Rock band on stage July 1 in St. Augustine Amphitheatre
By Kara Pound
staugustine.com
With hits like "More Than a Feeling," "Peace Of Mind," "Foreplay/Long Time," "Don't Look Back" and "Amanda," Boston became one of the biggest rock bands of the 1970s and ‘80s. Centered around guitarist, songwriter, keyboardist and producer Tom Scholz -- the only original member -- Boston's 1976 debut album is the second biggest-selling debut album of all-time in the U.S. with more than 17 million copies sold.
The band's current line-up is Gary Pihl (lead guitar), Tommy DeCarlo (vocals/percussion/keyboards), Tracy Ferrie (bass guitar), Curly Smith (drums) and brand new member David Victor (vocals/guitar). Compass caught up with Victor to chat about the upcoming tour and being discovered on YouTube.
Compass: I know you've been in Boston tribute bands, but tell me a bit about how Tom Scholz and the other members of Boston found you.
David Victor: Well, basically I'm one of those YouTube babies [laughs]. I was performing in one of my Boston tribute bands and we were doing "Smokin'" and the video got a lot of hits and it took a little while -- that was back in 2007. But ya, it eventually popped up on the radar, the band found me, I did a little recording at Tom's studio and he liked what he heard. It just kind of moved along from there.
Compass: Was the band actively looking for someone to share in vocal responsibilities or when they found you, it sparked them to tour again this year?
D.V.: Actually, it's probably more the latter. They did tour in 2008 and the previous guitarist/vocalist Michael Sweet had left the band. So there was kind of a spot to fill and I was there.
Compass: Is it surreal to be playing in a band you used to basically worship?
D.V.: It is kind of surreal. The first time I walked into rehearsal it was just Gary Pihl, the guitar player, and myself. He and I were working on some parts and he walks me up to the little bowl of talc and says, "Oh, this is something we like to do before we play -- talc up." He said go ahead and so I reached in and threw a bunch of talc on the neck of my guitar [laughs] and he goes, "No. No. It's for your hands." I was kind of nervous. He and I played for a while and then the rest of the band slowly materialized over the course of the next few until Tom Scholz, himself, was standing right there next to me.
Compass: Tell me about the set list for this tour. Are there songs that you will absolutely play at every show?
D.V.: The set list is very set. We've been working on it - kind of going through it as we rehearse. For the most part, the set is a nice blast of all the hits that people remember and a few album cuts that are special to the fans -- the diehard Boston fans. There's kind of something for everyone in there.
Boston will perform at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre on Sunday, July 1st. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $125 for the first five rows of the seated pit and $69.50 for the back five rows. $69.50 for 100 Level, $59.50 for 200 Level and $39.50 for 300 Level. Go to staugamphitheatre.com.