I am having a hard time getting my thoughts in order after last night's show. First the venue. A small movie theater converted into a concert hall. About 200 or so seats in the lower level and about 300+ more seats in the upper level.

Really not a bad seat in the house. Our seats were the first row in the upper level. That put us about 10 rows back from the stage on an incline. Great seats.

It's very strange to see a BOC show sitting down. That's pretty much the way the night went though. A lot of sitting, with intermitent jumping up and screaming of BOC names and the occasional lyric.

The sound was a bit of a trouble area at different times of the night. Strange insolation of Eric's vocals on one song then very hard to hear vocals the next.

Buck's giutar was hard to hear on some songs then the volume would snap on and sound great. So I guess when the sound wascorrect it sounded great, but there were some monents during the show that didn't sound so great.

I had some very high hopes for this show. Being Long Island, the hot bed of the origins of BOC. Basicly thier home court I was hoping for some gems.

I am afraid to procced from this point as I think my feeling about last night's show is going to be tainted by the (to me anyway) glaring absence of Allen L. The band was three songs into the set before Eric finally made mention of the fact.

It probally had more to due with a loud group of folks who at every quiet moment wouls scream out "Where's Allen?". With Eric responding "People out there should worry about the people up here". Not the best responce in this long time fans mind.

He then went on to inform the crowd that Allen was "Feeling under the weather". I guess the same thing was said at the New Years show. I have a very bad feeling about this developement. I think it took me about three songs to get over the fact the Allen wasn't there. I was very bumbed out.

Needless to say the band took no chances last night and played a fairly straight set. These next comments by me should be taken as very subjective. Sorry but this is who I am.

The band sounded flat. There was an energy that seemd to be missing. I think to say that they were faking it would go too far but thier hearts didn't seem to be in it. Or in thier defence maybe thier hearts were in it but without Allen thier efforts still couldn't support the lack of his presence.

There was a guy from Utopia filling in for Allen. Eric told us that the guy from Utopia (his name sounded like all vowels to me) didn't have time to even practice. I don't mean to take anything away from the bands effort. Danny like always was prowling the stage like a tiger and Bobby hitting this skins with furry but something was missing.

I hope someone else that was at the show reads this and gives thier side of the story. I did see 2/3 of THFTR at the show. Tony if your out there what do you think?

A couple of interesting musical notes (bad pun), Astronomy had a new arraingment that I enjoyed. It had a slower more distubing sound, a bit forboding. Kinda spooky. I liked it.

Also Godzilla has a new bass and drum duet instead of solos for each. Although Danny got to play solo a bit before Bobby kicked in. Those two are a rythme section of excellence. Ass kicking.

I hope if anyone out there has info on what's up with Allen please let me know. Well that's it for now. More later. Time for another coffee.

Hey - first let me say that last night's show was my 6th... however it was my first in 12 years. No excuses other than logistics, dropping out of the scene, whatever... I have enjoyed keeping up with the boyz thru this ng over the past year though. So take these brief thoughts as coming from a very starved fan!

Needless to say when I heard they were playing 5 minutes from my house I was ecstatic and got tickets right away. 3 weeks of waiting and I was set. Having seen some 50 dead shows and 20 phish shows the last 10 years I agree with Joel's opinion that it was very very hard staying sitting down throughout the show, except between a few of the closing songs.

Personal highlights were the jam in Harvest Moon, Flaming Telepaths, Astronomy, ME 262, SYIB, Godzilla and Reaper. The rest of the show was just... great.

There did seem to be periodic sound problems with Buck's guitar (too low at times, Cities on Flame, esp) and there was a lot of the crew messing around with the equipment in the first half or so.

From the opening notes of Astronomy I was gone, they took me there... and then over the top. (Again, starved fan here!) A feeling that you just don't get that often.

Seems like they've slowed FT a little bit. Anyway the This Aint the Summer of Love encore was a nice topper, I could take or leave D&S.

The crowd seemed real into it, the people around me were talking a little too much, but oh well. Real enjoyable night. I wasn't aware of Allen's frequent (?) absences of late and missed him bad. Buck did a real nice job on In Thee. His voice really hits me... right there.

I brought a friend who never has been into BOC, never listened to them. By the end of Harvest Moon he was hooked! His observation on Danny was "now that is a guy who LOVES being in this band!" Could not have said it better.

Another high point and I'll end this, was how I felt watching all the guys walk to the side of the stage, still jamming, and letting Buck go for a couple minutes... after almost 30 years... that reverence grabbed me! Man I love those guys.

Maybe they were a little flat as compared to recent times and Allen's absence no doubt affected tham. But for me it was wonderful!

Joel, I have felt the way you have about a few shows in the past. Since my 1st BOC show in 1973 there have been a few disappointing ones...

They are human like the rest of us,and we all have days at work when we are not in our top form, whether that may be because of illness,family problems or whatever.

Heck my 1st BOC show in 73 Lightning stuck their main board and it was a semi disaster.

I've seen 2 shows where the lasers wouldn't work with the crowd pissed to a near riot. You know waht these guys did both times came back for free a few weeks later for anyone that had a ticket to the shows that the lasers didn't work.

Of course there was the shows in 96 when Eric had vocal problems. Ya know what they always overcome them,BOC is like Godzilla when ya think their down for the count they come back roring back and kicking ass,just like the big green guy.

BTW Allen's replacement was Casim Sultin,an old friend of the bands. Buck has played on some of his solo records. He has been with Meatloaf the past few years.

Paul from THFTR posted on aol that he spoke to Eric and that Allen needs some time off to get well from the Flu illness ,and that he will miss the W Coast run as touring 19 out of 21 days won't help him. He said he will most likely return in March.

BTW this was the 1st gig since the NYE show. Speedy recovery Allen we all miss you

Hi Chris, I too have seen my share of flops. I have seen well over 150 concerts (not all BOC) and there have been some real stinkers. After thinking about the show for a couple of days now I think that there were more things at work there to bring me to my feelings about the show.

First off the show didn't stink or suck or was a flop. It just felt for me that something was missing. Besides stating the obvious about Allen's absence.

Mike J wrote in his post "The crowd seemed real into it, the people around me were talking a little too much, but oh well". The fact that the people talking next to you could drown out or interfere with the band tells me that they music wasn't loud enough.

And I remember those shows in '96 that you are talking about and I was very worried back then about whether the band would ever be the same. And you are correct, they came back with a vengeance. So I will try to stay optimistic about Allen's return.

I also think that it's possible that I have been spoiled be ALWAYS seeing the band from right in front of the stage. So maybe being 30 feet away had something to do with it. I did mention that my initial review was very subjective.

Some funny moments came when Buck was telling the crowd how he used to come to the venue to see movies. He told us that he saw The Graduate there when he was in high school. Kinda cool to be around where some of the band grew up.

One last note, I didn't mean to imply that Casim Sultin wasn't a good musician. I'm sure I didn't give him a chance. Human nature being what it is I missed Allen and wasn't ready to embrace any replacement, temporary or permanent or whatever. More later... back to work.

Wow, i feel like i was at a different show than you! my perspective might be different though since i haven't seen BOC since the 80's. i couldn't beleive how good they sounded last night.

I thought the show was great, although i agree with you about Eric's vocals. It seemed like the first word was always cut out as if there was something wrong with his mike.

I also thought they shouldn't have stuck those drum and bass solos in the middle of Godzilla. I notice the crowd lost their excitement over the song by the time the rest of the band came back on to finish the song.

And why did didn't they come back for a second encore??? the place was going crazy, the lights were still off, as if the band would come back. i heard alot of people complaining about that as they were walking outside. BUT, ALL IN ALL, A GREAT SHOW. I wish they would play around here more often.

Oh, the guy from Utopia is Kasim Sulton.

Hey everyone, last nights show was a good one, standard set list, the band was very into it. Kasim didn't play with them, he (and I think Woody) are going over to a project with Meatloaf, some kind of VHI story tellers or something.

They mentioned the new guys name (VERY young) but it escapes me now. He was quite capable, especially on keys. He seemed to have known the songs forever. He kinda kept to himself towards the back, but Eric and Danny would occasionally try to bring him out.

Buck played "In Thee" with a black accoustic that I've never seen before, It was odd to see this song in the set list with Allen out sick.

I missed Allen a lot, but the show was good none the less. The crowd was into the show, the place was sold out.

The sound and lights were good, too. Buck and Eric, especially Eric, were very into the crowd after the show, signing autographs and taking pictures. They mentioned they were playing the Superbowl, but said they don't have Tix for the game.

They also mentioned the show at Exhales in Frederick Maryland next week (?). They seem really geared up right now. Met a ton of BOC fans, gave out little cards with the website/newsgroup addresses on it.

Many said they didn't know BOC had a newsgroup or a presence at all on the net... odd... first thing I looked for when I got online was BOC!! Eric said that Allen is fine and would return sometime late next month.

Had the flu and is a little tired is all. Good news! Got my T&M LP cover signed by Buck and Eric. Bought a gold paint pen, but somehow Buck got and signed it with a black Sharpie instead... blew my whole night!!

At least Eric signed it in gold! My buddy got his guitar signed by both with the gold paint pen, too... Looks F'ing awsome, I'm TOO jealous!!

Blue Oyster Cult, 29-Jan-99, Springfield, VA, JAXX Set List:

1. B4Y
2. CitiesOnF
3. ETI
4. HMoon
5. BB
6. TMAway
7. FTelepaths
8. SYIB
9. Astronomy
10. InThee
11. ME-262
12. Godzilla (w/solos)
13. DFTR
14. encores: D&S,
15. TR&TB

Long Island's Oyster Boys were greeted by a boisterous crowd at JAXX Club in Springfield, VA on Friday night, January 29, 1999. The packed house reveled in the presence of their favorite rock-n-roll band, singing along with every tune.

The popular Burning For You opened their set with tight precision. Powerful versions of ETI and later See You In Black (from "Heaven Forbid" - 1998) showcase the surreal stage presence of Eric Bloom.

There were also several moments which made for an unusual JAXX show. Of course, there was the odd "out sick" absence of Allen Lanier from the line-up, to be replaced in his first performance with the band by Al Petrelli formerly of Savatage.

Al P. doggedly slogged through a huge pile of sheet music beside his piano between each classic BOC song, trying to keep up with the veteran rockers' rapid fire pace.

Eric Bloom offered the following on Al P.'s first BOC performance: "Allen (Lanier) is ok at home and should return within a few weeks at the most. Kasim Sulton could not play with us last night because he is off with Meatloaf... but filling in with one rehearsal is Long Island's Al Petrelli who's been in several well-known bands including Widowmaker and Savatage. Al did a great job considering he had one rehearsal on Friday. Al will continue with us for the next couple weeks." (AOL posting, 1-30-99)

Well, IMO it was amusing that on Al's very first night with the band, they "stuck him" by leaving the piano-heavy Flaming Telepaths and Astronomy plus the rip-roaring Buck's Boogie in the set list.

Al P. did a very admirable job on those eerie Secret Treaties classics and he even held his own on BB; playing quivering whole and half notes during the merry duel between Buck's guitar and normally Allen's keys. Also, Al P. really nailed the second solo (Allen's) in Harvest Moon.

The wily Buck Dharma glanced over his right shoulder towards Al with a mischievous grin and a twinkle alight in his eyes during the song's first solo break as if to say: "ok, let's see if you can remember how we practiced this," and Al Petrelli just stepped up to the plate and ripped the second solo with his own hot guitar lick that drew amazed applause and gasps of "oh, wow, that guy's good" from the already rowdy audience!

Danny Miranda, no longer the newest kid on the stage, kept pacing back and forth; often going over to his friend Al offering moral support, all the while pounding out big, monster bass rhythms.

The Swiss-Cheeseburger, Buck's awesome Stienberger headless guitar and truly a "lethal weapon" in his talented hands, suffered a mechanical breakdown during Cities On Flame.

Just, and I mean just as Buck was about to go into his patented crack-the-knuckles routine before blowing the doors off the second half of Cities solo break; a tremolo component holding one of the strings simply broke loose leaving its string merrily dangling down.

Buck just lifted up the broken component and shook his head in disbelief as his guitar tech Tony ran out to hand him another guitar and take away the now unappetizing Cheeseburger. Bobby and Danny; realizing that Buck wasn't just over-improvising a very extended solo, began to pump-up the song's beat to maintain the relentless heat of Cities On Flame until Buck was ready to go again.

Needless to say, eventually the things with strings got back on-track and all was well.

The crowd roared their approval of BOC's epic Astronomy - (recently covered and released by Metallica), the spooky Take Me Away from their only album with a "red and black" cover, a blazing version of ME-262 with its blaring sirens and "bombers at 12:00 high" and a very cool In Thee primarily featuring the Buckster on acoustic guitar and vocals.

The fans just kept getting more and more hyped as the show drew to its conclusion; their classic rubber-suited Godzilla featuring Danny's and Bobby Rondinelli's solos was introduced by Eric as "hey, there goes Carrolton" and lastly the haunting AOF anthem - Don't Fear The Reaper.

If you haven't seen a BOC show the last year or so, Buck plays a very tasteful, melodic intro bit leading into DFTR's opening power chords. IMO, this would be a great place to expand the set ever so slightly, by possibly blending in and teasing us fans with some of Anwar's Theme from his excellent, yet unsung solo project - "Flat Out" (1982).

The JAXX encores: Dominance & Submission and The Red & The Black. What a one, two punch! D&S is perhaps my all-time favorite BOC track and the JAXX version of TR&TB brought Al P. back on guitar to stand alongside Eric, Buck and Danny to deliver a very powerful version of this guitar-heavy BOC cut from their very first album.

In their usual gracious manner, Eric and Bobby hung around after the show to talk with the fans returning the appreciation and goodwill of the faithful.

Its a long story, but here's how it goes. I went to this festival in Miami last night to see Molly Hatchet and Blue Oyster Cult, and Bobby the Drummer for BOC (little fat guy, big hair) was standing there checking out Molly Hatchet.

My father, who happened to be with me, went to converse with him. I didn't know this at the time. So after Molly Hatchet finished their set, I'm called over to, what I think is meet the Bobby the Drummer, but no.

Since I'm such a big fan of BOC, my dad got Bobby to get me backstage. So I was shell-shocked as I get ushered backstage. I met some of the guys from Molly Hatchet, and then I met Buck Dharma. I was speechless. I told him how BOC blew REO Speedwagon off the stage at the Rocktober fest last year, and they laughed at REO Speedwagon.

So I figured I am done and am ready to return to the outside, when I am taken back to the damned BOC trailer and introduced to Danny the Bass player, and Eric! Holy shit! They gave me a sprite :) I asked them how they picked their setlist and Danny said that they had a general list, but really it was all up to Eric to tell them what they were doing once on stage.

He said "Eric could tell us to play 'In-A-Gadda-Di-Vida' or any Don Henly song and we would do it". Which lead to Eric commenting on the one time they played In-A-Gadda-Di-Vida. They were at a show, all messed up, and it was New Year's Eve and they needed to fill the time before they could play Auld Lang Syne, and they needed something heavy sounding.

So Eric made Buck sing In-A-Gadda-Di-Vida, and apparently it was a disaster. I was pretty shell-shocked at this point. We talked for a little while longer, and then they had to go on stage so I went out and they played a great, but short set since they had to be off by 1:00 Am.

Well that's about it. needless to say, it was totally awesome.

Great show last night at Parker's Casino. Place was packed with a very cranked up crowd waiting for a classic BOC show. They were not disappointed.

Standard set with Last Days in lieu of Astronomy. The whole band was on, but Buck was on fire last night. In spite of the onset of a cold, he was playing on another level. Truly amazing. Al Pitrelli is really fitting in nicely and can really wail. He's playing a sweet '62 Les Paul Junior.

Gonna grab a nap and head down to Tacoma for tonight's show...

Chiming in with a few observations on top of Charlie's initial post following the Seattle gig at Parker's.

First, the Parker's set was exactly as he described, with the crowd fired up like Seattle crowds tend to be at Blue Oyster Cult shows. I've observed audiences up and down the West Coast, and no other town seems to get quite as hyper as the Jet City when it comes to the Oystership.

