Boston Calling Announces Its Third Headliner, Rage Against The Machine, and the Full 2020 Lineup
Adding to the excitement of its previously announced headliners, Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chili Peppers, Boston Calling rolls out news today that recently reunited rock icons, Rage Against The Machine, will also headline its 2020 festival in what will be the band’s only scheduled performance in the New England area this year. Foo Fighters will kick off their headlining Boston Calling performance on Friday, May 22, followed by Rage Against The Machine on Saturday, May 23 and Red Hot Chili Peppers will round out the festival on Sunday, May 24, making an epic weekend of live music. Joining these rock heavyweights and performing across the festival’s five stages are over 60 artists in all, including The 1975, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Run The Jewels, Brittany Howard, Banks, Liam Gallagher, Noname, Angels & Airwaves, and many more. The entire lineup can be found below, listed by day. Boston Calling, the acclaimed annual three-day festival, will take place at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston, MA on Memorial Day Weekend, May 22 – 24, 2020.
A limited number of 3-Day General Admission ($399.99), VIP Passes ($949.99), and Platinum Passes ($1,999.99) are on sale now at www.bostoncalling.com. Single Day tickets, if available, will be announced at a later date.
Boston Calling has once again curated a unique and diverse lineup that celebrates both renowned artists and breakout stars, delivering fans a collection of the most talented musicians the world has to offer. Rage Against The Machine are reuniting for their first performances since 2011, and Foo Fighters, who continue to deliver some of the biggest live shows in the world, will celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2020. Meanwhile, Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, are currently working on their first album in over three years.
In addition to the aforementioned artists, the lineup also features singer-songwriter LP, English rockers The Struts, the multi-talented Sharon Van Etten, indie rock’s Phoebe Bridgers, hard rock party king Andrew W.K., 2020 Grammy winner and reggae phenom Koffee, Canadian rock band PUP, psychedelic country star Orville Peck, and dream-pop wonder Jay Som.
Boston Calling is excited to welcome back to the 2020 festival lineup artists including Run The Jewels, who performed in 2015 and 2017, as well as Brittany Howard, who played Boston Calling with her band Alabama Shakes in 2015. “I clearly remember the last time I played Boston Calling, it was an incredible night…there was a blood moon in the sky! The energy was electric and we had a blast,” said Howard. “There was even a marriage proposal on stage! It was pretty incredible; I always love playing Boston and look forward to returning to such a fun festival in a great city.”
Each year, the festival features a variety of local talent on the bill. This year, local and regional acts include Massachusetts’ own rock favorites Dinosaur Jr., Boston based hip-hop rising star Cliff Notez, rock band PVRIS from Lowell, MA, Boston rock group The Sheila Divine, and industrial hip-hop crew Camp Blood, also of Boston. Further celebrating the region’s talent, this year’s Boston Calling will feature a lineup of 19 local comedians and 12 of Boston’s best DJs. Stay tuned for more details, including news about this year’s exciting new Arena programming.
Boston Calling once again promises an exceptional experience, from its iconic mix of musical performances to its commitment to offering new forms of entertainment and extensive food and drink programming. This year, the festival will raise the bar for fans by expanding its offerings in VIP and Platinum. An all new VIP lounge, sponsored by Mohegan Sun Casino & Resort, will become an oasis within the festival featuring full bars and unique amenities. Fans can also expect newly enhanced viewing areas within VIP and Platinum, including a new double decker VIP experience overlooking the Bai Red Stage and the Green stage, and an expanded viewing deck within Platinum where food prepared by some of Boston’s best chefs will be served throughout the entire day. Full details on the festival’s food and drink components in GA, VIP and Platinum will be shared in the coming months.
2020 Boston Calling Lineup
The day-by-day lineup for Boston Calling 2020 is as follows. Performance times are forthcoming.
Friday May 22, 2020
Foo Fighters
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
Brittany Howard
Noname
The Struts
Sharon Van Etten
PUP
Andrew W.K.
Iann Dior
The Districts
Brutus
Pony Bradshaw
The Sheila Divine
DJs
Liz Ladoux
DJ Knife & DJ Joshua Carl
Bearly Yvng (Big Bear & YVNG PAVL)
DJ Ryan Brown
Comedians
Alingon Mitra
Will Smalley
Sam Ike
Emily Ruskowski
Shawn Carter
Drew Dunn
Katie Que
Saturday May 23, 2020
Rage Against The Machine
Run The Jewels
Banks
Koffee
Pink Sweat$
Dave
Orville Peck
RJD2
Jay Som
Girl in Red
Phony Ppl
Dreamers
Camp Blood
DJs
DJ Frank White
BREK.ONE
DJ J-Wall
DJ Guru Sanaal
Comedians
Orlando Baxter
Andrew Mayer
Al Park
Katlin McFee
Peter Martin
J Smitty
Sunday May 24, 2020
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The 1975
Liam Gallagher
Angels & Airwaves
LP
Phoebe Bridgers
Dinosaur Jr.
PVRIS
Beabadoobee
Jack Harlow
Mew
Djo
Cliff Notez
DJs
DJ 7L
DJ RM
ReaL P
DJ Slick Vick
Comedians
Lamont Price
Hanna Evensen
Sean Sullivan
Jason Cordova
Will Noonan
Tooky Kavanagh
A folder of 2020 Boston Calling artist press images along with festival creative, highlight images and b-roll from previous years’ festivals can be found here.
To follow the festival online, visit www.bostoncalling.com; @bostoncalling on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Getting There: Boston Calling is best accessed by the T on the Red Line’s Harvard Square stop; from there, it is a short walk to the festival’s main entrance. Boston Calling will be coordinating with taxi and rideshare programs for safe and easy pickup and drop off points. There will also be bike racks available onsite.
Boston Calling is produced by Boston Calling Events LLC (BCE), which is owned by Crash Line Productions and The Madison Square Garden Company. Boston Calling is proud to have Delta Air Lines, Chase, Samuel Adams, Miller Lite, Mohegan Sun, Shopkick, Barefoot Wine, Subaru of New England, Bai, and JBL as sponsors for May’s festival.
About Crash Line Productions
Crash Line Productions is a Boston-based entertainment production company that owns and produces dozens of events each year. Formed in 2012 by Brian Appel and Mike Snow, Boston Calling Events continues to build its event platform around Boston Calling Music Festival.
About the Madison Square Garden Company
The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) is a world leader in live sports and entertainment experiences. The company presents or hosts a broad array of premier events in its diverse collection of iconic venues: New York’s Madison Square Garden, Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre; the Forum in Inglewood, CA; and The Chicago Theatre. Other MSG properties include legendary sports franchises: the New York Knicks (NBA) and the New York Rangers (NHL); two development league teams – the Westchester Knicks (NBAGL) and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL); and esports teams through Counter Logic Gaming, a leading North American esports organization, and Knicks Gaming, MSG’s NBA 2K League franchise. In addition, the Company features the popular original production – the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes – and through Boston Calling Events, produces New England’s preeminent Boston Calling Music Festival. Also under the MSG umbrella is Tao Group Hospitality, a world-class hospitality group with globally-recognized entertainment, dining and nightlife brands including Tao, Marquee, Lavo, Avenue, Beauty & Essex and Cathédrale. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com