Filling City Hall Plaza
Best Music Poll bands play free show
Even for a city renowned for outdoor summer entertainment, this show stands out.
Tomorrow, the Boston Phoenix and WFNX present six seasoned indie/alternative favorites at Boston’s City Hall Plaza for the annual Best Music Poll Concert. Sharing the stage will be New York natives Metric and the Bravery, Syracuse’s Ra Ra Riot, Los Angeles’ the Airborne Toxic Event, New Brunswick’s Gaslight Anthem, and Boston’s very own Passion Pit. All were nominated in the Phoenix’s annual “Best Music Poll,” in which readers vote online for their favorite acts.
Another fun fact: the show’s free.
Described by the Boston Phoenix as “Peter Gabriel and Scritti Politti [crashing] your Christmas party sophomore year and [doing] a set of Prince covers on your little cousin’s toy piano,” Passion Pit is bound to be an unforgettable outdoor experience. After one national and two European tours, playing a at venues big and small, Passion Pit bassist Jeff Apruzzese is looking forward to showcasing the band’s growth back home.
“It’s always nerve-wracking playing these huge shows, not because we’re afraid to mess up, but because there are that many more expectations we want to exceed,” he says. “Still, it’s really great to finally be coming full circle; we started in Boston and now we’re finally getting back.”
Last year’s show, featuring Death Cab for Cutie and Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls, was held at the Bank of America Pavilion, where audiences had to pay for admission. This year’s venue and lineup suggest a step up — and the price couldn’t be better.
The concert begins tomorrow, August 1, at 4 p.m. City Hall Plaza is a fine summer walk from campus; amble down Comm Ave. cross Boston Gardens and Boston Common, take a left on Tremont, and you’re there. By T, take the Green Line to Government Center. Arrive early and settle in; this one should draw a big crowd. To learn more about each band, visit the Phoenix’s website. The Best Music Poll results appeared this morning, and Passion Pit took four firsts; best alum, best male vocalist, best song, and best local act.
Devon Maloney can be reached at devon.maloney@gmail.com.
Comments & Discussion
Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.