The OUTLOUD festival had options for expansion, but picking Boston was no accident
That mission transcends state lines, too. After five previous editions in West Hollywood,
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The fact that Consoletti chose Boston over a larger market like New York City for the festival's East Coast expansion feels like a point of pride (no pun intended) for the community. Consoletti has lived and worked in Los Angeles for the past 20 years, where he runs his live event and entertainment agency JJLA. His roots as an event producer, however, trace back to his childhood in Milford, where he was, he said, 'always looking for opportunities to put on shows' for friends and family. (His first-ever event was a puppet show hosted within his parents' garage around age 4 or 5; it drew dozens of his neighbors, although his parents made him give back the money from his hard-earned ticket sales).
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But Consoletti didn't select Boston strictly as a homecoming. The event producer says the city 'inherently felt like a great next place for OUTLOUD to grow in,' particularly because of the local government's advocacy for queer citizens. In
'Standing up and declaring Boston a sanctuary city for transgender individuals and [ensuring] gender-affirming care aligns greatly with the backbone of what OUTLOUD wants to do as well,' he says, emphasizing OUTLOUD's role as a safe, welcoming cultural experience.
Consoletti doesn't envision a third location for the festival – not during Pride month, at least – although he hopes OUTLOUD can expand its Boston edition in future years, either by adding another stage, or making it a two-day event like its California counterpart.
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Another future expansion might take the form of a touring show with 'a consortium of artists' that brings similar music experiences to cities that might have fewer resources and accessible environments for the LGBTQ community.
'Some of our cities of interest are D.C., Philadelphia, Columbus, Nashville, Atlanta, Dallas, and Denver – places where [the community] could use some more visible queer representation, and OUTLOUD wants to be that,' Consoletti says.
Cali-born reggae rockers Slightly Stoopid head to The Stage at Suffolk Downs on Friday. (Keith Zacharski)
Keith Zacharski
GIG GUIDE
Outdoor concert season is finally in full swing, as Cali-born reggae rockers
fans are already speculating about whether or not the Watertown resident and folk artist will appear to perform their collaboration 'Northern Attitude').
Outside of the city,
Mexican singer-songwriter
Passim honors Pride month on
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Kawaii metal band Babymetal perform at MGM Music Hall at Fenway on Wednesday. (Capitol Records)
Capitol Records
Lansdowne Street welcomes a particularly sundry mix of talent this week, with visits from Croatian cellist
(
King Isis's new EP 'SIRENITY' flaunts all of modern pop's best angles. (Hunter Cates)
Hunter Cates
NOW SPINNING
King Isis,
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Nyah Grace's sophomore record "Divinely Devoted" is a descent into silken neo-soul. (Maisie Dickinson)
Maisie Dickinson
Nyah Grace,
Philly's Mo Lowda & the Humble recorded their fifth LP, "Tailing the Ghost," entirely from the road. (Luda Ronky)
Luda Ronky
Mo Lowda & the Humble,
BONUS TRACK
(Sunday). Keep an eye out for Western Massachusetts artists on the lineup, such as
Victoria Wasylak can be reached at
. Follow her on Bluesky @VickiWasylak.bsky.social.
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