Boston Calling 2025 had plenty of holes in its biggest crowds. The empty spaces weren’t from the days that didn’t sell out, or the start of a mosh–it was the thick clumps of mud that populated the Harvard Athletic Complex during the three-day genre eclectic music festival.

The festival’s “rain or shine” motto was pushed to its limit, with sights of dirty shoes and plastic ponchos that peppered the crowd all three days. Coming off the heels of last year’s blockbuster Sunday line-up with Chappel Roan, Hozier, and The Killers, this year’s festival had big shoes to fill. Instead, this year’s festival touted the most criticized lineup to date, and a weekend of spotty weather.

The uphill battle against fan expectations continued with the abrupt cancellation of R&B group TLC’s set due to “unforeseen circumstances.” Artists’ cancellations, paired with abysmally poor weather, echoed the onslaught of sets canceled due to COVID-19 and weather during Boston Calling 2022.

Boston Calling met expectations when it came to safety, with the main stage becoming three times larger this year. Instead of having two stages near each other, as the festival did before, the green stage is now taking center stage. The newly improved green stage had colossal screens on each side and featured a rotating platform that allowed for faster set changes, creating a constant stream of music throughout the weekend

Friday’s headliner, Luke Combs, led a day of country-adjacent acts that got people stomping despite the cold weather persisting. Other highlights included the smooth sounds of Thee Sacred Souls and local legends Dalton and The Sherifs, with an intimate yet hearty acoustic set filling in the empty spaces TLC left. T-Pain and his DJ, DJ Montay, blasted club classics remixed with modern songs like Travis Scott’s “FE!N” as he robotically danced around in a bright green suit. The hits of the early T-Pain era turned the blue stage crowd into a patio party of swaying hips. The evening set of bumping “Bartender” and “Buy U a Drank” drowned out the sounds from the day at the ranch.

Comb’s dedicated horde of fans pranced around the dampened fields in cowboy hats and flannels. True “bootleggers”, the name of Comb’s loyal fanbase, lined up at the green stage as early as gates opened at 1:00 pm, to be front row for Combs that evening. Before “Smokey,” Comb’s nickname, showed Boston, “Where the Wild Things Are”, the green stage featured a variety of rustic artists, including Boston-native Folk Singer Bebe Stockwell. Stockwell’s golden blonde hair and floral yellow dress made a visual splash, while songs like “Want Me” reminisce on tender moments about her hometown.

“[Kicking off the day] was really magical, [and] honestly, really fun vibes,” Stockwell told the Beacon. “You’re looking out into the crowd, seeing all these people also from where you are… vibing with the music.”

Stockwell wasn’t the only one feeling the magic; Tulsa-based indie-folk band Wilderado, who played a couple of sets later, brought a taste of home to new listeners.

“We were lucky to play the main stage, which was huge, and it built a pretty large crowd,” said Tyler Wimpee, a guitarist and vocalist in Wilderado. “We’re dancing with each other [and] trying to connect with the audience…it was overall 10 out of 10.”

The monumental stage didn’t just attract large crowds, it gave all artists who performed on it the feeling of being headliners, even those early in the day. SOFIA ISELLA kicked off Saturday with her gothic sounds and foreboding stage appearance. The sharp violin and off-putting lyrics from ISELLA’s performance were elevated to the next level by the most intense downpour of the weekend.

“I’m covered in mud, I face planted into the mud and made a snow angel, it was a great experience,” ISELLA told the Beacon, “I wanted to feel one with the crowd, I know everyone’s getting drenched and covered in mud, and I feel like we were all one.”

A pop-punk plethora took the stage as showers moved out, bringing big hits and crossovers enough to make any millennial squeal. Artists like All Time Low and Avril Lavigne performed their heart-throbbing hits, evoking a sense of nostalgia for longtime fans and independence for the teens. Lavigne even welcomed All Time Low on stage to perform their song “Fake As Hell,” fully embracing timeless teenage angst.

The green and blue stages also included alternative-rock legends Cage The Elephant and The Black Crowes, to keep the classics rolling. The cherry on top was headliner Fall Out Boy, bringing a stadium-worthy show to the Athletic Complex featuring large set pieces and projections complementing each era in Fall Out Boy’s 20-year catalog.

Sunday presented the most outstanding balance between the generations. Artists like Goth Babe, Vampire Weekend, and Remi Wolf were popular among alternative college students, while Public Enemy, Tom Morello, and Dave Matthews Band kept Mom and Dad around to fund their education and tickets.

This balance between old and new styles reached equilibrium with Sublime. The Legendary ‘90s reggae act is now fronted by Jakob Nowell, who picked up the torch of his father, the late Bradley Nowell. Jakob Nowell’s raw, youthful energy pairs perfectly with his bandmates Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh’s seasoned skill.

As a result, the late-afternoon set was littered with young fans discovering the trio, and their parents reliving the glory days.

The sunset pierced the overcast skies for a moment, which made the dreary weekend on Harvard campus feel like Long Beach, California. Jakob let the crowd know those seconds of beauty were special – “There’s the sun, Boston!”

Regardless of age, artists all throughout the weekend used their time on stage to share political messages alongside their music. From ISELLA’s performance of “The Doll People,” a song that directly calls out men and their dehumanizing attitude towards women, to Morello shredding on his guitar, which had a piece of paper that said “Fuck I.C.E.” on the back, many didn’t hesitate to make a stand.

Dave Matthews played a set featuring classic DMB hits such as ‘Crash Into Me” and “Ants Marching,” alongside a barrage of monster jams throughout the final show of the weekend. As Dave and Co. said goodnight, Matthews ran back out onto the stage holding signs saying “Stop Killing Children” and “Stop The Genocide,” concluding Boston Calling 2025’s weekend of rainstorms and wide-ranging genres on a political high.