Boston! Night Ranger! An evening bridging a 70's legend with the Rock God Era of the 80's.

It was 1977.  I was 9 years old.  One day, my mom came home with a wonderful contraption.  It was an all in one, Hi-Fi stereo!  It had a turn table for vinyl,  an AM/FM radio tuner and an 8 track deck.  DAMN!  I said "now all I need are some records!"  Mom, being ever so cool, suggested we jump in the 1965 Ford Falcon and tear out to the Gibson's.  For the younger readers that was our version of Walmart and was the size of a hardware store.  Bigger than a Dollar store but MUCH smaller than today's big box stores.

I came skidding up to the record isles in my stripped tennis shoes and knee high tube socks. I knew nothing about the day's music.  But I was drawn to two album covers.  Boston, Boston and The Eagles, Hotel California.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

When we got home I couldn't wait to get these new records spinning.  It was a difficult choice as to which one would be first.  Honestly, I don't remember that choice.  What I do remember is that both of those albums planted a seed of music in me.  That seed grew into a big ol' oak tree that has shaded my soul as well as the souls of my children and will likely be a legacy of love for music for generations to come.

I'll discuss Boston in this article though The Eagles were equally relevant in my life.  I would blast that album (Boston, Boston) out of my bedroom window everyday as me and my friends played outside.  I remember washing the car in the drive way with my family and how clean and happy the song "More Than a Feeling" made me feel.  I remember staying up late scrubbing through each song and spazing out to the guitar solos and the awesome harmonizing guitars. I remember interrupting my dad watching his football games to share some new and wonderful discovery of an element of one of the songs on the Boston albums even though I had heard every song hundreds of times.  That album marked me.  It left a mark and that's what music SHOULD do.

So . . . on July 20th 2014 Night Ranger opened for Boston and it was awesome!  Night Ranger did all of their old favorites and brought me back to when I was 17 years old.  They put on a great show with lots of energy and played for us as if it was the biggest show of their careers. They also played some new stuff.  I really enjoyed their performance and appreciate their art.

BOSTON!  It's only Tom Schultz now.  But he found a damn good guitar player and a great band overall.  I have to say that, in my opinion, the weakest link was the new lead singer.  He did put on a good show, but was not really qualified to carry the vocal weight of the Boston repertuar.  I felt that "More Than a Feeling" should have been puled from the line up until they can develop the tools to deliver that one.  DON'T GET ME WRONG, I loved the show and am so glad that I got to see them, but there were a few flaws that were no problem to overlook.

My son Sam and I at the show. Sam bought the tickets as a fathers day gift to me.  What a gift!

If you find yourself in the path of this tour and you are a fan, go to the show.  It will take you back and make you smile.