Calling up to the Majors

Before City Hall Plaza rocks Memorial Day weekend with the likes of Jack Johnson, Death Cab for Cutie, the Decemberists and Modest Mouse, Boston Calling has announced the Sept. 5-7 lineup for its second downtown festival of the season – and of the four held so far, it’s the best edition yet.

Grammy-winning pop avatar Lorde joins the Replacements (in their first Boston show since 1991), and the National (whose Aaron Dessner curates Boston Calling) to headline the end-of-summer event at City Hall Plaza. Other acts include Neutral Milk Hotel, the Roots (both alone and collaborating with Nas), Childish Gambino, Spoon, Girl Talk, the Hold Steady, the 1975, Lake Street Dive, the War on Drugs, Sky Ferriera, White Denim, Future Islands and our own Gentlemen Hall. Early bird tickets go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. bostoncalling.com.

This caps what’s shaping up as a particularly rocking festival summer. The Green River Festival at Greenfield Community College has announced a July 12-13 slate that includes Josh Ritter, Trombone Shorty, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper and the Lone Bellow as well as several acts including Lucius, Trampled by Turtles and Hooray for the Riff Raff that also play the mostly long sold-out July 25-27 Newport Folk Festival, which has also added such artists as Kurt Vile, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Jimmy Cliff (there’s also the Aug. 1-3 Newport Jazz Festival, which ranges from John Zorn’s Masada to Wynton Marsalis and Dr. John). There’s also the July 31 to Aug. 3 Gathering of the Vibes in Bridgeport, Conn., with Widespread Panic, John Fogerty, Disco Biscuits and Ziggy Marley. Now there’s even an Aug. 2-3 inaugural Nantucket Music Festival headed by Guster, Bruce Hornsby and Steel Pulse. Start your engines.


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