The opening concert series at The Stage at Suffolk Downs was held in East Boston this weekend, with headlining performances by Steve Lacy and boygenius.
Fans flocked to the brand new performance venue for the Re:SET outdoor concert series, a traveling festival that takes its lineup to cities across the country. Each day, the headliners and curated set of supporting acts take the stage.
On the first day of the festival, concertgoers turned out to see Steve Lacy, a musician best known for songs like “Bad Habit” and “Dark Red.” Supporting him that day were musicians Toro y Moi, James Blake and Fousheé.
During his performance, Lacy tested his fanbase when he shared a controversial opinion about a New England culinary icon.
“Lobster rolls are overrated,” he said. “Ya’ll’s clam chowder is good though. Ya’ll’s clam chowder is pretty good. But lobster rolls? Nope.”
Meghan Chery is a massive Steve Lacy fan – and was thrilled at the opportunity to see him in person.
“I’m excited to see all the artists, but especially Steve Lacy because I’ve been in love with his music,” Chery said. “I like how unique he is, he’s not like other artists, he's also hilarious based on videos I've seen of him at other concerts and I’m excited to see him in person.”
Saturday, the second day of the festival, was literally a wash. The rain forced performances, including LCD Soundsystem, to cancel.
Though The Stage at Suffolk Downs posted on social media that ticket holders would be reimbursed, it wasn't enough to appease some of the disappointed concertgoers.
re:set more like rain:set
— rj 🦴 (@stat1cbuzz) June 18, 2023
On Sunday, the Stage at Suffolk Downs was sold out and the grounds were packed for a lineup that featured indie rock supergroup boygenius – consisting of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus. They were supported by performances by Clairo, Dijon and Bartees Strange.
Grace Cuzner and Chloe Curtis are loyal boygenius fans, and were psyched ahead of the group’s performance.
“I’m just excited to see Phoebe, on stage in person, I don't know how I'm going to handle it,” Cuzner said. “She's just like the most perfect person ever.”
“It’s going to be two hours of tears,” Curtis said.
Though many fans turned out for the headliners – others came to see the supporting acts, like Tabrina StCyre, who was most excited to see Fousheé, who opened up the Friday show.
“I’m really into femme rock and I feel certain genres have only shown certain narratives and I’m really excited to hear a rocked out black woman just rule the stage,” StCyre said.
On Sunday, Ayla Pullen was excited to see her favorite artist Clairo – who hails from Carlisle, Massachusetts – perform at the festival.
“I’ve listened to her for as long as I can remember, I’m so excited,” she said. “Everyone here is so sweet, it’s a nice environment to see her in.”
James Golding was excited to see artists he’d never seen perform live before on Friday.
“I'm really excited to see James Blake honestly, because I already saw Steve and Fousheé before, and it was amazing, but I've never seen James Blake and I'm interested, I have no idea what he's going to do,” Golding said.
Though he came to the concert series for boygenius on Sunday, Chase Bristol enjoyed becoming a fan of new acts.
“Bartees Strange was really good, I was like woah this is kind of sick, that was really cool.”
Many attendees were fond of the open nature of the venue – being on such an open field.
“I’ve never been to a concert like this, I love sunlight, I love being outside, I love that there's food, love grass, it's pretty awesome,” StCyre said. “It's bright out here so I feel like the artists can see us from the stage.”
Elizabeth Nelson said she was excited to dance and have fun on the councert grounds.
“We love how much greenery and space there is, it's a lot more calm and less crowded, it’s fun to walk around and vibe,” she said.
“It doesn't really feel like Boston,” Golding said. “It feels like we’re far out because we have so much space.”
