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"We did it for Brad," said Boston bassist Fran Sheehan, chatting backstage during Sunday's tribute to Brad Delp. In honor of Boston's late, great lead singer, Sheehan and bandmate Barry Goudreau set aside their differences with Tom Scholz to close the show with one of the band's big hits, "Don't Look Back." However, not everyone was on stage for the fiery finale. Drummer Sib Hashian declined to take part in the emotional reunion, telling friends he wasn't "comfortable" sharing the stage with Scholz. Hashian, we're told, wasn't even in the house at the end, having retired to a hotel suite nearby. Among the well-wishers milling about backstage were Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer, who insisted on paying for his ticket, celebrated rock 'n' roll shutterbug Ron Pownall, Godsmack singer Sully Erna, guitarist Johnny A, Boston's original manager Paul Ahern, WZLX DJ Carter Alan, Nashville singer Tom Hambridge, and Delp's fiancee, Pamela Sullivan.
Boch takes it all in
If you didn't make it to the Delp tribute concert, don't worry, there's a chance it'll show up on DVD. At considerable expense to himself, Ernie Boch Jr. recorded the entire affair. The auto magnate, whose band Ernie & the Automatics opened Sunday's show at the Bank of America Pavilion, arranged to have seven cameras and a 48-track mobile unit capture the concert's sights and sounds. "I did it because it was a historical moment," said Boch. The bands all signed off on the recording, though Scholz did request that he be given the tapes of Boston's performance. (He's promised to give Ernie a copy.) Boch, by the way, appears on the cover of the new issue of Automotive News. "In my industry, this magazine is like the Bible is for Christians, or Rolling Stone is for the rock set," said Boch, who spiked his hair for the photo shoot. "It's just me being me."
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(from the Boston Globe)
If what matters, as Brad Delp once sang, is what you leave behind, then the former Boston singer's legacy is in good hands.
Last night at the Bank of America Pavilion, family, friends, and former bandmates paid tribute to not only the singer behind the microphone for classic rock songs including "More Than a Feeling," but the man they loved and are no doubt still grieving following his death by suicide in March.
Dubbed "Come Together: A Tribute to Brad Delp," the five-hour event was much more celebration than memorial.
Big speeches were shelved in favor of playing the music that meant so much to the vocalist and the fans he so clearly cherished.
The sentiment the musicians felt toward their friend was evident in that playing.
Seemingly every member who ever played in Boston showed up for the hourlong closing set, which found Michael Sweet of Stryper doing his level best to do Delp justice on "Feeling," and other members such as bassist Kimberly Dahme handling "Walk On" and, in a move Delp would have loved, a fan named Tommy DeCarlo ripping through "Smokin'."
Whatever tension still exists among some of the original members of Boston was shelved when guitarist Barry Goudreau and bassist Fran Sheehan joined guitarist and band architect Tom Scholz for the encore, "Don't Look Back." (Drummer Sib Hashian was in the house but did not play).
Delp's post-Boston outfit with Goudreau, RTZ, gave a heartfelt performance that included a new number written after his passing called "Set the Songbird Free."
In addition to their own hits such as "More Than Words," Extreme debuted a piano ballad that singer Gary Cherone and guitarist Nuno Bettencourt had co-written with Delp after his appearance at their reunion show at the same venue last summer.
The night's most poignant and comic moments came during a film that Delp's daughter Jennifer had made for her father called "The Rock Star I Called Dad." Delp's friends and family recalled the man, not the multiplatinum arena rock star, who had a bone-dry sense of humor, who adored movies and making those around him feel special.
"The best thing you can do to honor Brad is to have a great time," said Scholz.
And the crowd did just that, ensuring that Delp's memory won't be left behind.
 Original Boston drummer Jim Masdea joined Tom Scholz onstage last night at the Bank of America Pavilion. Masdea performed on the debut album's "Rock and Roll Band." (justine hunt/globe staff) |
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A few changes have been announced for Sunday night's tribute to late Boston vocalist Brad Delp at the Bank of America Pavilion.
