Boston Calling 2019 - Friday
photo by Corwin Wickersham

Boston Calling 2019 Friday pics (Christine & The Queens, Lord Huron, more)

The 10th annual edition of Boston Calling got Memorial Day Weekend off to an early start on Friday (5/24) at Allston, MA’s Harvard Athletic Complex. Day one of the festival had the sort of meh headliner of Twenty One Pilots, but plenty of good stuff in the undercard, including Christine & The Queens, Lord Huron, Gang of Youths, Turnstile, Yaeji, CHVRCHES, Pale Waves, Mura Masa, and Fred Armisen, who wrapped up his current tour on the indoor arena stage:

He calls his tour, appropriately, “comedy for musicians but everyone is welcome” and showed off deadpan impressions of drummers learning how songs worked and concert goers getting a little off beat.

His act is part parody, part tribute. He especially had the audience during a Punk Rock Drumming history in which he explained drumming styles from the 1970s up to present day Tame Impala (which, of course is headlining for Boston Calling).

“The 90s have a lot of build up to nothing,” he said, demonstrating to cheers and laughter.

As for his impression of Tame Impala? It involved hands and a tissue on the drums and got cheers. [Boston Patch]

Along with music and comedy, Boston Calling’s attractions this year include a ferris wheel and a Fortnite tournament – but not weed, despite the legalization of recreational marijuana in Massachusetts. Boston police Sgt. Detective John Boyle told Boston Herald, “anybody that does smoke weed in public is subject to a citation, and we will hold Boston Calling or any major group like this responsible.”

Check out pictures from Boston Calling 2019’s first day in the gallery above, and stay tuned for more from this weekend’s festival.

photos by Corwin Wickersham