Boston / Eddie Money 05/22/2016 - Resch Center - Green Bay, WI

It's been 40 years since the self-titled Boston album took the world by storm. It had everything: incredible and instantly identifiable lead guitar, catchy hooks, and amazing vocals. Every song was an instant classic! Boston, with special guest Eddie Money, graced the Resch Center on May 22nd with music that still sounds fresh and alive.

Eddie Money started the party with his brand of good time rock that instantly had the crowd on its feet. Hits like "Walk On Water", "I Wanna Go Back", "Take Me Home Tonight", "Two Tickets To Paradise" and "Shakin" were performed fairly well by the 67-year-old. Although many of the words were rushed -- or more spoken than sung -- fans didn't seem to mind one bit, with crowd participation a big part of many chorus lines. Lesser known songs such as "Trinidad" and "One More Soldier" weren't sung perfectly, but Eddie sang with heart, and with that familiar rasp that has graced the airwaves for decades.

At the end of Eddie's set there was an unfortunate set-back where his drummer, son Julian Money, appeared to lose a drum stick. This didn't seem to sit well with 'the Money Man.' He verbally berated the young musician while fans chanted "EDDIE, EDDIE, EDDIE." Then, as the band left the stage to the applause and adoration of fans, it was clear Eddie was not happy with his son and continued to yell at him. It was an uncomfortable and unfortunate way to end an enjoyable performance.

After a short intermission, Boston launched into an incredible set list that kicked off with "The Star-Spangled Banner" from their Greatest Hits album. Although this tour is touted as the 40th anniversary of their first release, there were a few songs on that album that were not played. With that said, they did a good job of playing songs off each of their albums, including their latest: "Life, Love & Hope." I was personally happy to hear a few tunes from their great album "Walk On", which was released (and mostly ignored) in the middle of the grunge-heavy '90s.

What's amazing about the current Boston is that it has only one original member : master-mind Tom Scholz. Yet I firmly believe many in the crowd had no idea the band featured only one original bandmate -- thanks to the songs being performed so well and sounding so much like the original recorded versions. It's a big kudos to the current line-up, and pretty amazing considering how technical some songs are! Singer Tommy DeCarlo sings so much like the late Brad Delp it's uncanny. Even his look and stage mannerisms now match that of the departed singer. And the rest of the band is filled with topnotch musicians that pull off the classic Boston sound with ease.

Naturally, all the big hits were played, including "Peace Of Mind", "Don't Look Back", "More Than A Feeling" and "Amanda." Deep album cuts, such as "Rock & Roll Band", "Smokin", "We're Ready" and "Long Time" were performed faithfully as well. When it came time for the encore, the band launched into "Used To Bad News." A mid-tempo song, it might not have been the best encore choice for a crowd begging for more ... but just when some in the crowd started to sit down, they were brought right back to their feet with the show closer "Party."

It's safe to say that the crowd highly enjoyed the night. The acoustics sounded great at the Resch, and the light show looked spectacular. Here's hoping that Boston will fly their spaceship back into Green Bay for another visit in the near future.