Eminem Closes Out Boston Calling 2018

BOSTON, MA — Temperatures in the 50s and a light rain couldn't persuade the Boston Calling faithful to stay home for the final day of the festival at the Harvard Athletic Complex.

In fact Sunday's crowd for Eminem may have been the largest of the three days, with Slim Shady possibly attracting the largest gathering of the three headliners. Give credit to Eminem, as for nearly 90-minutes the legendary rapper was breathless, taking few moments to pause while flowing from track to track.

Singer Skylar Grey provided female vocals for the songs for "Monster," "Love the Way You Lie," and "Stan," While he played some songs, like "Stan" for only a couple of verses, it was nice for Eminem to bring it up a couple of levels for his collaborations and actually have someone on stage instead of just running the track audio (looking at you, Coldplay).

About an hour into the set he returned to the songs from his bleach-blond hair days, blazing through my "My Name Is," "The Real Slim Shady," Without Me," and "Not Afraid," before coming out and singing "Lose Yourself" complete with a pyro-loaded grand finale.

It's nice knowing that although his new music may not get great reviews, the legacy of his run from the Marshall Mathers LP to 8 Mile remains as strong as ever.

There is one thing he might, and by "might" we mean "totally," should reconsider: He twice ended songs with realistic gunshots. Not a sound effect from a movie or TV show, but the realistic sound of a gun being shot. In 2018, that's not the sound that more than 20,000 people at a music festival want to hear.

Still, aside from that jarring punctuation, from the live band, to the strings section to the softer songs and the pyro to end the night, Eminem brought a big-show feel to end the weekend, which made his return to Boston after 14 years worth the wait for many.

Here's who else we saw Sunday:

Alvvays

The Toronto-based band was a sign of things to come, weather-wise. Dressed in raincoats, the band had the crowd swaying for their 50-minute set. The fact that they started by telling the crowd they were hoping for a Celtics victory over the Cavaliers in vengeance for the Raptors defeat naturally got the crowd on their side. They also dedicated "Dreams Tonite," to Terry Rozier, who may have scored more than 4 points if he heard the song. Couldn't have made him play worse.

David Cross

The comedian spent about a half hour of his 45-minute set talking about his life as a father and wife to a child of Santa Monica hippies. In feeling the temperature of the crowd, he joked about a terrorist attack at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (things look good for the 2024 US Paralympic team) and the prospects that his kid could be terrible person or ugly (If you don't like it the exits are clearly marked, as he said).

Sure the topics weren't necessarily original, but the stories and perspectives are unique to Cross, who discussed having to raise a child as a cynical and jaded man.

The last 15 minutes was dedicated to President Donald Trump and his idea to get rid of him in the 2020 election. We won't give it away but it takes place at the first debate, involves a very tough action and things you do in the restroom. Cross admitted that what he wants isn't very clever, in fact, it's crass and disrespectful. But it makes him feel good.

Khalid

One of the best young R&B performers in the world closed out the red stage, the 20-year-old Texan has star written all over him. The energy he brought to the stage, the smooth vocals, he'll be a headliner the next time he comes to Boston Calling. It was refreshing to hear songs like "American Teen" and "Young Dumb & Broke."

Did you go to Boston Calling? Send us a picture and let us know what you loved or didn't love and we'll feature it. Email: jenna.fisher@patch.com

Previously on Patch:

Jack White Rocks Night 2 Of Boston Calling

Boston Calling: The Killers Storm Through Evening Finale

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Top Photo Credit: Jeremy Deputat