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“To honor our father’s memory, the foundation will give grants to in-need school systems, programs and individuals that provide music education”, said Jennifer and John Michael, “Funding in the form of grants and scholarships will also be given to individuals that desire to continue their own musical education.”
Delp, lead singer for the bands Boston and Beatle Juice, was well known not only as a gifted singer but as having had an uncommon ability to listen, truly seek to understand and care about people.
During his lifetime, Brad lived a vegetarian, non-violent lifestyle and was particularly generous with his time and talent, playing many benefit concerts each year and otherwise supporting causes that he believed in such as children's causes, anti violence (to people and animals) organizations and school fundraisers, as well as those that helped hunger and shelter programs, among many others.
As gifted a performer as he was, Bradley is remembered as a far better person by family, close friends, bandmates and fans around the world.
Donations can be made to:
The Brad Delp Foundation
P.O. Box 1046
Lynnfield, MA 01940.
Business correspondence and inquiries should be directed to:
The Brad Delp Foundation
c/o Bill Faulkner
408 Lafayette Road
Hampton, NH 03842.
The foundation’s website, www.BradDelpFoundation.org is under development and will be available soon.
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UPDATE AUGUST 04: Brad Delp Foundation website is now up.
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Life's not getting any easier for the family of Brad Delp, the former Boston frontman who committed suicide in March. Waiting for next month's star-studded concert celebrating Delp's life and legacy, the rocker's ex-wife and children are fighting to hold onto the singer's estate.
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Fran posted in his bulletin the following:
Hi everyone,
After starting rehearsals for the tribute show for Brad, I noticed that my voice was cracking and would drop out in the middle of lines. This is something that I never experienced in any of my years as a vocalist. I decided to see a doctor who specializes in this field. After looking at my vocal cords with a scope, I was diagnosed with a ruptured blood vessel. It makes it very difficult to sing. The bad news is that I will not be able to perform at the tribute show for Brad. This breaks my heart because of the years I sang with Brad in Boston. He was one of my closest and dearest friends ever.
The only good news from all this is that this problem can be cured by laser surgery. I will fully recover my voice with this procedure.
I am very sorry to the fans who were expecting me to be performing at this great show. I was to sing with Orion The Hunter and to perform the last song of the night "Don't Look Back" with Boston and former members, Barry Goudreau, Sib Hashian and Fran Sheehan. I plan on being there to support all of the entertainers and to pay tribute to my friend Brad Delp.
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Tom Scholz was honored for his philanthropy work by the annual Animal Rights National Conference in Los Angeles, being presented with the Celebrity Animal Advocate of the Year Award in recognition of his long-term support of animal rights on July 22.
Tom, who was accompanied by his wife Kim, dedicated the award to Brad Delp, who supported his work through the DTS Charitable Foundation to help protect all life from needless suffering. He explained that Brad was a principal contributor to the foundation, which has helped many organizations like FARM USA. In his remarks, Tom paid tribute to Brad. Over the years, Scholz and Delp, also a longtime vegetarian and animal rights advocate, supported similar causes through their contributions they made to Scholz’s DTS Charitable Foundation.
“His commitment to ethical vegetarianism over thirty years ago was a major factor in my emerging awareness of the unnecessary cruelty to animals in our society,” Tom said.
Past recipients of this award include Alicia Silverstone, James Cromwell, Linda Blair, Charlotte Ross, Casey Kasem, Wendi Malick, Bill Maher and Dennis Kucinich.
Nearly a thousand animal rights activists from throughout the U.S. and eight other countries rallied in at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel in Los Angeles, CA on July 19-23 to review progress and to map national strategy for the coming year. Highlights included special sessions to defeat the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act and reduce global warming, as well as eyewitness accounts of confrontational campaigns to save seals and whales.
The annual Animal Rights 2007 National Conference featured more than 100 speakers representing 60 organizations from every sector of the animal protection movement. The Headliners included Elizabeth Kucinich, John Feldmann of the band Goldfinger, Tom Scholz of the rock band BOSTON, Paul Watson who confronted Japanese whalers, and Marianne Thieme elected to the Dutch parliament on an animal rights platform
Kim and Tom Scholz in Florida Keys. Photo credit: Bob Summers
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The much talked about Brad Delp tribute show entitled Come Together is finally set to go ahead. There was a press release published July 02.
“COME TOGETHER”
A TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF BRAD DELP
PRESENTED BY WZLX, BOSTON’S CLASSIC ROCK 100.7FM
Hosted by television personality, Lynn Hoffman, The concert will take place on August 19th, 2007 at the Bank of America Pavilion, Boston, MA.
The “COME TOGETHER” concert was motivated by the adult children of Brad Delp who invited his family, friends, fans, Beatlejuice mates and members of the band Boston, present and past who shared his professional and social life for over 30 years to join them in honoring their father.
Jennifer Delp, a graduate of the prestigious University of Southern California film school, wrote and directed a film that will be shown during the evening. It features never before seen footage of Brad Delp that expresses not only his role as the lead singer of the hugely successful band BOSTON, but the man himself, and those who loved him.
During his lifetime, Brad Delp generously supported causes that he believed in such as vegetarian and anti-violence (to people and animals) organizations as well as those that helped hunger and shelter programs. For more than two decades, he helped fund these concerns via donations to the DTS Foundation, founded by his collaborator of 35 years, Tom Scholz. The DTS Charitable Foundation will receive a small portion of the proceeds from the “Come Together “concert.
Most of the proceeds will go to The Brad Delp Foundation, a new charity being formed by his family members and headed by his children Jennifer Delp, 26, and John-Michael Delp, 22.
“To further honor our father’s memory, the foundation will give grants to in-need school systems, programs and individuals that provide music education. Funding will also be given to individuals that desire to continue their own musical education,” they said.
WHO: Performances by ERNIE & THE AUTOMATICS, FARRENHEIT, BEATLEJUICE, GODSMACK, ORION THE HUNTER, RTZ, and BOSTON who will be joined by guest vocalists Michael Sweet (Stryper), Mickey Thomas (Jefferson Starship) & Sammy Hagar.
For the first time in over two decades, former BOSTON band members Barry Goudreau, Sib Hashian and Fran Sheehan have been invited to join BOSTON in playing Don't Look Back to end this special night
WHEN: Sunday, August 19th, 2007
5:30 PM doors open, 6:00 PM Concert starts
WHERE: Bank of America Pavilion Boston, MA
TICKETS: Tickets go on sale at 10 AM on July 9, 2007 and are priced at $35.00 each plus a $5.00 venue charge. Tickets are available thru TicketMaster and LiveNation.com and at the BOA box office.
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We are expecting a confirmation within a few days of a tribute for Brad Delp planned by his son and daughter. In response to their invitation, BOSTON has offered to play a short set on Aug 19th along with a number of other artists they have invited, although the list of acts and other details of the event have not been confirmed as of yet. We understand the venue has been changed to the Pavilion on Boston Harbor, formerly Harbor Lights.
BOSTON is going ahead with preparations to appear; we plan to perform six or seven songs. Michael Sweet (Stryper), Mickey Thomas (Jefferson Starship), and Sammy Hagar have all offered to sing for BOSTON in place of Brad. We have also invited Barry Goudreau, Fran Sheehan, and Sib Hashian to join us on stage for the last song, "Don't Look Back," which will be sung by Fran Cosmo.
All of us are currently very busy with other projects, including completing some new BOSTON studio recordings. However, we are excited about getting together for this short performance, and will make time to get it together by August 19th.
See you there!
Tom Scholz