The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Return For Free Concert on Boston Common
Being “comfortable about being uncomfortable” is the code that The Mighty Mighty Bosstones live by, and members of the iconic Boston-based band intend to feel that way when they endure the heat during a free concert on the Common this weekend.
Despite the fact that extreme summer weather will likely make the large ska ensemble sweat a little bit as they hit the stage at the “Outside the Box” festival, wearing their classic suit and tie getup, lead singer Dicky Barrett said he would basically do anything for Boston—and besides, they are used to being uncomfortable when catering to a large audience. “Most of our summers were spent on the Warped Tour, so we are very comfortable with [the heat]… I mean, think of 14 guys on a bus, or 14 guys in your apartment. Think about suits on the hottest day you can imagine in Florida, on a hot outdoor stage. Think about that,” said the singer.
Barrett said this will be the band’s first show back in Boston since their sold-out performance in the winter for their annual “Throwdown.” The Bosstones, who first started their musical career in Cambridge in 1984, will headline the show at the Common on Saturday alongside Buffalo Tom, Taj Mahal Trio, and The Lemonheads.
“Outside the Box,” is a new nine-day summer series and arts festival meant to unify the community through free events around the city.
Barrett said when organizers reached out to the Bosstones about performing at the free event, they jumped on the opportunity without hesitation. “Summer time show on the Boston common sounded fantastic to me, seeing as we have been doing the winter shows. We jumped at it and said, ‘yes, whatever you put together, please include us,’” he said, adding that he hopes the show will create fond memories for attendees, much like the ones he has of going to performances on the Boston Common in the 1980s.
While the band has been playing around 20 shows a year in various cities across the country, Barrett said there is something special about “being home” again. He said they do “pretty good” in this area, in terms of a fan base, which is something the group will always be grateful for. “That’s because it’s the greatest city in the world. Everything that we have, we have Boston to thank for,” he said. “Our hearts are in this city, we are the guys that named the band after this city. And we would have called it the band Boston, but there’s another group of guys that have already taken that name.”
There have been a few line-up changes along the way for the group, but the founding members—Barrett, Joe Gittleman, Ben Carr and Tim Burton–remain the same. Barrett said there will be some surprises at the free show Saturday, as well as in the future for the group, admitting that they are talking about a new album, and new songs. “Nothing is that much of a secret anymore—there is the Internet. But me and Joe have been writing and the other guys have been heading in that direction, and we should have something out fairly soon. Give us a year.”