That was the lofty aspiration staring down the organizers of the Boston Calling Music Festival in 2013, the year they launched on City Hall Plaza with a roster weighted toward indie rock. At the end of the inaugural event that May, a video announcement teased the surprise news of a September edition, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

It was a gamble. For the first time ever, Boston would host a multi-day rock music festival in the heart of the city, with a lineup of nearly 20 acts on two stages and close to 20,000 people expected daily. And it would happen not just once, but twice in the same year.


Boston Calling returns for its fifth installment on Memorial Day weekend (May 22-24), followed by another one in September. Beck, Pixies, and My Morning Jacket will headline a lineup that casts a broad net, from indie rock (St. Vincent, Tame Impala, TV on the Radio) and hip-hop (Run the Jewels) to electro-pop (Marina and the Diamonds, Tove Lo) and country (Jason Isbell).

A festival of Boston Calling’s magnitude can’t please everyone, but Crash Line Productions, which presents the biannual event, has tried to keep the city’s college-age demographics in mind.

“I love this lineup,” says Brian Appel, the local company’s cofounder (along with Mike Snow). “I think we’ve got really great songwriters, plus a nice balance of heritage acts with up-and-comers who are all over mainstream radio, along with indie-rock darlings. It’s diverse and deep and not trying to appeal to one particular sect of people.”

“What’s really been cool for us is the more info we get from people who are not just in Boston, but who come to town for it,” Appel adds. “Trust me: We love that it’s primarily Bostonians, but we also get people who say they’re booking a trip from Ireland.”


The spring edition will unfold much like it did last year, including a kickoff concert on Friday night. The bulk of the music unfolds on Saturday and Sunday on two separate stages. With no overlap in set times, that means attendees can catch every act on the bill.

Black Francis, right, and Joey Santiago of The Pixies. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Ben Harper will reunite with his longtime band, the Innocent Criminals, for their first shows together since 2008. And who knows what to expect when Tenacious D, the outrageous comedy-rock duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass, takes the stage. In a nod to local acts, beyond the Pixies’ Boston roots, the indie-folk band the Ballroom Thieves and rockers Krill are also part of the programming. (The schedule for each day will be announced later.)

The festival has been criticized for its lack of diversity. May’s installment helps to remedy that situation with the addition of female artists including St. Vincent’s Annie Clark, singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten, dance-pop dynamo Marina and the Diamonds, Danish pop star MO, and rising R&B-pop singer Tove Lo.

Annie Clark aka St. Vincent. John Davisson /Invision/AP

Crash Line is still working with Aaron Dessner, who, as a member of the indie-rock ensemble the National, has helped to curate each installment. Last year, however, the company cut its ties to Bowery Boston, which had been involved with the previous events. Crash Line hired Trevor Solomon, who moved here from Portland, Ore., where he was the executive director of

MusicfestNW, to take over full time.

“We were working with Bowery, and those folks are great, and we still have a relationship with them,” Appel says. “But we’re expanding a little bit as a production company. We’re moving into Wisconsin to start the Eaux Claires Music and Arts Festival with [Bon Iver’s] Justin Vernon [in July]. In terms of scale, we just needed someone dedicated full time to the booking process.”


Boston Calling happens rain or shine, which prompted some angry tweets in September when ominous skies and rain temporarily halted Saturday’s lineup. (Sets by Girl Talk and Volcano Choir were canceled, but the show rebounded with a fantastic performance by Lorde.) For safety’s sake, Appel has no regrets about that decision, but concedes that there has been a learning curve.

“We really went into the first one and thought we were prepared and tested every facet of the event,” he says. “But until you’re out there and people are on the plaza, you just really don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“Plus we’re working in not the most hospitable place to begin with, with multi-layers and steps and construction,” Appel adds, referring to work being done at the Government Center T

station. “It’s like trying to build dominoes on a surfboard. Operationally, we’re always 90 percent there, and then the other 10 is week-of adjustments for weather and unforeseen circumstances.”

The limited presale for three-day and VIP passes starts on Wednesday at noon for $160 and $300, respectively, using the promo code BOSTON. General-admission and VIP three-day tickets go on sale on Friday for $185 and $375, respectively. Single-day and two-day weekend passes will be available at a later date, depending on availability. (More information at www.bostoncalling.com.)


BOSTON CALLING MUSIC FESTIVAL May 22-24

Beck

Pixies

My Morning Jacket

Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals

Tenacious D

Tame Impala

St. Vincent

TV on the Radio

Marina and the Diamonds

Vance Joy

Jason Isbell

Gerard Way

Tove Lo

Chet Faker

Run the Jewels

The Lone Bellow

Sharon Van Etten

Jungle

MØ

Grizfolk

DMA’s

The Ballroom Thieves

Krill

James Reed can be reached at james.reed@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeJamesReed.