looks like there is going to be a Platinum section in front of the Green Stage. So, pushing GA further from the stage each year.
To be fair it's not like BC doing genre based days is new- i remember even back in 2017 i was thinking to myself "why would they schedule all of the acts I like on a single day" then I realized the two other days were totally different genre days lol. It always boggled my mind why'd they do that instead of spilling up acts that have the same fan base across the three days, just from a business point of view. I get routing is such that sometimes they can't make that work, but still i've had to miss some acts I wanted to see cuz another act I wanted to see was on the same day lol.
Like when it was 2 time a year it was very clearly 'indie in may/everything else in September' but they've just been struggling to find that balance and identity.
That said this is the first year since 2017 I'm considering a 3-day pass so what do i know lol
I think they have done better at counter programming the “genre” days in the past, so if someone wasn’t into Travis Scott, Logic and Sheck Wes, they had Brandi Carlie, Rainbow Kitten Surprise and Guster to check out. But I think those were more stark differences that cast a wider net at the time.
The counter program here seems like it would be more of a slight variation or border line sub genre so it almost doesn’t feel like counter programming at all
Checked out the posts on Twitter/X and Reddit last night. Beyond general unhappiness among many about the lineup, it was the usual complaints: not enough of the genre I like, too much of the genres I don't like, not enough diversity (which translates to "I didn't bother to check out the artists with whom I'm unfamiliar, so I don't realize how diverse the lineup actually is"), not enough female performers (which translates to "I only pay attention to the bold names at the top of the poster"), why isn't it all local performers, etc.
Some complained that Bottlerock and Bonnaroo have much better lineups in terms of musical, gender, and racial diversity, while conveniently ignoring the fact that when you've got 3-5 stages running simultaneously, you can cover every base, but with only two artists performing at any one time at Boston Calling, you can't do it all and keep everyone happy.
The calls for a return to City Hall Plaza were ridiculous. The sound was bad, there was generally only one performer at a time (until they set up a small local artist stage), and standing on concrete and brick all day wasn't particularly comfortable.
Personally, I don't like the fact that Hozier is the only strong existing favorite of mine whom they've booked and presented since breaking for a couple of years, but I take it as an opportunity to check out new-to-me artists, both before the event happens and then at the festival. I've gotten into Isbell, Goose, Kahan, and King Gizzard specifically due to Boston Calling. Sure, I want that sweet spot of seeing one of my favorites at Boston Calling once or twice per edition, but it doesn't usually happen. I can hope for Guided By Voices and Wilco all I want, but walk through the gates on Friday realizing that by Sunday night, I may have run across someone I might end up liking that much.
There are a few other festivals in New England which invariably have lineups that appeal to me more than Boston Calling, but rather than complain about BC, I take it as an opportunity to see some performers whom I've wanted to check out live but don't like enough to spend money upon for tickets, check out new artists, sample genres that I usually avoid, etc.
I'd trade this year's Boston Calling lineup for the 2024 Solid Sound lineup without a moment's hesitation, but that's not happening, so I'm going to make the best of it.
Yeah, in going through it, it seems like I would be able to put a solid like 7-9 acts I’d truly like to see which would be comparable to past years, but without like 2-3 acts that I would probably actively pay to go and see a show. And I get that you have to have a pretty broad interest to get to that point. I personally would enjoy a Trey set, but completely get that a majority of folks probably see that as a waste of space.
Getting over the fact that Ed Sheeran is headlining Boston Calling, the biggest gripe I have about this lineup and direction of the festival is that Friday and Saturday are basically genre days.
Friday's top 3.5 lines (removing the local acts), with the exception of Leon Bridges (who I love), are all pop-aligned.
Saturday's top 3.5 lines are primarily country/folk with a small sprinkle of jam/psych/pop, depending on Frank Turner's set.
So, if I want to get a mix of genres, which has been Boston Calling's staple, I can't during the first 2 days.
I don't get the thinking, from a business perspective, to compartmentalize the days into genre specific vs spreading genres across the 3 days. Was Saturday of 2023 that big of an influencer? I'd argue, and I think many would agree, that Noah Kahan was a key driver in selling Saturday out vs the overall Americana theme. Is C3 hoping to sell out all 3 days by targeting specific audiences each day and going the single day pass route vs selling 3 day passes? Looking at the ticket prices, they seem to want to push the 3 day pass as the cost of 2 single day passes is slightly less than the 3 day pass, depending on the tier (2 single-day GA = $350 vs 3 day GA = $360, 2 single-day GA+ = $598 vs 3 day GA+ = $599). It's just head-scratching.
I'm a fan of giving local artists opportunities to perform at the festival with the inclusion of the Orange stage, but it seems like the # of local artists has gone up and we're missing out on smaller, up and coming national acts.
Also, it looks like there is going to be a Platinum section in front of the Green Stage. So, pushing GA further from the stage each year.
To be fair it's not like BC doing genre based days is new- i remember even back in 2017 i was thinking to myself "why would they schedule all of the acts I like on a single day" then I realized the two other days were totally different genre days lol. It always boggled my mind why'd they do that instead of spilling up acts that have the same fan base across the three days, just from a business point of view. I get routing is such that sometimes they can't make that work, but still i've had to miss some acts I wanted to see cuz another act I wanted to see was on the same day lol.
Like when it was 2 time a year it was very clearly 'indie in may/everything else in September' but they've just been struggling to find that balance and identity.
That said this is the first year since 2017 I'm considering a 3-day pass so what do i know lol
But 2017 wasn't completely "genre days" as this year's edition (or Saturday 2023). Sure, the top 2 on Green each day may have been slightly genre aligned - Solange into Chance, Nathaniel Rateliff into Mumford, Cage the Elephant into Tool - but there was more diversity across the board each day, although falling primarily under the indie and alternative umbrella. Yes, there would be conflicts based on who you like, but not because they were the same style of music. Sylvan Esso's electro-pop is different from the indie guitar rock of Car Seat Headrest. Whitney's indie folk is different from the noise pop of Deerhoof. Prefer a more mellow start to your day? Go listen to Hiss Golden Messenger on green, then Mitski on red. Prefer to get the energy going? Head to blue to listen to Pup.
Maybe I just prefer the old direction of the festival with more indie/alt/hip-hop acts vs the increased presence of pop (and not indie pop) or maybe I'm just having a senior moment.
Yuuup, looking at Bonnaroo there are some reasonable swaps that I would make that I think could improve BC and keep in the same style (Cage, Gary Clark Jr, Brittany Howard), but I think lineups are gonna be a few notches below expectations across the board
I would trade any 2 of our headliners for Zach Bryan and Odesza, personally... but yeah beyond those two names woooof i hate their lineup.
To be fair, Hangout always leans more electronic/young/poppy so i kinda expected it, but even for them and their usual vibe, that lineup stinks.
Yeah, I know it’s not really a direct comparison but that looked particularly meh. And I also would never really be upset with an Odesza show, would be more of a direct draw for me vs BCs top 3, but that would be about it for me
Yuuup, looking at Bonnaroo there are some reasonable swaps that I would make that I think could improve BC and keep in the same style (Cage, Gary Clark Jr, Brittany Howard), but I think lineups are gonna be a few notches below expectations across the board
It feels like the smaller curated festivals which aren't designed to make as much money as possible or appeal to as many people as possible are the better choice. Now, if we could only get one of them to move to Boston from the backwoods of western Mass or an upscale seaside resort, that would be perfect.
Yuuup, looking at Bonnaroo there are some reasonable swaps that I would make that I think could improve BC and keep in the same style (Cage, Gary Clark Jr, Brittany Howard), but I think lineups are gonna be a few notches below expectations across the board
It feels like the smaller curated festivals which aren't designed to make as much money as possible or appeal to as many people as possible are the better choice. Now, if we could only get one of them to move to Boston from the backwoods of western Mass or an upscale seaside resort, that would be perfect.
Sounds like you have to learn to appreciate reggae, Americana, jam bands, and July heat.
Yuuup, looking at Bonnaroo there are some reasonable swaps that I would make that I think could improve BC and keep in the same style (Cage, Gary Clark Jr, Brittany Howard), but I think lineups are gonna be a few notches below expectations across the board
It feels like the smaller curated festivals which aren't designed to make as much money as possible or appeal to as many people as possible are the better choice. Now, if we could only get one of them to move to Boston from the backwoods of western Mass or an upscale seaside resort, that would be perfect.
Did you go to In Between days last year? I went and absolutely loved it. The vibe was great, artists were walking around after their sets and it was non-stop focus on music. I'm looking forward to see what they have in store for this year.
It feels like the smaller curated festivals which aren't designed to make as much money as possible or appeal to as many people as possible are the better choice. Now, if we could only get one of them to move to Boston from the backwoods of western Mass or an upscale seaside resort, that would be perfect.
Did you go to In Between days last year? I went and absolutely loved it. The vibe was great, artists were walking around after their sets and it was non-stop focus on music. I'm looking forward to see what they have in store for this year.
I second this. I went both days and it was great. Obviously a smaller lineup with less heavy-hitter names (kinda like old City hall Boston Calling) but the vibe was perfect. Can't wait to see who they can grab this year.
in between days was great. Also curious what G2TG gets for NICE but i’m not usually big on the types of bookings they go for so time will tell. I’d also like to see Re:Set return
It feels like the smaller curated festivals which aren't designed to make as much money as possible or appeal to as many people as possible are the better choice. Now, if we could only get one of them to move to Boston from the backwoods of western Mass or an upscale seaside resort, that would be perfect.
Did you go to In Between days last year? I went and absolutely loved it. The vibe was great, artists were walking around after their sets and it was non-stop focus on music. I'm looking forward to see what they have in store for this year.
I was going to go, until the Red Line took the weekend off south of the city for track repairs. I didn't want to deal with long waits for crowded shuttle buses.
it’s just so funny how much their booking practices have changed from year to year
Definitely seems heavily dependent on who the can book as headliners and what it cost for said headliners
Also doesn't help that Aaron Dessner stopped curating the festival in either 2018 or 2019. That is the switch that was flipped that started the change in direction after the MSG purchase. Now with C3, you may have deeper pockets but may have a narrower field as they/Live Nation are direct competitors with AEG and have to deal with contractual obligations that may prohibit artists from doing Boston Calling during certain years. Not sure if those obligations were as strict with MSG/Crash Line running the show.
Thinking about the potential schedule, it looks the third or fourth name on a day almost always closes Blue, with the other 3 names out of the top 4 all being in the main area. (Exceptions were Goose in 2022 and Brockhampton in 2018, both being listed fifth on their day.) If you assume the Blue closer almost completely overlaps with the Red closer, which again is usually the case, the potential overlap is:
Friday: Renee Rapp or Young The Giant conflicts with Leon Bridges. This one's kind of a toss up, but I think the Ed Sheeran crowd standing at Green would likely much rather see Rapp, so my money is on YTG closing Blue. (Bad news for me, since YTG and Leon are the only two names in the top 4 lines that day I actually like.)
Saturday: Khruangbin or Frank Turner conflicts with Trey. I actually think it would make the most sense to stretch to the 5th name here and have Jessie Murph close Blue, with d4vd on Blue before her. I don't think you could possibly put Trey against Khruangbin because they're both so jammy. (I also really don't want Frank Turner overlapping Trey because I want to see both.)
Sunday: Megan Thee Stallion or The Revivalists conflict with Hozier. This one seems the most obvious, haha. Megan absolutely has to close Blue, right? (Again, kind of a bummer since i think the Megan set will be super fun and i want to see it, but on the other hand Hozier makes music that I actually enjoy, so a tough call if i'm forced to pick just one.)
Megan Thee Stallion closing blue would be outright dangerous. I really think it will be the Revivalists or Lovejoy
I hope you're right. I think Revivalists make more sense being in the main area right before Hozier though. Stylistically they feel too similar to be conflicting. And i don't think i'd ever heard of Lovejoy before this lineup came out, so i kinda assumed they wouldn't be big enough to close Blue, but just took a look at their streaming numbers on spotify and damn, maybe i'm just super out of touch, haha.
