Here’s How Bostonians are Infusing Live Music and the Arts Into Their Summer Seaport Weekends

When the weekend finally rolls around, Bostonians begin a search for stimulation. We find restaurants that will excite our palates, seek out Boston views that will energize us, and find ways to connect and converse with one another. But there’s a certain infusion that can make the whole experience more meaningful, more immersive, and more memorable: the arts.

The arts in Boston aren’t hard to find, as local visual and performing artists have begun to make their way into Boston’s cultural forefront in the past few years. But that all-encompassing experience—the right food, ambience, authenticity, and art—is still hard to come by. 

There’s a skyline-defining Seaport hotel where you’re guaranteed all of these elements during a staycation or night on the town: Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport. Their highly regarded restaurants, enviable views from roof deck to room, and artist-curated music-and-arts programming are exactly what you need to get your recommended dose of summer weekend stimulation. Here’s everything you need to know going into the season. 

Get An Exclusive Look Inside Boston Culture

From the moment you enter the hotel, you’ll know you’re in the right place to get closer to Boston’s art and music landscape.

For Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport’s artist in residence Will Dailey (you might know him as a successful Boston-based indie performer), the hotel’s extensive collection of art propels the immersion of each guest into Boston’s rich (and growing, he says) performing arts scene. 

As you wander through the lobby, you’ll find yourself in the presence of a gallery called Behind the Scenes Black and White Wall, where photos by various photographers allow you to take in what are normally unseen performing arts settings—from backstage, rehearsal, moments of rest, and more. “You’re immediately getting the story and having a unique experience,” he says. “We’re telling the story of Boston.” 

This sense of exclusivity is accompanied by a hand-picked Boston musician in the lobby, called the Lobby Live! Series, which happens every Thursday through Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. “What I put on that stage is a direct reflection of the black and white photographs,” Dailey says. It’s an exclusive eye—and ear—into Boston’s performing arts. Plus, the lobby musician gives you an introductory musical moment to kick off your visit. “You’re checking in, you’re in transit, but something awakens your ears—something that’s unique,” says Dailey. 

Lobby Live! is open to the public, which means guests and night-life-seekers alike can enjoy the music, grab an espresso martini at the lobby’s classy and, of course, music-themed Crescendo Bar, before you hit the town. 

If you’re visiting the hotel during the week, worry not. Even without Lobby Live!, Dailey has made sure to connect every visitor to the sounds of Boston performers with a specifically curated playlist that changes throughout the day. In the afternoon, Dailey says, he chooses indie acts, songwriters, and pop songs. In the evening, he opts for more upbeat selections to elevate the energy.

Connect With Boston Through its Performers

Dailey says that the musicians he chooses, like the Lobby Live! performers, have all been performing in Boston for years. That connectivity to Boston is something he prioritizes when curating acts. He compares it to listening to reggae when visiting Jamaica: “It becomes a part of my soul and my experience,” he says. His goal is to enact that same experience for people visiting Boston, giving them the opportunity to connect with the city on a deeper level. 

This inclusion of smaller artists who grew their roots in Boston, Dailey says, is also a way he and the hotel actively contribute to the local arts scene, what he calls “caring for the soil” that smaller Boston artists rely on. “We need to start telling our individual stories,” he says. The idea is to support local over national or global.

“The farmers market is important. The performances in town are important. The athletic programs in town are important. The music programs in town are important—and more vital to the success of a city like Boston than when a big act comes through,” says Dailey. 

Even still, if those global names are what bring guests to the hotel, local performers often pay tribute as a way to connect to the guests. Andrew Stern, whom Dailey calls a “far-out jazz guitarist,” played Taylor Swift covers in the hotel lobby when he knew people were coming for her historic Eras tour. “I was like, that’s brilliant,” says Dailey. 

Immerse Your Whole Self

Your connection to Boston music and arts through the hotel can be made to include not only listening, but (literally) elevated listening, as well as tasting, smelling, and seeing, thanks to the music programming at Lifted Restaurant on the hotel’s fifth-floor. 

At Lifted, all Bostonians can attend live spins every Saturday from 4 to 7:30 p.m.with DJ Carl  and Sunday from 12 to 3 p.m. with DJ J-Wall. Enjoy Chef Yousef Ghalaini’s new seasonal menu in al fresco seating—which means stunning views of the city skyline—as well as fantastic cold drinks and, overall, a summer vibe you’ll never want to leave.

On the pool deck (by the only rooftop pool in Seaport), Dailey is also curating the Soundwaves Pool Deck Music Series for hotel guests. Starting June 22 (with additional concerts on July 27, August 31, and September 22 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.), your hotel room comes with exclusive and intimate concerts by well known and biographed artists making it a perfect way to get more of a luxury concert experience without all the crowds and chaos. And, of course, you can always stroll over to Lifted Restaurant to get a taste of those fresh food and drinks. 

As the sun goes down, the connection to local artists doesn’t have to stop. That’s because Dailey also curates local DJs to perform at The Sporting Club, a place to have elevated bar snacks, enjoy a wide variety of beer and drinks from a full bar, and dance to unique beats.

One of Boston’s only luxury sports bars, the space is one of the best, according to Dailey, for really hearing what Boston DJ’s have to offer. One reason for that: These DJs enjoy the Sporting Club gig as much as you will. Without the pressure to build basic “head-banging” setlists for rowdy clubs and bars, Dailey says, Sporting Club DJs are able to provide one-of-a-kind performances. 

You’ll walk away not only appreciating Boston and its musicians more, but also the art itself. “It’s a testimony to DJs,” Dailey says, noting that, beyond playing the hits, record-spinning can be a meaningful form of self expression in its own right. “A DJ has more to say.” 

Discover Your New Favorite Art, Artists, and Authors

Dailey is also excited to introduce a new kind of aural art to the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport. The summer authorship series, Earfull, starting June 28, will bring local authors to read out loud from their work—which may be accompanied by music, according to Dailey. He says the books from this series will live on the bookshelf at Omni Hotel at the Seaport’s upscale Mediterranean restaurant and bar, Kestra.

Kestra, short for orchestra, is also the site for Jazz at Kestra! with jazz pianist Charlee Lloyst, whose performances are open to the public. You’ll love the whole vibe of Jazz at Kestra!, with the library wall and fireplace complemented by creative music-themed decor like vocal-microphone lighting.

Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport has also partnered with Boston’s Sofar sounds, a successful global music community that connects music artists to local audiences. That means you have the opportunity to discover a new Boston artist every month (or follow your local favorites to their Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport concert). Concerts are on June 17, July 22, August 19, and September 16 from 8 to 10 p.m. You can find tickets for Sofar sounds on their website.

Finally, returning to one of Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport’s most defining characteristics, guests are welcome to take a self-guided tour through the lobby’s impressive collection of fine art, from the moving digital art by Danel Canogar just behind the front desk, to the Behind the Scenes Black and White Wall, to the massive rendering of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 adjacent to the Crescendo sitting area. 

Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport is the one-stop-shop for Bostonians looking to learn and enjoy more of Boston’s music and arts talent. Great summer rates are currently available. Book direct and experience the Seaport like never before by clicking here.