Boston's Tom Scholz - Guitar Lessons in Zen

I love this photo of Tom Scholz, the remaining original member of the band, Boston. The lights and scene say, "rock star." His demeanor says, "born musician."



We saw Boston at the Kansas State Fair Saturday night, and were fortunate enough to be seated nearly in front of Scholz. From the first moments on stage, it was obvious he was in a state of zen with the guitar. The lights, the fog, the trappings of being a rock star didn't faze him. He was just focused on playing. He played keyboard a little bit, but mostly guitar.



It's obvious he is doing what he was meant to do. And, he has found others to play the necessary roles expected from rock stars, so he can do what he wants to do, and play the music.



A little research told me Scholz first started writing music in 1969 when he was attending MIT. That shirt isn't just decoration, he graduated with a Master's Degree and worked in the corporate world to finance building a recording studio in his basement. There he created demo tapes that eventually led to the formation of the band we know as Boston.



The concert included the hair flipping and guitar playing poses you expect from a rock band, but not from Scholz. He played the guitar and the keyboard, and made music. He left the showmanship to the rest of the band, but I couldn't help notice that others were focused on him, too.



I tried to capture some of those other moments, too, but it was hard to take my eyes off Scholz for very long.

Being in the presence of someone who is living their true calling is always amazing, whether they're a musician or something far less dramatic. They have a passion for their craft that goes beyond what you see.



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