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Friday, September 25

Boston Calling kicked off this past Friday with a half-day lineup, featuring Gregory Alan Isakov, Icelandic indie-rock outfit Of Monsters and Men, and genre-bending folk-rock group The Avett Brothers. The crowd started off slightly sparse and sedate, and only warmed marginally as the night wore on. Festivalgoers were still streaming in during festival opener Gregory Alan Isakov’s performance, and the South-African singer’s melodic, crooned folk-rock offerings provided a pleasant introduction to the evening.

Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men followed Isakov’s set, and despite their fairly large following, were unable to fully leverage their popularity to rouse the crowd—the festival’s atmosphere remained somewhat sluggish, with few concertgoers outside the first few rows responding strongly to the performance.

The Avett Brothers—the evening’s headliners—came on next, and the North Carolina-based group played many of their hits, though they notably omitted their biggest, “I and Love and You.” Though the crowd started off slightly unresponsive, it did defrost a bit as The Avett Brothers’ performance continued. The crowd never did quite lose all of its stiffness, but The Avett Brothers’ energetic and vibrant set still provided a satisfying close to the first day of the festival.

Check back for updates later in the week from the last two days of the festival.