That said, the Mothership gig was rather disappointing. Other posts have expressed the obvious enthusiasm of the fans attending, and though the crowd was obviously happy to have the Boys playing, the energy level didn't touch Parkers. On top of that, the audio component was sadly off the mark -- and I felt sorry for Woody as soon as I saw the basic internal structure of the venue.

Large weight-bearing steel I-beams holding up the "upper level" cut through the room at PA level, and Woody did his damndest to rescue things, but the room was inarguably VERY poorly setup for live Rock & Roll.

I'd also like to second Charlie's assessment of Al Pitrelli's performance with the Band. It was quite fun to watch Al & Buck pushing each other during The Red & The Black encore, and though Allen "belongs" with BOC, I must admit that Mr. Pitrelli is a fine addition -- and one that I wouldn't mind seeing in the future.

Had a chance to talk to him for a couple minutes after the Parker's show, and he is a real cut-up. When asked how the band was treating him, his response was something like: "They're absolutely kickin' my f**kin' ass!"

Maybe he was referring to Buck? =)

Looking forward to four more shows here in SoCal, starting up at The Galaxy this Thursday

I didn't get to see the Parker's show (it's a CASINO now?!?!), but I did make it to the Mothership last night, and I have to say, I was totally impressed with the band's energy. Buck was again ON FIRE to the NTH degree.

Even if he was gettin' p.o.'d at the buttwipes up in the balcony that tossed a couple of drinks on him. He didn't look too happy when he came out for the encore (Jailbreak and The Red & The Black), but I was happy to see he didn't let it affect his performance, the mark of a true professional.

Danny was being extremely playful last night. The first band of the night was called Stumblebum, and they were passing out stickers, and Danny stuck 'em on his face at at least two different points in the evening, and also wore Stumblebum's singers geeky shades for a while, hamming it up to the hilt.

And what can you say about his playing? DAMN! Da man wails. Which brings me to Bobby... a totally incredible solo last night.

The band was TIGHT last night... a lot tighter than I've seen them in the previous couple of years... and it was a DAMN GOOD SHOW!!!

The venue was an interesting place... it used to be an old Indian Bingo Hall... geodesic dome kinda building, with the stage level between the entry level (that had a bar and the bathrooms) and a balcony that practically placed its occupants on top of the band.

Would have liked to made it up there to take some pics, as it was an excellent vantage point, but the place was PACKED to the hilt.

A pretty standard set list, though. From what I hear it was pretty much identical to the show at Parker's. ME 262 and Jailbreak being the notable exceptions to standard set. Wish I could have heard Astronomy, since I haven't heard them play that one since their arena days.

Sorry I didn't get to meet any of you folks in here. Driving over from Bremerton was a MAJOR pain with what happened on the bridge yesterday. I left home at 3:45 and what is normally a 45 min. drive took 2.5 hours!!! Coming home wasn't any easier... I didn't get home until 3:00!!!!

OK, I'll shut up. I just had to say, the band was TIGHT... man, I haven't seen them have that much fun on stage in quite a while. Allen is missed, but I have to say Al did a very good job filling in.

Really... I'll shut up now.

Portland will never be the same after last nights show at the Roseland theatre. The opening band (I believe their name was Destiny, someone correct me if I am wrong) were a very tight trio fronted by a woman (very attractive, I may add) guitar player who simply shreds.

She was all over the fretboard and the rhythm section backed her solidly. I think we are going to hear alot more about this girl in the future. She pumped the crowd so by the time the boys hit the stage the crowd was pretty psyched.

The place erupted as BOC hit the stage and launched into "Burnin' for you". The sound was great, and they looked happy and in control, even though Allen was still out with the flu. His replacement, however, did an admirable job and added a new feel to the band that was, for the most part, not unpleasent.

Next up, "Cities on flame". This was truly amazing. During the solo, Buck broke a string, a disaster for most players, but not for this fretmaster.

With a little boy grin, while the song is still rockin' away, he just yanks the plug out of the guitar he was playing, his guitar tech comes out of the shadows, hands him another guitar, Buck plugs it in and continues to wail away. Very impressive!

It was so seamless that if you had been at the bar with your back turned, you probally wouldn't have even noticed how elegantly he foiled a potential tragedy.

Eric looked a little 'under the weather', and his voice wasn't in top form, Buck sometimes having to pick up the slack. However, if you look up 'professional showman' in the dictionary, you should see a picture of E. Bloom grinning menacengly behind his shades.

He said that he had the flu (maybe the oysterboys should get flu shots next season... hehe), but he would make the best of it, and he did. In fact, at this time Mr. Bloom attempted to show another talent that he has... stand-up comedy.

Who would have guessed? It felt like you were just hangin' out with a bunch of friends at a party (all 2,000+ or so) as he told an 'Irish drinking' joke. The intimacy he created through this simple act was tremendous, and his 'never say die, I'll entertain you even though I feel like shit' attitude was inspiring.

"ETI" was next on the list. I need also mention that, although they have played this song God knows how many times, it sounded fresh. It seems the new blood in the band has fired them up. Danny Miranda is a wildman on the stage. His energy is a welcome addition, as he is not only fun to hear, but also very entertaining to watch.

He looks very confident in his ability, much more than on the last tour. I can't help but think that somehow after the Bouchards departure, that the BO3 cooked up and combined thier dna, and out came Danny and Bobby. I just can't figure out which one actually birthed them, but I digress.

