Twenty-One Pilots, Chvrches Start The Boston Calling Party

BOSTON — Any music festival-goer knows that the end of the night is usually hectic — jumping from one headliner to the next. But during day one of Boston Calling, the running around was all worth it with Twenty-one Pilots, Chvrches, and Greta Van Fleet all putting on energetic shows.

My time with Twenty-one Pilots began like that, running from Chvrches and hearing the band play its hit song, "Stressed Out," in the distance. As I walked closer, a group of people were heading in the same direction, singing along to every word. The crowd's voices were the next things heard just a few yards later — and they were loud.

The energy of the crowd continued to grow with each passing song as the band began barraging through its other popular songs including "Ride", "Heathens", and "We Don't Believe What's on TV."

The band found plenty of ways to get the crowd going, at one point breaking out a ukulele and then shooting off some CO2 cannons. What really got the crowd going the most though was when frontman Tyler Joseph went for a stage dive. The crowd caught him, and brought Joseph to his feet, where he briefly sang from atop the crowd. But in the blink of an eye, he was back at the piano playing the same song.

Scottish synth-pop band Chrvches also had a lot of fan interaction, especially to songs like "Leave a Trace," "Miracle," and "Never Say Die." Lead singer Lauren Mayberry wore a headset microphone, so she could constantly twirl around in her bright pink dress. Soon, much of the crowd was twirling around too.

In between songs, Mayberry was cracking jokes and getting plenty of laughs. One she said she didn't buy her sound engineer a birthday present, but would buy him some liquor later on. But she sarcastically apologized to the crowd, saying she couldn't get them any because it would cost all the money she made from the last three albums. Comedy set next year anyone?

Greta Van Fleet brought energy in an entirely different way. Rather than soaring vocals and beats you could dance to, frontman Josh Kiszka's raspy howls brought something more raw.

His twin brother Jake's shredding guitar also helped bring the rock and roll. Songs like "Black Smoke Rising" and "Highway Tune" had the whole place moving.

What else is happening at Boston Calling? Check it out:

• Boston Calling 2019: Lineup, Tickets For 10th Annual Festival
• Boston Calling: Everything You Need To Know
• Police Will Give Tickets For Smoking Marijuana At Boston Calling This Year
• Boston Calling 2019: Local Artist Roundup
• Boston Calling 2019: Day 1 What It Looked Like Out There
• Fred Armisen Ends Comedy Tour At Boston Calling