Boston Calling returned to the Harvard Athletic Complex for Memorial Day weekend with a festival lineup that stretched across genres and generations. Friday’s lineup featured Country stars Luke Combs and Megan Maroney, alongside crowd favorites such as T‑Pain, Sheryl Crow, Holy Roller, and Bebe Stockwell.

Friday arrived under gray skies. Early performances from Bebe Stockwell and Holy Roller powered through the weather and set a positive tone, keeping fans energized and helping them forget about the inclement weather. Holly Roller, one of the newer country bands on the block proved their place on the main stage instantly, feeding off of each other's energy and blessing the crowd with beautiful harmonies between both singers. We caught up with the band after their set and got to document some wholesome crowd interaction, with families and friends walking up to the group and telling them that they had gained new fans. 

Sheryl Crow’s performance brought her signature blend of rock and roots that had the audience singing along. Though the impending rain was inevitable, Sheryl Crow beat the weather just in time. Her set was surely a favorite this weekend, performing her 2003 hit “If it Makes you Happy”. To make her set even more memorable, she even walked down the stage and into the media pit, running by the crowd with her guitar still around her neck and a microphone in her hand.




Before Headliners took the stage, T‑Pain turned up the party energy with his classic Hip hop hits and storytelling. The Tallahassee rapper set the stage with grand statues of himself and mansion-like architecture, accompanied by a vibrant green suit and tophat. T-Pain had one of the most unique sets of the festival, making it a point to include funky dance moves wherever he could. His playful banter with his longtime friend and DJ contributed to the playfulness and fun of the set. A standout moment for the crowd was certainly his performance of “Good Life”, the record breaking hit off of Kanye West’s Graduation. T-Pain partied through the rain, and left the crowd energized and ready for the rest of the night.




Next up: Megan Maroney. Literally. Megan Maroney is a rising star. A true cowgirl princess. She is what seems to be every country-girl’s dream. Megan took the stage in a beautiful red dress, performing on a lifted platform with grand stairs and a diamond-blue backdrop. The rain was no match for Megan. In fact, you might never know it was there. You would also never know Megan released her debut EP in 2022. Her fanbase and the Boston Calling crowd treated her like nothing short of royalty. Her set was sassy, fun, heartwarming, and captivating, setting the stage perfectly for Luke Combs




By this point, Boston was in the midst of a torrential downpour. Nonetheless, the vibes were at an all time high for the arrival of headliner Luke Combs, who closed out Friday night with a legendary set. Comb’s stage design, pyrotechnics, in-between-song beer shotguns, and setlist was everything a country lover could’ve wanted. The artist came out to “Sweet Caroline” and continued his performance with over 18 more songs. Luke Combs along with his accompaniment of talented musicians closed out the festival memorably and energetically, even bringing Megan Maroney back on stage during his encore to perform “Beer Never Broke my Heart”. With the diverse performances and liveliness of Boston Calling’s Friday lineup, it’s safe to say that even the weather couldn’t ruin Boston’s good time. Fans weren’t just ready for the rest of the weekend, they were ecstatic.