Next song, "Harvest Moon". I heard this song the last time they came through, before the album was released, and felt it was a great tune. Then after listening to it , like say, three or four thousand times on the cd I was really looking forward to hearing it live again.

Unfortunately, something went awry with the sound and the song sounded like, well, let's just say it didn't go well. Somebody couldn't tell the guitar from the vocal on the mixing board apparently (please Woody, say it wasn't you... please) and everytime Buck would signal to 'up' his vocals, instead the guitar would get louder and louder.

So much so that eventually the vocals were completely lost and Bucks guitar was drowning out everything else. It was a bit depressing, but hey, life goes on. I guess I will just have to listen to it on the cd a few more thousand times and wait for the next show.

With vocal gone and guitar too loud, "Buck's Boogie" was the next one out ofthe gate. I think Mr. Dharma could do this one blindfolded, arms tied behind his back, using a pickle and a toothpick for a guitar, and it would still come out flawless. And the crowd, of course, ate it up and came back for seconds.

Me? I think I left my body and just hovered above the stage. At least that is the way it felt as the sound moved like a well timed pump, the sweet guitar riffs the fluid, carrying us all away to that magic place BOC has created and maintained. I almost go there again just thinking about it. Damn, their magick is strong.

And just when nirvana is about to overtake you, reality slaps ya in the face. "Summer of Love" was the grave reality. I hate to say this about a band I love and a song I would kill to hear, but in a word it "sucked".

Having said that, and understanding all the above complications (Eric's flu, sound guy had a braincramp, etc.) it was forgiveable, but I have heard shitty bar bands do better covers of it. If it were not for the nostalgia, well, like I said... nuf said. Thank the powers that be that Eric demonstrated his ability at comic relief by telling another joke afterward (... " I'm fuckin' up yer canoe!"... good joke) .

"Flaming Telepaths"... need I say more. Of course I will... I have to... some kinda perverse need to share. Pretty much straight ahead version. (Was itjust me, or did it sound a bit rushed?) No strobes. Darn. I really wish they would pack strobes.

I know it's a hassle, but then so is getting a ticket to the show, and that doesn't stop me. The strobes do add to the impact at the end of the song. The sound at least was starting to get better... maybe the joke wasn't on me after all.

The frightening laughter was completely kick ass. I bet more than one person in the room had an acid flashback... and by the looks of it when the lights came back up, they must have enjoyed it, glowing eyes and twisted smiles.

I saw something during this song that reassured my faith in the concert going public in general. The couple next to me lit up and began to toke on what may have been a substance not currently accepted by our current (f*cked up) laws.

It seems almost every concert I have been to over the last few years, that this recreational activity has been a missing element. It was nice to see people loosen up and enjoy themselves once again. I hope it is a trend.

"See you in Black" was very well done. It is kind of like Blooms answer to "Buck's Boogie". He shines on this one. Even as sick as he was, he just came alive and looked healthy, young, and pissed off in his own inimitable style. You just gotta love somebody with that much conviction... right? Right? RIGHT!

Eric has always been a personal idol of mine, though I've been careful to avoid making it obvious. This dates me a bit, but when I was a kid just starting to play guitar and get out on stage for the first time, I could imagine I was Mr. Bloom and the courage beyond stagefright would just come to me, my palms would stop sweating, my voice would stop shaking, my balls would drop down to their original position.

And this is wayyyy before I ever saw the man play live. So great is the power of this man... thank-you Eric, and I mean that with all sincerity.

(By the way, my partner in musical crimes would pretend he was Donald Rosier... so... so... what the hell, I am rambling again... OK, back to Roseland, Febuary 20th, 1999, right after "See you in black", right? Right.)

A couple of notes from a slightly different perspective. The review was right on the money; however, here are some things I noted.

1. The opening act was, IMO, acceptable at best. Not the worst that's opened for BOC, but not ready to sign to a major label. The female guitarist had decent licks, but lacked imagination. It was that same old formulaic blues, fusion, rock thing. Just didn't inspire me at all. Guitarist was definitely easy on the eyes, though.
2. Strobes were missed. They are touring with them; however, they've been down until Bolle could get to a show to repair them. Picked Bolle up at Oakland Airport before the Sacramento show (place was too lame for words or strobes), and he had the strobes tweaked and rolling for last night's awe-inspiring gig at Slim's.
3. The bridge of Harvest Moon is certainly a different creature these days. Al Pitrelli really cranks and this is one place in the set where he gets to show his stuff. I'm ashamed to say it, but I'd never heard Al play until Seattle. Needless to say, I'm headed out today to pick up Savatage and Widowmaker discs as well as trying to track down the Alice Cooper Trashes The World video with Al on it.
4. Red & The Black was the most incredible version I'd ever seen (until last night that is). Buck and Al traded licks and kept one-upping each other. Buck will always be The Master, but young Al is keeping him on his toes - he adds a nice metal edge to the song that takes it to another level entirely.
5. Yes, there were some ill boys in the band. Danny, Buck, and Eric were all well under the weather. Even sicker than a dog, Eric gave a fine performance in Portland. Last night, with the band back in good health, they destroyed. Even us jaded old timers were all looking around at each other and being blown away. I'm kicking myself for missing tonight and tomorrow, but I have to make nice with the wife so I can go out and play for the rest of the West Coast swing.
6. All in all, Roseland rates as one of the best BOC shows I've seen in the past 20 years - certainly in the top 10. Last night was on a par, if not a bit above the Roseland gig. Attendees were treated to one of the most amazing BOC performances that I can recall.

