In the 11 years since Boston Calling debuted, the now-megafest contender has broadened its musical offerings. In the current landscape when styles and genres have increasingly blurred and co-mingled, and streaming playlist culture includes music from many genres side-by-side, the lineup and performances at Boston Calling 2024 were an exciting and broad view of the music culture of the moment.

Boston Calling returned to the Harvard Athletic Complex over Memorial Day Weekend with a powerful lineup that showcased the wide musical variety of the festival. From pop artists like Ed Sheeran, Hozier, and Chappell Roan to country singer-songwriter Tyler Childers, R&B and soul musician Leon Bridges, and mainstream rockers The Killers, the multi-genre four-stage festival brought out music lovers to support everyone from local Boston bands to some of the biggest names in music.

Playing under sunny skies, fans swarmed every stage to ensure a spot to witness their favorite sets of the day. Some of these included the local Boston band, Divine Sweater, who opened the festival on Friday. Led by Meghan Kelleher, the band took the stage to set the mood for the weekend with its dreamy pop songs.

Friday’s highlights included Beach Weather, who walked onstage to the song “Happy Together” by The Turtles and were well received, especially when the band played 2016 hit, “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” as well as songs from recent album Pineapple Surprise, including the title track and “Chit Chat”. Other highlights included sets by locals JVK, Young The Giant, and singer-songwriter Madi Diaz. Though fleeting, the songs from Diaz’s all-too-short six-song set translated well among the crowd.

A few of the highly anticipated sets of the first day did not disappoint. Luke Hemmings, the lead singer of 5 Seconds of Summer, took the stage midafternoon and had everyone swooning throughout his dominant performance, playing everything from their hit songs “Shakes” and “Close My Eyes” to new songs from 2022’s 5SOS5.

Reneé Rapp was one of the weekend’s highlights, and she brought a high-energy performance to her crowd of loving and passionate fans. Within seconds of her stepping on stage, the crowd erupted and sang along to every song. As the sun began to set, concertgoers anxiously awaited the evening’s headliner, Ed Sheeran. Before Ed took the stage, we were blessed with a beautiful, soulful, and sophisticated set of R&B by Leon Bridges.

As night fell, Ed Sheeran skipped out on stage alone to a crowd of screaming fans. With nothing but a loop pad, a couple guitars, and a keyboard, his one-man band-style performance blew the ravenous crowd away. Explaining his looping setup to the crowd, Ed said “When I play a few chords I tap this button with my foot to record and when I tap it again, it records it and loops it.” Though Sheeran described how the magic gets made, it didn’t make the wonder of his live production any less mystifying. He played every hit he had including “The A Team”, “Thinking out Loud”, and of course, “Shape of You”. Ed also graced the crowd with a take on the 2015 song he co-wrote with Justin Biever, “Love Yourself”.

Saturday’s most memorable performances included alt-R&B singer d4vd, the 19-year-old Queens native who projected his beautiful sound across the Harvard Atheltic Complex. Playing music from his impressively-expanding discography including his biggest song “Here With Me”, his onstage presence was one to be studied with movements and vibe that had concertgoers intrigued the entirety of his set.

On the other edge of the sonic spectrum, singer-songwriter Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls brought some punk spirit to the audience. The lively sound spread joy and happiness throughout the crowd ahead of one of the weekend’s standout sets by Khruangbin, whose vibey, psychedelic, guitar-based instrumental sound captivated the audience. The trio’s hypnotic sound releases endorphins that give the listeners chills throughout the body and makes them want to close their eyes and groove. Born out of Houston, TX but globally influenced, Khruangbin performs a set that can only be described as a transcendent experience.

A lot of eyes were on The Red Clay Strays, whose TikTok viral song “Wondering Why” brought fans out in droves, and for good reason as the soulful yet yearning number has caught the attention of listeners across the interwebs and made the Mobile, AL country rockers an overnight success. With a conflicting set time starting only 15 minutes after Khruangbin, The Red Clay Strays had a solid turnout that brought out the yee-haw in everyone before Americana/country artist Tyler Childers took the stage at 9 p.m. to close out the second day of the festival. Sauntering up with his longtime backing band The Food Stamps to a gorgeous stage setup, Childers delivered the set fans had been waiting all day, week, month, or even year for. Playing a 20-song set, from hits such as “Lady May” to “Shake the Frost” and “All Your’n”, there was no lyric gone unsung during the duration of his climactic performance.

