Despite a gloomy weekend weather forecast, thousands made their way down to Ocean City, MD for the third annual Oceans Calling Music Festival. The new staple festival brings in a large rock crowd with a few curveballs mixed in from pop to alt/indie and even some R&B. Alongside the music you get the unique opportunity to enjoy all the boardwalk has to offer from Thrashers Fries to Jolly Rogers Theme Park.
Despite the expected rain, it actually held out for a beautifully sunny day as we opened the festival on Friday. As always I had to check out the first festival performance which was Izzy Escobar. She might be new to the music scene, but her talent was clear from the start. Best known for her latest single “Vendetta,” Escobar showed off some impressive vocal technique throughout her set and despite my previous lack of her music, I will be sure to give upcoming releases a listen in the near future.
Throughout day 1, a lot of nostalgia appeared with rock favorites of the last few decades. Fountains of Wayne took the mainstage to play their classics which of course includes a favorite “Stacy’s Mom” which the crowd chanted alongside the performance. Moments later across the beach, The Fray took the spotlight to bring you to your emo alt rock favorites like “How to Save a Life” and “Over My Head.” Nostalgia was definitely a recurring theme you will hear about from this festival. So many acts have had hits that will take you on a journey back to the early 90s and early 2000s.
Night 1 ended with quite possibly my favorite performance of the whole festival. Green Day! After a lengthy, but hype, introduction alongside the punk bunny. The moment the band emerged the nonstop hits began. Opening with “American Idiot” and my personal favorite “Holiday.” During “Do You Know Your Enemy” they pulled a fan (Alana) from the crowd to help sing the bridge. Then after a little dance break they timed up a super cool speaker jump from her to pyro that shot off with the end of the song. I’m sure it was an unforgettable experience she will tell stories of for the rest of her life. They continued, paying tribute to Ozzy Osbourne with a cover of “Crazy Train” and had the crowd full scream for “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” Probably in part to it being just about the end of September, so it had a large ovation from the start. Finally closing out the night with the heart string pulls of “Good Riddance,” an iconic ending from a fantastic set! As everyone made their way back to shelter the rainy weather had just begun, foreshadowing what was to come on day 2.
As gates opened the following day, we had known rain would be apparent on and off but it currently was holding off. Before anything got too crazy, I stood with excitement waiting for Wheatus to take the stage. A top priority at this festival was making sure I was in a good spot to hear “Teenage Dirtbag” and I held to that promise. The rain slowly began to pick up and I stood strong as they played through their set with an introduction by none other than Jason Biggs. While I don’t know all of their music, what they did play was very solid and had a laid back energy to it. Definitely something I would jam on a roadtrip in the near future. Alas they reached the ever so awaited final song and did not disappoint one bit. From the crowd’s murmurs you knew everyone was excited. Lead vocalist Brendan B Brown, sounds identical to the studio track and takes a funny and impressive breath in before singing the “female” perspective of his story. It’s a legendary moment from an equally legendary song. As we reached its finish I made a fast dash over to the Rockville stage where another star would soon appear.
From this point forward the weather went on and off with heavy showers throughout the day. When it rained, it really… It really rained. Now in most cases a heavy storm causes some disappointment when trying to enjoy a show. That is unless you are going to see Natasha Bedingfield. This set may have had the loudest fan interaction of the entire festival. While she may have had a “Pocket Full of Sunshine,” the weather was not in agreement. Now “Unwritten” was a different story. If you want to hear true joyous screaming, try watching this performance as we reach the peak of the song. “FEEL THE RAIN ON YOUR SKIN” roared throughout the audience and what was going to be a long and messy evening was somewhat worth it for just a split second of pure bliss.
Later that night, in what was still pouring rain, Maryland natives Good Charlotte took the stage. Something I don’t often see but very much respect is a band opening with their most well known song. For Good Charlotte that song is “The Anthem” which they instantly built up the crowd’s energy with. For the majority of bands, special guests of notoriety had been limited to this point. It all changed when Deryck Whibley of Sum 41, made his way to the stage for two songs “Fat Lip” and “In Too Deep.” The retired band has had select appearances as of late, and it was exciting to see Ocean’s Calling participating in one of these special moments. Good Charlotte would close out the night with another fan favorite “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous.” Still raining, it was a nice pick me up to get everyone set for the headliner.
