[4] Boston consistently opened with "Rock and Roll Band" while playing at live concerts.
"[7] Lyrics supporting this statement include: However, the song's lyrics do exaggerate the band's story, as they spent years of work and rejection to get their recording contract, rather than being suddenly discovered by a record executive who happened to catch a show.
[10] According to Scholz, the song was inspired by Masdea telling him of playing in bands in Hyannis, Massachusetts and dreaming of being discovered.
"[13] Scott Tady of Beaver County Times described "Rock and Roll Band," "Smokin'" and Boston's first four singles as having "helped set the foundation for classic-rock radio.
[15] The New Rolling Stone Album Guide called "Rock and Roll Band" a "cleaned-up boogey [sic] crowd pleaser..."[16] Jamie Reno of San Diego magazine described it as an "infectious flick-your Bic staple.
"[19] In describing "the absolute perfection of every song" on Boston's debut album, Brian Thorpe Ferris claimed that "even the fake, cheering crowd on 'Rock & Roll Band' sounds authentic"[20] Entertainment Weekly writer Chris Willman noted that, like all the other songs from Boston, "Rock and Roll Band" "received sizable FM radio airplay" upon its release, and that as of 2007 the song is "still all over the [radio] bandwidth.
[23] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated it Boston's 6th best song, praising the band's playing like they are "seasoned vets.