By Steve Kirchman
If TV and radio bosses hate dead air, you can bet the band Boston positively abhors it. For two hours Thursday night, the arena rockers poured out a blistering, multilayered set at Oneida Bingo & Casino. There were guitars and vocals seemingly everywhere as Boston layed down the music that was virtually inescapable in college dorms or at beer parties during the late 1970s. And there was nary a silent moment during the 18-song set.
Consider the five-guitar attack during The Star-Spangled Banner. It wasn t Hendrix, but Jimi never played for a high-definition, digital savvy, crank-it-up-to-11 crowd.
There was a glass-shattering Brad Delp-Fran Cosmo vocal harmony in More Than a Feeling.
There was guitarist-studio whiz Tom Scholz taking a turn on the organ for the prog-rock intro to Foreplay/Long Time. And there were double keyboards and harmonica to fill in during other spots.
Even the between-song chitchat was held to a minimum. Other than the it s-great-to-be-here, thanks-for-coming niceties, this show was strictly about the music.
And the sold-out crowd inside the Pavilion Nights tent revved itself up along with the band. At some points, audience singing could be heard over the seven-member band s wall of sound.
The set relied heavily on the band s 1976 self-titled debut album. Opening with Rock and Roll Band, Boston also ran through Peace of Mind before concluding its second encore with Smokin . And it was. Also on the set list: Don t Look Back, Party, Amanda and I Had a Good Time.
The band did seem to have a good ebony porn
time.
This is absolutely the best stop on the tour, Scholz said. He might actually have meant it.