Noah Kahan was probably the biggest of the headliners in the modern day. His fans did not disappoint. Around mid day I had ducked for cover from the rain (to dry off some gear) but I spoke with a few fans at the barricade who stood strong since the gates opened. Despite the rain and wind, they were ready. Music rises, Noah walks out “Are you sad yet? Cause if you’re not you will be.” I knew a mixed bag of Kahan’s music but I do know that sad boy vibes is certainly what he brings to the table. An appreciation was made clear from Noah not just for the patience with the weather tonight, but also on his “long” awaited album release since he hasn’t had much new released to the world since 2022. Despite the general tone of his songs, he did make sure to dance around and enjoy his time on stage, with many cheers in approval through the night. He closed with a beautiful performance of “Stick Season,” which prior to the festival is the one song I knew decently well. Needless to say his fans seemed excited both for the performance and the new music to come including an unreleased track he had played earlier that night.
After getting back to my hotel, I spent the night drying off everything I could with hopes we would be greeted with some sun on day 3. Sure enough, mother nature delivered an absolutely spectacular, clear forecast. 4 Non Blondes took on the early afternoon set with who have returned to festivals after limited sets in recent decades. Linda Perry is always full of energy and her stage presence always gets the crowd involved. They enter with a little snippet of their hit “What’s Up” which would fall into a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.” I was fortunate to have seen the band take the stage earlier this year and while the setlist was more or less the same, it felt as though they have upped their game since May. Still rocking the iconic look with multiple guitar changes, but everything felt perfect from a technical standpoint as well.
Pop Rock continued on with Michelle Branch later that afternoon who I was told was a must see for the day. Vocally Branch was a really good listen, with hits like “Everywhere” and “All You Wanted” there was always a sense of romance/relationships in her music. The tone carried well through every song she performed. I do wish we could have seen her move around a little bit more to what she was playing as the rockstar element was a bit lost in the stoic movement. That aside she was truly a delightful stage presence, with talent to back her long career success.
Weezer took the mainstage spotlight toward the evening with many loyal, longtime fans in attendance. “Beverly Hills,” “Island in the Sun” and “Say It Ain’t So” are just a few of the many full chest beltable tracks that would be chanted throughout the night. With a long history of hits, many hand gesture W’s (Weezer’s logo) were thrown into the night sky with the crowd’s approval. If we needed any sort of comeback, I vote Weezer and their semi apparent suit era of performances. That personally would have been a strong dose of nostalgia that I think many of the Weezer fan base would look forward to. At the end of the day, it is just nice to see a band so many know and love performing in a way that just feels like it comes naturally to them.
The finale of the festival was here and despite all the big names, you had to make sure to remember Fall Out Boy. The band plays sets in their own sort of “Era’s Tour” opening with a few favorites like “Sugar We’re Going Down” and “Dance, Dance.” Bassist Pete Wentz both thrills and scares the life out of you with a literal flamethrower attached to his bass guitar, and pyro continuously flew throughout the night sky during their set. “Thnks fr the Mmrs,” “Uma Thurman” and “So Much (for) Stardust” were among the many that blasted through the show, with the occasional flying sheep in the sky. Among many, the classic American Beauty/American Psycho cover art face paint could be seen among countless fans. It may be why some of the most enjoyment through the night was seen during the closing performance of “Centuries.”
Another year of Ocean’s Calling is in the books and I do think this is probably the most well done of the three so far. I still love the music selection and the variety of things to do on the Ocean City Boardwalk, but it’s the small things like adding a walking path through the sand that made this year just a step above. It was still the environment we know and love, but the festival has listened to some of the minor complaints over the years to make adjustments and improve the overall fan experience at the shows. If they keep this trend moving forward I expect to see continued success as the festival takes on year 4 in 2026.
GALLERY: Oceans Calling Festival in Ocean City, Maryland (September 26-28, 2025)