Looking forward to getting back out there and seeing everyone.

To cut to the chase, they fuckin' rocked!! Set list, from what I remember:

1. Burning For You
2. Cities On Flame (With Rock and Roll)
3. ETI
4. Harvest Moon
5. Flaming Telepaths
6. (unidentified guitar solo)
7. (I wish you could be there?)
8. The Last Days of May
9. Me-262
10. Godzilla
11. E1. Jailbreak
12. E2. Dominance and Submission

I'm going from memory here and I had a few beers, so I maybe missing a song around song 6 or so.

Anyways, they fuckin' rocked and were tighter than an 8 year old virgin. Buck had several guitar solos that seemed to go on forever, including Flaming Telepaths, The Last Days of May, and Cities On Flame. Worth the $16 to go see them.

Good morning...

With two cups of coffee already behind me, the morning finds me sitting at the office unit under the headphones, with naught but writing to occupy my mind today. A lovely way to spend a Friday when the blue aura still hovers about your head.

A single word sits at the center of what we witnessed last night: Astronomy.

If The Galaxy is a starship, Woody and the band took us all on a warp speed ride through the wonders of the universe in Santa Ana last night.

The rocketship performance, on the heels of what was apparently an excellent set at Slim's the previous night, was a movable feast, and Woody's mix in the acoustically superior Galaxy amphitheater made me hark back to Copernicus' original ideas about the planet rotating around the sun -- the basis for modern astronomy.

Unless, of course, you know better. For those lucky few who've seen the starry wisdom, the theory expanded and contracted again last night -- like a star imploding at critical mass and reaching supernova -- as Buck's guitar blossomed into a single point of pure, white light.

It was that good.

Woody's mix was an elegant combination of perfect forms. Have you ever been to a show where the sound was literally perfect? Rather like a sphere, there was a nucleus of sound at the center, with Bobby holding down the middle and Danny orbiting near and far, zooming into perihelion and rushing back to the edge of the stage with abandon.

Al P. hovered from side to side, laying down a blanket of sparkling keys and burning guitar.

Riding the crest, Eric's voice rumbled and crooned, always visible on the event horizon but never quite close enough to touch.

And then there was Buck: Moving effortlessly back and forth across the expanse, soaring far into the night sky and plummeting to the roaring fires at the center, carrying us all courageously along like a confident captain at the helm -- he showed us the universe from his own unique perspective. The view was breathtaking.

Copernicus be damned. We were at the center of the universe last night.

Well, after getting home last night at about 2:30, and not being able to sleep, I ended up blowing off the morning to sleep, so pardon me if this review is a bit incoherent - and never again will I eat those chocolate snack cakes with the cream filling anymore after having a few beers (but that's another story... ).

BOC's triumphant return to Boston was a fantastic affair - and I hope they won't wait another 10 years before returning. The openers (Johnny Black Trio, The Outlets) were decent bands (note - as to the controversy Joe posted about the equipment, I suspect that it must be standard policy that their road crew was enforcing, and they got carried away with it.

I feel bad for the Johnny Black Trio guys - I hope it does get brought to the band's attention so that they can perhaps keep situations like that from happening in the future), and got the crowd pumped. BOC hit the stage just after midnight and played:

1. Burnin' For You
2. Cities on Flame
3. ETI
4. Harvest Moon
5. Buck's Boogie
6. Take Me Away
7. Flaming Telepaths
8. See You in Black
9. Astronomy
10. ME-262
11. Godzilla
12. Reaper
13. Encore: The Red and the Black

Curfew cut the setlist short by at least one or two songs (they were gearing up to play "In Thee" and suddenly Eric said "Hey Bobby, get back here!").

The band was awesome as usual. Allen in particular really shined last night - I think they had his keys and guitar mixed a little louder than normal - ah, but what the hell - it was great to have him back, and he seemed to really be enjoying it.

Eric really sounded in fine form last night - very strong and looking ultra-cool. To anyone who has seen BOC over the past 5 years and expressed concern over Eric's voice, I'm here to say that he is once again in undisputably-fine form. Danny, Bobby, and Buck were of course superb, but I really noticed both Eric and Allen last night.

It was great meeting a number of onliners - good to see Mark again, along with Rockman21, Joe Coughlin, KenVT, Joe Brown and Sadie ("Sexy Sadie" - happy birthday - loved your tattoo... ). The highlight of the evening though was that I finally got to meet Buck in person.

It was sort of interesting - Buck came out to sign autographs and chat, and I shook his hand and something like "Great to meet you Buck, I'm John Swartz".

He kind of nodded and was moving on (lots of fans around for him to greet - understandably) - but he either didn't hear me or didn't initially make the connection.

Half a minute later, Mark (SpectreRI) taps him on the shoulder, points me out, and says, "Buck, this is the FAQMAN" - Buck sort of stopped, his eyes got a bit wider than they were, and he takes my hand and says "John! How are you?" It was a very cool moment for me.

A great night - wished I got to meet the rest of the guys (would've especially liked to have wished Danny a happy birthday - from one 35-year-old bass-player to another - o.k., so I mostly just pretend... maybe I should say one 35-year-old bass OWNER to another... ). Again, let's make this a regular event guys, shall we? :-)

Okay, for starters I think everyone should know that while I may be completely sober while writing this (it's almost 5am and I stopped drinking at 10pm!) I have been up for 23 hours without sleep.

Man, you're not kidding! Too bad I got this warning AFTER the show! I screwed around at home longer than I expected when I posted before the show.

Due to this I did not arrive until approximately 4:30, still 5 1/2 hours before the opening act was due on-stage. Plenty of time to stake out my territory dead front center of the stage.

At around 5:10, Bobby showed up and spent almost 45 minutes in a sound check- a little extra treat for me being early. Danny showed up during this time, and after Bobby finished he took his turn.

I spent a few minutes here and there talking with Woody- not that he had much free time due to him doing his work, but for those of you who haven't had the opportunity, please try to chat with him.

He really is a nice guy, and durning another conversation after the set he agreed to stop by the newsgroup again. I gathered that he lurks at least semi-frequently, he said something along the lines that he only jumped into the sound level conversation since that was an area he could be sure that he was posting facts.

During this he also agreed to autograph my ticket stub, so I'll repeat my poor choice of wording that Cat pointed out to me: "I now have a Woody to go with my George at home."

I have a suspicion that Al Bouchard may do the same- notice he posted when a comment was made about compressing the drums? (you reading this, Al?) Ahh, but I digress. Back to the topic at hand.

Cat and Fitz arrived shortly after six, at which point Vallian and wife joined us. I'm not sure if Vallian was there earlier or not, he knew to look for Cat and joined in almost immediately after she arrived. Perhaps he was there before I, but facts are unclear. If I had to guess, I'd say that Chris (Cultjacket) and wife arrived around 7:30- just after the tee-shirts were brought out.

At this time I apologized to Cat and Chris for forgetting their gifts I claimd previously to have taken with me. They're sitting in the box by my front door just where I left them.

I recently realized I had six copies of the 'Live for Me' CD single and have started giving them to other fans. I also had a few other items which will be mailed out shortly. No I don't have any spare copies left- they've all been accounted for already.

Kronos mentioned the new jersey-style tee-shirts, and I have to agree that they are indeed quite cool. The boys brought each of L and XL sizes, which sold out in less than ten minutes! Mainly grey in color, with black short sleeves. They have three buttons in the front along with the Kronos and "Blue Oyster Cult" *EMBRIODERED* on the left breast.

On the back is "Blue Oyster Cult" once again, with the number 99 under it. If that's the only shirt that was available at the New England shows you have my condolences. There were also two other styles available, which was a pleasant change since the last time I saw whirst for sale was two years ago!

The first of the other two shirt styles is all black (no buttons!) with short sleeves. The left breast has "Blue Oyster Cult" up top, the screaming woman's face from the HF cover below that, next lower is "Heaven Forbid Tour" and on the last line "1998-1999."

This leads me to believe that the new CD might be due out in 2000, which is pure speculation- the reason for the HF tour ending in '99 may just be because HF will b too old in 2000 to be touring in support of it. ;)

Finally we have another black short-sleved tee. The front design has- you guessed it- the band name up top. Under each letter "L" is the kronos. Centered is Godzilla facing to the left, breathing flames. Below him is the Reaper, scythe in hand while riding what best guess would place as a Harley with another Kronos on the gas tank.

At the bottom is an older "five guitars" pic of the original lineup. On the back are the tour dates from Feb 17-March 4'th. I'm guessing these were leftover from the West Coast shows during this time period.

One thing that did catch my attention were the copyright notices, or in the case of the jersey the lack thereof. The HF tour tee is copyrighted to Blue Oyster Cult, the tour date one is 3OC Music Inc/Good Swag NYC. I can't see BOC officially letting themselves be known as 3OC in marketing, so I'm getting mighty suspicious of Melne and/or Bolle here. ;)

The opening band was mediocre with the exception of a drummer who deserves to go places. The lead guitarist/vocalist was too much show/too little quality. What really got to me was that with the exception of a new name, it was one of the two who opened for BOC last May at the same location.

During the opening act, Cultjacket and I decide to make up flashcards for the band, so we take a quick stroll the my van for supplies. I have plenty of markrs, but we're short on writing material. The cardboard from an empty Dr. Pepper 12-pack gets cut into appropriate sizes.

Another quick soundcheck and 'End Titles' hit the PA. BOC walks out, all of us expecting to hear 'BfY' however- NEWSFLASH- they break into 'Stairway to the Stars'! Flashback to pre-98!

Setlist, as I remember it: (Chris will have the accurate list later)

1. Stairway to the Stars
2. ETI
3. Burnin' for You
4. Harvester of Eyes
5. Harvest Moon
6. Astronomy
7. Buck's Boogie
8. Cities On Flame
9. See You in Black
10. Joan Crawford
11. Godzilla
12. The Reaper
13. encore Golden Age of Leather
14. The Red and The Black

Ok, I'm sure I missed one or three in there- overall a killer set running 1:44! I think this is a record time for any I've seen so far. We showed Buck the "Harvester of La Vern" sign we made up during the opening of a similarly titled song, which resulted in a chuckle.

Unfortunately there was no appropriate time for the "7 Screaming Jesse Pythons" sign, but that was shown anyway. Our encore request sign for "Rational Passional" was ignored as expected, but once again earning us a chuckle.

However, all signs were not ignored. I had a "Will Work for Guitar Picks" sign propped up in front of me during the set, and at the end Buck and Danny each palmed me a pick during the handshakes as they left the stage. Eat your heart out, Cat- Kronos7 was just proven wrong.

They don't always give the picks to the attractive women, or perhaps Buck has a greater need for those glasses than I previously suspected. Buck broke a guitar string during Cities, which is also in my possession.

