Pushed to a later time slot due to TLC’s last-minute drop out, Wilderado stepped onto Boston Calling’s Green Stage just before rain overtook the remainder of the festival’s first day.
Following the day’s country theme, Tulsa-born Wilderado perfectly combines its Southern roots with the indie-folk genre, blending the two to create a lively and compelling performance. With the inkling of a crowd forming in front of the stage that would later quadruple for Luke Combs, many festival goers lounged on the turf to enjoy Wilderado’s performance.
Beginning slowly before stepping up the pace throughout the set, the four members that make up Wilderado managed to end most songs hopping around the stage with one another—their joy oozing from the festival’s hub.
Wilderado’s first Boston Calling show was a culmination of 10 years of touring. Coming to Boston on its very first tour, Wilderado has made it back four to five times since, according to the band’s guitarist and vocalist, Tyler Wimpee.
“We love Boston,” said Wimpee. “There’s an energy here that you don’t get anywhere else.”
Wilderado certainly didn’t hold back from matching this energy. Giving a set filled with long guitar riffs and drum builds that got the crowd nodding their heads to the beat, Wilderado balanced calmer, vocally led songs with lively music that completes a good festival performance.
The latter was exemplified with “Morning Light,” as the band leaned more into the country genre with a heavier Southern twang and swelling chorus. The catchy, repetitive howls that make up the chorus were easy to pick up by the crowd. Even those who weren’t previously fans could join in on the singing by the set’s halfway point.
Starting out writing songs in college, Wilderado has come a long way to make it to the Boston Calling stage. To students looking to eventually be in the band’s shoes, Wimpee has some advice: Put in the work, believe in yourself, and, most of all, have fun.
“Just make sure you’re enjoying it,” said Wimpee. “We’ve been doing it 10 years, and we can still say that we’re having a good time. That’s really all that matters.”
Finding its groove, Wilderado started to show off its camaraderie with “Wheat.” Each member joining in on the lyrics in impressive harmonization, the whole band came together as one, as a larger and larger crowd filled in the muddy grass.
“We’ve curated this to feel good for us and hopefully feel good for the audience,” Wimpee said. “So, yeah, it’s all fun. It’s all some of our favorite songs.”
Bringing out its hits with the final few songs, Wilderado made a turn to acoustic to perform “Take Some Time.” Shifting from a faster pace, the slower, more heavily indie-folk influenced song found the crowd swaying to the meaningful lyrics. Then, the band played “Surefire,” its most-streamed song, demonstrating exactly why it was on Boston Calling’s main stage.
Having amassed millions of streams from just two albums and four EPs, Wilderado has accomplished a lot in its 10 active years. Now settling into new stages of life by getting married and having kids, the band members are attempting to balance their rising success with their lives at home.
“The most important thing we can do is take care of ourselves and keep doing this as long as we can,” said Wimpee. “We’re trying to ride the high of people enjoying.”
Ending the set with “Rubble to Rubble,” the band gathered behind the center microphone to perform the stripped-down song together. With just an acoustic guitar to support the vocals, the group’s collective singing brought out the song’s deep emotions, ending the performance on a heartwarming note.
Explaining how the unique ending originated, Wimpee said a producer proposed the idea to be original and allow the crowd to come down after a loud, upbeat set. It felt right, and Wilderado made the ending a tradition.
Wrapping up the set to a roar of applause and cheers, Wilderado left the crowd smiling and primed for the day’s headliners, who would soon take the Green Stage. In the end, Wilderado appreciated the ability to perform its most meaningful songs in a time where streaming makes it difficult to highlight them among the mass of other music.
“The opportunity to be able to play live in front of a big audience, it goes a long way for us,” said Wimpee.
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