Boston was featured on this week's episode of South Park (season 20, episode 2). They showed a sequence starting with one of the characters pulling out the debut album (on vinyl), putting it in a record player, then proceeded to troll the internet.

It ended with a shot of the band performing.

The following message was posted to Facebook by Tom Scholz:

I want to thank everyone for making our 40th Anniversary Tour the best BOSTON tour ever! Our enthusiastic fans who filled so many sold-out venues to cheers us on, the band members for their dedicated efforts to perform at their peak for every show, and our amazing crew who worked tirelessly every day to bring our production to such a wide variety of venues, often under extreme conditions. In 40 years of playing BOSTON music for our fans, this was the most amazing live experience I've ever had with the BOSTON family and our fans.

I know I speak for everyone in the band and crew when I say there is nothing more exciting and elevating than hearing the crowd come to life when we open the show with those first songs - and nothing so fulfilling as the respect and appreciation from our audience at the end of the night. I've said it many times and will say it again; BOSTON audiences are the best rock audiences ever.

The two hour show represented the culmination of enormous effort and sacrifice on so many people's part. It was the end result of 6 months of exhausting work, seemingly impossible obstacles, and unforeseeable challenges - and that was all before we stepped on to a stage for the first time this spring! But it was worth it for so many reasons. Not only did hundreds of thousands of people have a great time escaping everyday life for an evening with BOSTON, we collectively have helped to make the world a little bit better place. In addition to everyone having a great time, the proceeds enable the continuation of yearly charitable contributions, plus we have raised $164,655.00 to be donated to our specific charitable organization beneficiary for this tour, The Humane League.

In past tours we have raised funds for specific charities as diverse as The National Hospice Organization, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and Shriners Hospital for Children - all organizations working to reduce suffering. This year's organization, The Humane League, was chosen because of the immense importance of their message, not only because they are committed to ending extraordinary needless suffering, but also because the fate of the world as we know it quite probably hangs in the balance. If global warming, water pollution, food born disease, world hunger, your own health, or most importantly the horrifying treatment of animals that goes on behind closed doors is of any importance to you, then I urge you to visit humaneleague.com or one of the many other organizations we support (listed on bandboston.com). We can all do so much simply by the things we decide NOT to do!

I am already getting excited about next year's shows, but for now I have to clean up the workroom where the lightning bolts were born (it used to be my garage), do some serious weed maintenance around my house, and find my skates in the rubble that was once my workshop. Hope to see you all again in 2017!

Walk On,
Tom Scholz

BOSTON has announced the cancellation of three shows scheduled in North Carolina for May. The following is a statement from Tom Scholz:

While the enjoyment of our fans is our central concern, and we have been looking forward to celebrating forty years of history performing for our listeners in North Carolina with spectacular live shows this spring, human rights are more important. It is with deep regret, that I must announce the cancellation of our upcoming shows on May 4, 5 & 6 in Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh in order to raise awareness, and protest in the strongest terms, the recent passage of HB2, the so called “North Carolina bathroom law."

HB2 has the appearance of an oppressive discriminatory law against a small minority, who already have to deal with a narrow-minded world regarding issues beyond their control which they did nothing to bring upon themselves. Other aspects of the new law arguably encourage bigotry. With thousands of fans in attendance at our shows, it is likely that some members of our audience and/or their loved ones are affected on a daily basis by this ugly expression of intolerance.

My sincere apologies to our fans who have already made arrangements to attend these shows. The removal of the shows from our schedule is a major disappointment. It has always been my wish to inspire people with BOSTON's music. Hopefully the sacrifices we are all making here will inspire people to do the right thing in the future. We look forward to the day that the state government of North Carolina will come to its senses and treat ALL individuals with equal freedom in their pursuit of happiness here in the United States.

~ Tom Scholz

Tickets refunded at point of purchase. Tickets purchased online or by phone will be automatically refunded.

Boston guitarist-songwriter Tom Scholz recalls the creation of his band's enduring debut single

By Clark Collis
Entertainment Weekly

Forty years ago, the band Boston released its debut single, "More Than a Feeling." The song was a big hit, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard chart -- but that was just the start of the story. "More Than a Feeling" became an enduring radio staple, one which established Boston among the biggest rock acts in the country and which helped turn the band's eponymous debut album into a huge seller. This bittersweet tale about the power of music also helped define an entire genre of immaculately-produced, and performed, pop-rock.

Over the years, "More Than a Feeling" has been covered by an absurdly diverse collection of acts, from *NSYNC to Nirvana, whose own classic track "Smells Like Teen Spirit" bore a striking, and much-noted, similarity to the Boston tune. The song has also appeared on a host of films and TV shows, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Sopranos, and, most recently The Walking Dead.

If the idea of an unknown -- and deliberately anonymous -- band having such an impact with its first ever release is incredible, then the way the song was crafted is no less so. In a rare interview, Boston founder, guitarist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz recalls the crazy creation of "More Than a Feeling" in his own words below.