Photo ©2008 Jon Viscott - All Rights Reserved.

On March 9, 2007, Boston vocalist Brad Delp sealed himself in his bathroom, lit two charcoal grills, pinned a note on himself that read “Mr. Brad Delp: I am a lonely soul,” lay down on a pillow and inhaled a lethal amount of carbon monoxide.

Delp’s suicide was a shock to family members, close friends, his band and the music world alike. What made the event so perplexing was that Delp had spent his career as a health-conscious vegetarian and promoted and donated to several charities. In music circles, he was known as one of the good guys. He was fan friendly and spent time after every Boston show signing autographs and taking pictures with his admirers. Delp was engaged to be married and was preparing for a tour with Boston at the time of his death.

Boston bandleader Tom Scholz, a friend of Delp’s for more than 30 years, admits that while no one could predict Delp would end his life, the vocalist was suffering much emotional pain.

It was a night of overcoming handicaps.

The big question about Boston’s summer tour is how the FM favorites would get by without late vocalist Brad Delp. And while there’s certainly no replacing him, it seems the current lineup is doing just fine.

Stryper frontman and accomplished solo artist Michael Sweet is touring with the legendary band BOSTON this summer on a headlining tour of North America. Sweet is sharing lead vocals and playing guitar, performing the band's classic hits like "More than a Feeling," “Peace of Mind,” “Amanda” and “Don't Look Back.” Boston has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, including the band's 1976 self-titled debut which has sold more than 17 million copies to date, and was the highest selling debut of all time.

In the wake of last year’s suicide of Brad Delp, beloved singer and co-founder of the band Boston, things looked bleak for the storied group, whose 1976 self-titled album remains rock’s best-selling debut ever with more than 17 million copies sold.

Family man and credit manager at the local hardware store by day, lead vocalist in America’s most beloved guitar rock band at night

No it's not the bio and plot synopsis to Marvel™ comics latest super hero , it the real life story of Tommy Decarlo.

The ace guitarist/producer/wizard of all trades on remastering his band's Greatest Hits, the misnomer of "perfect" sound, and why analog rules. 

Why did you decide to remaster the Boston Greatest Hits CD (Epic/Legacy)?
For one thing, the other Greatest Hits CD [from 1997] was horrible-sounding — not as bad as Third Stage [chuckles], but it was an older CD, back from the days when Pro Tools was still a fledgling thing, and a lot of that mastering was done in 16 bits. I knew it was substandard, and I really wanted to redo it and get it right. This gave me the opportunity to put the same kind of care into it that I put into the [2006] remastering of the first two albums, Boston and Don't Look Back. We dug out the analog tapes, baked them, transferred them, and started from scratch. And I'm really ecstatic about the way it sounds now.

Fan demand played big role in prompting band's nationwide trek.

Boston's musical mastermind Tom Scholz figures he might have some sort of artistic defect when it comes to his feelings about his music.

"Some bands don't like playing their old, or their original songs," Scholz remarked in a recent phone interview. "I mean, some of these songs I wrote over 30 years ago. But I guess there's something wrong with me because I still like them."

Don't look back where Boston is concerned. If you do, you might get lost trying to keep tabs on the way things have twisted-and-turned over the course of the band's infamous 32-year history -- the latest chapter of which is about to play out on the stage of Bloomington's U.S. Cellular Coliseum (7 p.m. July 20).

One of the reasons it's an infamous history is that few bands that have lasted this long have produced fewer albums with more people involved along the way.

Boston recorded just three LPs over the course of its "classic" period, from 1976 to 1986. All of them, it should be noted, were multi-platinum sellers.

In the 22 years since, just three more recordings have followed, and one of those is a "Greatest Hits" package.

Boston's musical mastermind Tom Scholz figures he might have some sort of artistic defect when it comes to his feelings about his music.

"Some bands don't like playing their old, or their original songs," Scholz remarked in a recent phone interview. "I mean, some of these songs I wrote over 30 years ago. But I guess there's something wrong with me because I still like them."

It was more than a feeling that kept the sweaty crowd anxiously waiting for two great 70s bands to rock the Zoo Amphitheater tonight. The fever rose as the roadies tested the instruments for Boston.

The capacity crowd roared as Boston broke into the National Anthem on guitar.

Boston’s founder, 6-foot 7-inch Tom Scholz, played an old style organ but he didn’t move around the stage much, apparently because of the black brace on his knee. He wore a black and white T-shirt that said, “It’s OK, I’m with the band.”