Concert Review: Lorde & Childish Gambino Take Boston Calling Day 2

Lorde performing at Boston Calling Music Festival on September 6th, 2014 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

The energy has risen with the temperature: it's time for day two of Boston Calling Music Festival!

The day kicked off with three incredible acts:  St. Nothing, Clifflight, and S. Carey.  These bands brought completely different energies, giving a taste of what was to come later in the afternoon.

Sky Ferreira performing at Boston Calling Music Festival on September 6th, 2014 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

Next came Sky Ferreira.  Ferreira walked on stage with a calm, cool confidence, kicking the concert off with "24 Hours".  Her sound had a big synth pop vibe, with a borderline-punk hint.  She rattled song after song, such as "Ain't Your Right", "Boys" and "Everything is Embarrassing".  The bass synths were bone-shakingly loud, complimented with Sky's strong, fluttery vocals.  

Bleachers was a huge hit at the festival.  "Fun." member Jack Antonoff's new project was a huge success.  The audience went crazy for their hit "I Wanna Get Better", as well as their cover of "Dreams" by the Cranberries.

With The Hold Steady came an unfortunate storm, causing both Volcano Choir's and Girl Talk's sets to be skipped over.  Nevertheless, the Boston Calling staff handled the hiccup with grace, getting everything back in shape for Lorde and Childish Gambino.  Those who witnessed the storm understand how impressive this was for them to have recovered, especially since the only visible damage was the red stage's banners and the stand for one of the video screens.

Now for the final acts of the night:

Lorde performing at Boston Calling Music Festival on September 6th, 2014 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

Lorde took the stage around nine o'clock to loud cheers from all.  Despite her being one of the most pop-oriented acts of the night, Lorde brought a sound, an energy, and an image that was uniquely her own. Performing her hits "Royals", "Team" and "Tennis Courts", Lorde put her fans in a frenzy.  Her recordings simply don't portray how earth-shatteringly heavy her sound is.  Her black and white imagery had a nice contrast in comparison to what was to follow. 

Enter Childish Gambino, the final act of the night.  The setting was surreal: his floral print clothing set in front of a bright screen portraying a room of arches and columns.  He performed stunningly, with an almost possessed look in his eyes.  While many musicians tend to have a performing persona, few fully immerse themselves in that character as well as Childish Gambino does in concert.

See more photos from Day 2 of Boston Calling Music Festival in the gallery below: