Festivals
Boston Calling 2025 – Day One Recap & Photos
Harvard Athletic Complex, Boston, MA – May 23, 2025
Day One of Boston Calling 2025 kicked off with soggy shoes and big energy. Despite the rain (and a last-minute cancellation from TLC), spirits were high. The lineup delivered, the ponchos came out, and everyone just leaned into it. Honestly, we couldn’t have asked for a better way to start the weekend.
Friday’s heavy-hitters included Luke Combs, Megan Moroney, and the one-man party himself, T-Pain. The undercard was stacked too: Sheryl Crow brought the sunshine with her hits (and her vintage Springsteen tee), while Kyle Dion, Mike., and jazz powerhouse Tiril Jackson pulled in crowds across the Harvard Athletic Complex.
In my opinion, T-Pain’s set was the highlight of the night, and not just because of the bangers. He gave us everything from “I’m Sprung” to “Bartender,” but it was his charisma that really lit up the wet evening. Between cracking jokes, dancing like nobody was watching, and belting out those auto-tuned hooks, it was clear he was having just as much fun as we were.
Megan Moroney kept the country crowd happy, turning the field into a singalong zone with “Am I Okay?” and “Tennessee Orange.” Her stage presence was confident, like she’d been playing to massive festival crowds her whole life.
Sheryl Crow was a total pro. She joked about Boston’s weird spring weather: “Who knew it was going to be winter in Boston? We’re going to soak up the sun anyway,” before launching into a killer 11-song set that reminded everyone why she’s still so beloved. “If It Makes You Happy” hit especially hard in the rain. Her Springsteen shirt also got its own cheer!
Local artists held their own, pulling crowds of supportive fans and attracting curious festival goers. Among these artists was powerful jazz vocalist Tiril Jackson who is set to headline JoyFest Somerville (in Somerville, Massachusetts) later this month. She performed her rendition of many famous songs, including Brenda Russell’s “Piano in the Dark”.
Unfortunately, TLC had to cancel their set due to a medical issue, which was a bummer. But festival organizers pivoted quickly, and the rest of the schedule kept things moving.
Luke Combs closed the night with a stormy set that matched the mood perfectly. His performance of “When It Rains It Pours” was very ironically timely. Seeing him sing “One Number Away” with actual rain falling gave it a whole new vibe.
Boston Calling 2025 is just getting started, and if Friday’s any indication, it’s going to be a hell of a weekend. Saturday’s got Fall Out Boy and Avril Lavigne lined up. We’re calling it now: the emo kids are coming out in full force.
Forecast says less rain tomorrow, but Day One proved we don’t need clear skies to have a good time. See you back out there!
Check out some our favorite photos of T-Pain at Boston Calling 2025 Day One or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
All Photo Credit: Faith Constantine
Festivals
Montréal Jazz Festival 2026 – Patrick Watson
July 3, 2026
If you thought the outdoor main stage at Jazz Fest was packed earlier in the week, it had absolutely nothing on the sea of people that squeezed into the Place des Festivals for Patrick Watson. The site was packed right to the limit. The last time he played the festival back in 2021, it was to a strictly limited, socially distanced crowd, and he actually took a moment to contrast that eerie, quiet landscape with the overwhelming wall of faces looking back at him this time around. The massive turnout made it feel like the city had just been waiting for the perfect moment to properly welcome him back.
The whole night felt like a massive, curated homecoming celebration with his favourite people on earth. By the third song, he already had the crowd cheering when he brought out Montreal’s own Martha Wainwright, who has been heavily involved in the local scene and festival circuit this year, to share the stage. Right after that, he raised the bar even higher by bringing up a string quartet for a stunning performance of “Ode to Vivian.” He took a second to tell the story behind the track, explaining how it was inspired by the street photographer Vivian Maier, who secretly kept her incredible work to herself until she passed, only to posthumously become an inspiration to thousands of photographers worldwide.
The emotional peak of the set came during “To Build a Home.” Watson talked about how deeply the experience of growing up in Montreal shaped him both as a person and a musician, noting that his music could only ever be written in a city with this exact type of creative spirit. As the song played, vintage 1960s video footage of Montreal rolled across the massive backdrops, which gave the whole performance an incredibly nostalgic, cinematic weight. He kept the collaborations rolling through the night, too, pulling the brilliant November Ultra onto the stage for “Silencio,” and later bringing out the rising indie-folk artist Solann.
The years might be passing, but Patrick Watson proves every time he steps on a stage that he remains an absolute force of nature. He doesn’t care about shifting trends; he just cares about his craft. A few people floating around the crowd might have been a little disappointed not to hear some of the older classics like “Lighthouse” or “The Great Escape,” but honestly, what better setting is there to test out your newest material than the Montreal Jazz Festival in front of your home crowd? Besides, when the performance is that stunning from start to finish, you really can’t be mad about it.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
PATRICK WATSON
All Photo Credit: Andres Amaya
Festivals
FIFA Fan Festival™ Vancouver – Simple Plan & JJ Wilde
The weather did everything it could to keep people away from the the FIFA Fan Festival™ in Vancouver on July 2, but fans had other ideas. Heavy rain lingered throughout the day, yet by the evening the amphitheatre at the PNE Grounds was packed with concertgoers ready to enjoy live music alongside the excitement of the FIFA World Cup.
The day’s schedule featured Round of 32 matches on the big screen between performances from local and international artists. Vancouver’s own JJ Wilde took the amphitheatre stage in the early evening, bringing her trademark mix of gritty rock vocals and confident stage presence. Her performance gave the crowd plenty of energy before the night’s main attraction, and showed everyone why she became the first woman in 25 years to win Canadian Rock Album Of The Year prize at Junos Awards.
Closing out the night was Montreal pop-punk veterans Simple Plan, who showed exactly why they continue to be one of Canada’s most reliable live bands more than two decades into their career. Rain-soaked fans sang along from the opening notes of “I’d Do Anything” as the band wasted no time getting the audience involved. Their set moved quickly through fan favourites including “Nothing Changes,” “Shut Up!,” “Jump,” “Jet Lag,” and “Welcome to My Life,” with nearly every chorus echoed back by the crowd.
The setlist balanced nostalgia with newer material, featuring songs like “Nothing Changes,” “Loser of the Year,” and “Million Pictures” alongside classics that have become staples of the band’s live shows. “Summer Paradise” brought a welcome reminder of sunnier days, even if the skies over Vancouver refused to cooperate.
One of the night’s most entertaining moments came during “What’s New Scooby-Doo?” Better known by fans simply as the Scooby-Doo song, the band continued its long-running concert tradition by inviting several people dressed as Scooby-Doo onto the stage.
The energy never dipped as the band powered through a party medley before closing with “Where I Belong,” “I’m Just a Kid,” and, fittingly, “Perfect.” Thousands of voices filled the amphitheatre, creating one of the loudest singalongs of the festival so far.
July 2 served as another reminder of what has made the FIFA Fan Festival such a success throughout the tournament. Football may bring people together during the day, but the nightly concerts have become just as much a reason to gather. Even under grey skies and persistent rain, Vancouver fans turned out in force, and Simple Plan rewarded that dedication with a high-energy performance that left the crowd smiling long after the final note.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full galleries of Simple Plan and JJ Wilde!
SIMPLE PLAN
JJ WILDE
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer