Interview by Boston's David Victor

Rock band on stage July 1 in St. Augustine Amphitheatre

By Kara Pound

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 http://staugamphitheatre.com

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