Shhh. Do you hear that? That’s the sound of thousands of ‘Gansetts being cracked open on hundreds of porches from Allston to Jamaica Plain. That’s the sound of every Subaru in the tri-state area getting loaded up with blankets, bottled water, and weed and caravanning toward a stage in the middle of the woods. That’s the sound of Pride parading through the streets and partying at Machine. That’s the sound of freeze pop wrappers getting torn, dogs dogging in dog parks, and the weather not sucking. That’s the sound of absolute dead silence on Comm. Ave. because all the goddamn students are gone.
That’s the sound of summer in Boston. And we are f-cking pumped.
BY CADY DRELL | @HELLA_DRELLA
LAUREN METTER | @HAVEYOUMETTER
Illustrations by Courtney LaForest
Hot and humid damn, it’s festival season! The best part of the year just got better with a ton of rad, multi-day music and arts events going on right here in New England. Take Monday off, apply sunscreen, and roll somethin’ up: it’s gonna be a big summer.
FOR MORE SUMMER EVENTS THAT WE’RE TOTALLY PUMPED FOR, CLICK HERE.
THE GOVERNORS BALL
RANDALL’S ISLAND, NYC. JUNE 7-9
Since its 2011 inception, GB’s brought some of the biggest names in music to one place. With genre-spanning headliners like Kanye West, Kings of Leon, Gun N’ Roses, Beach House, and Grizzly Bear—plus a ton of up-and-comers from the indie world—it’s really anyone’s guess who’ll show up. We’re just excited to see Erykah Badu, Animal Collective, Pretty Lights, and Wild Nothing on the same lineup. Your best bet? Come for the big names, stay for the smaller ones (they’ll probably be headlining soon enough).
3-DAY VIP PASS, $470. @GOVBALLNYC. GOVERNORSBALLMUSICFESTIVAL.COM.
CAMP COLDBROOK
CAMP COLDBROOK GROUNDS, BARRE, MA. JUNE 21-23
Alright, 10 Ft. Ganja Plant is headlining. We’re in. We heard those guys sip bass out of a chalice–good vibes all around. Stay away from the golf course, but definitely go see Christian Martin of the Dirtybird crew and this Drunken Doja Monkey/Moe Pope collab they speak of. The best part about this one is getting to jam outwith all of your favorite local acts in one convenient location outside the city: like lespecial, Strange Changes, Ali Berger, Fuzzy Fotch. Hell, even Color Channel. We’re most-most excited for the after-hours campground dance parties.
WEEKEND PASS, $120. CAMPCOLDBROOK.COM.
NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL
FORT ADAMS STATE PARK, NEWPORT, RI. JULY 26-28.
The legend that is Newport Folk is naturally coming back again this year for its 54th anniversary, but it still doesn’t look a day over 25. And unlike in 1965 when Bob Dylan went electric and got booed offstage, performers like Feist, Beck, the Mountain Goats, and Jim James can probably expect slightly warmer receptions. Even so, for her set, Amanda Palmer should be a little wary. We kid! Maybe. There are still tickets left for Friday so get ‘em while they’re hot!
FRIDAY TICKETS, $49. @NEWPORTFOLKFEST. NEWPORTFOLKFEST.NET
Photo credit: Jess Hodge
SOLID SOUND FESTIVAL
MASS MOCA, NORTH ADAMS, MA. JUNE 21-23.
You kind of have to really like Wilco for this one, but who doesn’t like Wilco?! We call this festival “Gathering of the Normal People,” because it’s lacking in bad behavior, it’s in tiny-and-scenic North Adams (on the gorgeous Mass MoCA grounds, so you can look at art between sets), and it’s super family-friendly. But when Wilco brings friends like Yo La Tengo, John Hodgman, Low, and Neko Case along, expect a whole lot of bang for your (surprisingly fair) buck. Plus, TWO WILCO SETS! OK, OK. We’ll stop.
SINGLE-DAY PASS, $65. 3-DAY PASS, $149. @SOLIDSOUNDFEST. SOLIDSOUNDFESTIVAL.COM
THE BIG UP
HEMLOCK HOLLOW FARM, CLAVERACK, NY. AUG 8-10.
THE BIG UP IS BACK!!! After a year’s hiatus, the one fest we still tell stories about is back like a big well we can unleash our inner-child into. Time to explore the rolling hills of Hemlock Hollow Farm—now filled with artwork, laser lights, hammocks, and of course, barns packed with music and dancing, happy people. Don’t miss the world premiere of UK soul-shifting electronic producer and his dad (Dave Davies of the Kinks)’s partner in crime, Abakus, playing live. We also suggest: Space Jesus, Dopapod, and of course, Beats Antique. We’ve got our bells on.
3-DAY PASS, $120+. 3-DAY VIP PASS, $320. @BIGUPFESTIVAL. THEBIGUP.COM
CAMP BISCO
INDIAN LOOKOUT COUNTRY CLUB, MARIAVILLE, NY. JULY 11-13.
Stepping onto the Bisco grounds is like entering a vortex where space and time do not exist. Ryan Hemsworth is one we’d really like to see (and make-out with someone to). Boston’s own Passion Pit continue their fest circuit, STS9 will be a total circus, and who wouldn’t want to watch poi spinners and play Slap-the-Bag during Animal Collective? Stay away from Zed’s Dead for your safety, but get down to Boys Noize late-night, and have a fatty during Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. You’ll leave trying to be as balling as M|O|D while questioning your entire life. Also Danny Brown! AND WATER!!!
GENERAL, $185-$199. @CAMPBISCO. CAMPBISCO.NET
Photo credit: Dimitri Kouri
FIGMENT BOSTON
ROSE KENNEDY GREENWAY, BOSTON. JULY 27-28.
Okay, what makes art great? One, when it’s 100 percent accessible to everyone (and free!), and two, when a bunch of artists get together and collaborate. The possibilities of what will result when these two things transform the Rose Kennedy Greenway for two days this summer into a humungo collaborative exhibition are endless—especially since it’s open to any human to bring their own art installations down. Oh, sorry: aliens, too. They’ll be drawn-in by the music and dancing (last year featured local psy-trance collective Sonic Beating). This is what we call a whopping heap of universal language. And it’s beautiful.
FREE. BOSTON. @FIGMENTBOSTON. FIGMENTPROJECT.ORG
BOSTON CALLING
CITY HALL PLAZA, BOSTON. SEPT 7-8.
Remember how thrilled we were for the first Boston Calling? Well we’re doubling down because Part 2 is shaping up to be equally fantastic. There are headliners Passion Pit and Vampire Weekend, plus a slightly more hip-hop-meets-electronic vibe than May’s primarily indie-pop selections. Kendrick Lamar, Deer Tick, Okkervil River and Flume will all be there, as will local favorites Bearstronaut and You Won’t. Oh, and we’ll be there too. Not headlining, though. Just spectating wildly.
EARLY BIRD PASS, $120. EARLY BIRD VIP, $325. @BOSTON_CALLING. BOSTONCALLING.COM
Photo credit: Jason Speakman
FOR MORE SUMMER EVENTS THAT WE’RE TOTALLY PUMPED FOR, CLICK HERE.