Tyler Childers — “Lady May” — 5/25/24

[Video: themeboudin]

As day three descended upon Boston Calling, the line to get through the gates went all the way down the block. The sold-out crowd was indicative of the day’s strong lineup, though in the aftermath of the festival many fans expressed online that things were a little too close for comfort, complaining of overpacked crowds, egregious lines, and not enough water for the crowd. Boston Calling has since issued a response, maintaining on social media that “While attendee count was several thousand below the official capacity rating of the site … We will continue to work with public officials and our operations team to improve the experience, layout, and ultimately create a better environment for everyone.” A report from Boston.com cites unnamed festival sources who claimed at least 40,000 people attended the festival’s final day, compared with the estimated 16,000-person crowd on Saturday.

Hiccups aside, the day started out strong with a new up-and-coming band, The Thing, who brought its high-energy garage and punk rock-inspired guitars to the stage for an explosive set. Sunday was full of amazing sets back to back to back from the Blue Stage to the Red Stage. Australian duo Royel Otis, who recently went viral for its cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on The Dancefloor”, kept the energy alive with its impressive lead singer Otis Pavlovic’s beautifully smooth voice.

At 4:05 p.m. things really started to pick up for the evening. With a swarm of pink cowboy hats, the majority of the fans there were ready to witness greatness by Chappell Roan, with a sea of fans going as far back as the eye could see to the entrance of the festival. Coming out on stage dressed in something right out of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, her eccentric and creative style translated perfectly to the stage. Hit after hit, with songs like “Naked in Manhattan”, “HOT TO GO!”, and “Pink Pony Club”, there wasn’t a dull moment during her 12-song set. Between choreographed dance moves and crowd interactions, Roan commanded the massive crowd as fans sang along with every word at the top of their lungs.

Chappell Roan — Boston Calling — 5/26/24 — Partial Set

[Video: ThatRobRose]

Over at the Blue Stage, during the same time as Chappell Roan, tocherbearing blues guitarist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram took the stage. With a packed crowd, his soulful songs moved the audience in the most compelling way. Another impressive newcomer included indie-rockers Frances of Delirium—who kicked off their 2024 North American tour at Boston Calling—and The Heavy Heavy.

With pyrotechnics blasting on the main stage, it was time for Megan Thee Stallion, a personal favorite of the weekend. She brought out all the tricks for this set, from backup dancers to dazzling choreography to a seemingly boundless reserve of energy, but what truly made this set rise above the rest was the genuine love the global sensation expressed for her fans throughout the amazing performance.

Sent from heaven above, Hozier took the stage immediately following Megan Thee Stallion. One can only describe Hozier as magical. He started off strong with one of his hit songs, “Eat Your Young”, and continued to explore his discography with “Cherry Wine,” “Would That I”, “Too Sweet”, and of course, “Take Me to Church”. Throughout his 16-song set, Hozier anointed the crowd with his unwavering passion and enthusiasm as fans cried tears of joy while belting out the lyrics with the Irish singer-songwriter.

As the sun set, The Killers took the main stage for the last set of the weekend. With a dense catalog of hits going back decades, The Killers affirmed their headlining status as they enthused the crowd with a lively, all-out performance. Despite the vibrancy of the performance, lead singer Brandon Flowers still put the crowd’s safety first as he paused the show during “On Top” to bring attention to an emergency occurring in the packed crowd. Once everything was taken care of, however, it was back to business as The Killers rocketed through a nostalgic 15-song set. After the band delivered a climactic “When You Were Young”, some less-experienced concertgoers began to take off before the band returned to close out the evening and the festival with a two-song encore of “Human” and “Mr. Brightside”. The perfect end to another successful Boston Calling.

The Killers — “Mr. Brightside” — 5/26/24

[Video: Lesley Whyard]

Below, check out a gallery of images from Boston Calling 2024 courtesy of photographers Avi Warren and Chris Phelps.