Blue Oyster Cult setlist from Friday
The show was awesome! Chameleon Club in Lancaster, PA is a great venue with great sound. It provided the perfect platform for the almost 40 year veterans of the proto-metal scene to display their skills. Original members Eric Bloom (lead vocals, guitar) and Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (lead vocals, lead guitar) were backed by veteran bass ace Rudy Sarzo, guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Richie Castellano and drummer Jules Radino (they chose all NYC and Long Island area musicians...very nice!). Bloom and Dharma proved that even in their early 60's that they can still sing and play the axe...especially Buck! How do you keep your fingers moving that fast at the age of 61? How can his voice still sound as good as the day "Don't Fear The Reaper" hit the charts in 1976? I tell you, whatever mind bending substances they used back in their salad days as Soft White Underbelly at SUNY Stony Brook didn't affect them too much. They're in great shape and in great form.
Before the show review...a re-cap on my history with BOC. (No...not a redcap!) I always enjoyed their big hit songs "Reaper", "Godzilla" and "Burnin' For You". In the summer of '97 my friends Keith, Chad and I found out that BOC was still together and playing at the Rib-Cook Off and Music Fest at the York Fairgrounds that year. We decided to go down and check 'em out as they were rock legends! Also, I had just turned 21 so I was finally able to go to some shows. Most all age shows in my area are rubbish (which is why I travel for gigs to cover for RFUSA). Their performance at the Fairgrounds was awesome, and as a result we all became fans. Over the next few years I attended two more performances at a club in Hershey where I was blown away by their tightness on stage and their powerful music. I met the band both times afterward and while they were quiet (I mistakenly thought they were assholes), they were still cordial. Buck's wife Sandy is a very sweet person. In 1998 they released the album Heaven Forbid which is a heavy ass and killer album. Meanwhile, I got more familiar with the music but was still not ready to dive into the songs that were not well known, so I stuck with the more accesible ones. I consequently ended up playing their music to death, and that consequence coupled with some unhappy memories associated with my life at that time caused me to put their music on the shelf for a while. It's a damn shame because recent events proved to me that I didn't know what I was missing.
A few weeks ago Keith emailed me saying BOC was performing in Lancaster and that Chad and him wanted to go...I mulled it over, and later that night I dusted off my old BOC CD's and put them on iTunes. When I listened to the music (and I mean ALL the music...not just the hits and well known songs), I was blown away! It's all very heavy (for the times), very complex, and very trippy and progressive. So, you can say I did not hesitate and bought a ticket! That leads us back to the show! It also explains to y'all the situation...because I never talked about BOC before on here. I didn't think anyone liked them, and I hadn't listened to their music in a while.
We got there and got a good spot near the front. My friend Chad bought a tour shirt (which was a re-creation of the tour shirt sold in the UK during their tour for the album Mirrors in 1979. Lucky! We talked with some longtime fans of the band about our favorite songs and other stuff. Of all the big name bands (Euro metal bands included) I have seen live, BOC fans are among the most knowledgable, the most dedicated, and the most friendly. It was also nice to be at a show where I was not covering a band. While I love my work, It is nice to go to a show where you can just rock out and enjoy and not have to worry about camera angles.
The show itself was fantastic. BOC proved they can still rock with the best of them. The set list was as follows:
1. This Ain't the Summer of Love
2. Before the Kiss...A Redcap
3. Burnin' For You
4. The Red & The Black
5. Stone of Love
6. Shooting Shark (YES! I've waited 11 years to hear that song live!)
7. M.E. 262
8. Joan Crawford
9. Mirrors
10. Cities On Flame With Rock N' Roll
11. Then Came the Last Days of May
12. Godzilla
13. (Don't Fear) The Reaper
Encore
Hot Rails to Hell
I tell you this...BOC is one band I can see live and get my money's worth each and every time. After 40 years they still are making a Career of Evil! If none of you are familiar with them, get familiar! They are one of the godfathers of Heavy Metal!