Boston Calling Staff Experience
The enjoyment of our jobs is relative, however, the importance is subjective. This is something that I’ve come to understand while I’ve been employed with the Boston Calling music festival this past week.
When we attend any kind of event, we don’t necessarily look at every single detail or think about how much work was put into making it all come together. For the past eight days, I’ve been working to set up Boston Calling, a music festival held at Harvard’s Athletic Complexes. I have gained an appreciation for every ounce of work that’s put into creating an event as big as a music festival.
The week before the festival began, the grounds were flooded with countless different sets of employees, all with the same goal of putting on a great experience for showgoers. I was working on site and artist operations, meaning that my group was responsible for all of the smaller tasks that tend to go unnoticed. We spent the week zip-tying scrim to fences, screwing facades together, and then painting them to be used by the vendors attending the festival. The artist operations were more of a treat, as we were just setting up the trailers and the overall ‘villages’ that the performers would stay in during their time with us.
Along with the operations, there were engineers, stagehands, audio technicians, and many more who were setting up all four stages that the festival entertained. Closer to the opening day, there were outside companies coming in for other tasks – putting up and cleaning all of the porta potties, assembling the ferris wheel, and all of the sponsors setting up their booths or stands for the weekend.
There were a few bumps during the festival itself, as is expected when you’re hosting roughly 40,000 people, but regardless, it ran pretty smoothly. We ran across the complex from Niall Horan to make it to the Foo Fighters set. We danced on stage with Paramore and Noah Kahan. The festival was a success, and seeing everyone enjoy the fruits of our week-long labor felt quite rewarding.
Paramore headlining, photo by Alive Coverage
Noah Kahan, photo by Brent Goldman
Niall Horan on stage, photo by Brooklyn Vegan.
The Foo Fighters headlining, photo by Alive Coverage
While the job was not what I expected, I got to make connections with people who have similar passions as mine. I met people who think of music and relate to it in the same way that I do. People who are dedicated to doing whatever they have to just pay their dues and gain experience within the music industry. The opportunity to work at a music festival and get to attend the show for free is so special! I’m grateful that I got to spend my week surrounded by such an exciting community.