Jeff Neal (born June 15, 1969) is a drummer and vocalist best known for his affiliation with classic rock band

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

from 2002 to present.

Career

Prior to joining Boston and after graduating from the University of Maine at Farmington with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

in Secondary Education, Neal (who is originally from

Maine Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...

) performed for over 15 years in a wide variety of bands touring throughout New England, primarily playing small clubs and venues. In late 2002, while Boston leader Tom Scholz was vacationing in Maine, he saw Neal play at Sunday River Ski Resort with his then-current band, Punchbug. After introducing himself between sets, Scholz offered Neal an audition. Soon afterward, Neal was offered the position as the group's touring drummer and background vocalist. He performed with the band on its 2003 Corporate America tour, its 2004 Boston Returns tour and its 2008 tour alongside fellow classic rockers Styx. Other appearances with the band include various one-offs performing Boston's version of "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bo ...

"; at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and Boston Braves (baseball), since 1953, i ...

prior to the 2003 ALDS Game 3 matchup between the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...

and the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

; and at Gillette Stadium in January 2004 prior to the sub-zero wind-chill playoff game between the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

and the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

. He also appeared with the group in late 2006 at Symphony Hall in

, accompanied by members from the

Boston Pops Orchestra The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Sym ...

for Doug Flutie Day.

External links

Neal's official website

Boston's official website

1969 births 20th-century American drummers 21st-century American drummers American male drummers American rock drummers Boston (band) members Living people {{US-rock-drummer-stub