How many onliners we ran into I can't say. Probably another dozen after those I listed earlier, BigSnowy is the only one who I remember by name, Chris may recall more. He was introducing me to people left and right but my head was swimming and I never was any good at names anyway!

Bobby seems to be getting more relaxed these days, this is the second show in a row where I saw him out mingling with the crowds. During the opening act he was at one of the bars enjoying a drink and talking to people. Afterwards he was sitting around in public long after the others left.

Outside afterwards I ran into Sandy and Buck, unfortunately after Cat had left and Chris remained inside chatting. Sandy autographed a mirrors LP for me after I explained why I wanted her to- she did cowrite 'The Vigil' afterall. Buck took care of the 'SWU' tee-shirt (his best guess was it's from '78-'79) and my 'Flat Out' LP for me.

On references to Buck and Sandy getting divorced that were made on a certain website that I'll refrain from mentioning my impression is that statement/spculation is complete and utter BS.

She was outside with the fans doing her usual PR bit and being her usual cheerful, outgoing self- showing off pictures of their kids and chatting with everyone.

One utterly amazing performance filled with good memories and memorabilia- what more can a BOC fan wish for?

Well, ok mybe I could've spent less money. Add up the $70 for three shirts, a meal, gas, beverages and I spent $140- and I drove home, no hotel for me! Granted gas was $37 to fill the tank and I only used 3/8 of it, but even so...

This fan routine can be expensive for folls like myself who are easily parted from their money!

Well, it's starting to get light out- time for me to call it a night!

My first BOC show ever- whew! Got there about 7:45 and immediately spent 70 bucks on t-shirts. They had the Godzilla/Reaper shirt, the HF 1998-99 shirt (which, by the way, has a cool eyeball on the back w/ the Kronos reflected in the pupil) and a long-sleeved black t-shirt with the Kronos and the words "Blue Oyster Cult" on the front and tour dates on the back.

When I got there they hadn't yet gotten out the jersey-style shirts, and I was broke when I saw them... the shirts were being sold by a really nice roadie who shall appear later.

Killed time until 9, at which point Tin Roof came on. A pretty good rock band with some jazz influence; a couple good covers, including "We Gotta Get Out of This Place".

Then came Bone Orchard, about whom no words can be/need to be said.

A few minutes after midnight, BOC (finally) came out. The whole thing is too blurry for me to recall the setlist, but...

Burnin' For You (opening) Cities on Flame and then a big mass including Harvest Moon, SYiB, Lips in the Hills, Harvester of Eyes, Reaper, and a lot I can't remember.

I definitely remember Astronomy, though. Before heading to the show a friend with whom I went had become suddenly and all-encompassingly obsessed with Astronomy... and he got a great live version.

So it's 1:45 in the morning, after a rousing Dom+Sub encore, and we're getting drinks at the soda machine. That friendly roadie yells to us, "Hey guys, want me to get the band to autograph your t-shirts?"

So the fact that the boys were signing was all the doing of me and my friends... :)

All in all, a Hell of a first show. I was up front the whole time and my ears and throat will never be the same.

Set list From reviewing my tape on the way home.

1. Stairway To The Stars ( Woody said after the show he was just as surprised as we were)
2. ETI
3. Burnin For You ( i think this fits nicely here)
4. Harvester Of Eyes (would you believe out of 57 shows this was only the 2nd time i've heard it live)
5. Harvest Moon
6. Bucks Boogie
7. Joan Crawford.( Allen really ripped on the intro/outro)
8. Flaming Telepaths
9. See You In Black
10. Astronomy ( Buck,Buck had us floating)
11. In Thee
12. Cities On Flame
13. Zilla
14. Reaper
15. Golden Age Of Leather
16. Red And The Black. ( longest ending solo i've ever heard on this live it was fantastic)

It was great to reunite with most of the original 1st AOL East Coast on -line get together which was at Hershey 2 years ago.

Doug (Latenite27) and Lisa, Wayne and Peggy Groll, Ted (Swansfc), Sandy Roeser, Harvey (Big Snowy), and all the really great people on amboc Cat, Bob, Fitz, Valliun etc.

Band was tight and in top form. Definatly a 10 plus show and a great time was had by all.

3 years in a row at Shakey's and 3 sold out shows...

04/08/1999 Thursday: Blue Oyster Cult/NSS & His Bargain Bin Band - The Evening Star Lounge, Niagara Falls, NY

1. Stairway To The Stars
2. Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll
3. Career Of Evil
4. ETI
5. Harvest Moon
6. Buck's Boogie
7. Joan Crawford
8. Flaming Telepaths
9. See You In Black
10. The Last Days Of May
11. In Thee
12. Burning For You
13. Godzillia (with bass & drum solos)
14. Don't Fear The Reaper
15. Encore: The Red & Black

Here's my story of the show last night (April 9) in Milton. - How Two People Spent Five Hours to Travel 150 Miles...

Everything started fine, met my friend Kirk at his house around 5 and we hit the road for Milton at 5:38. We decided to take his car, since it was fairly obvious that a Geo Storm would pull off better gas mileage than a 1-ton cargo van.

The first fifteen miles passed smoothly, after which the minivan ahead of us swerved across the road- swerving to avoid an 8" piece of the concrete road surface that was bouncing across the road.

Kirk tried to miss it, and succeeded with the front wheels- but the rear hit it solidly. Everything seemed fine, no trouble for a little further until we were on the turnpike at which time the tire promptly blew out.

After pulling over we discovered that although he had a donut spare, there was no jack in the car! A couple was nice enough to pull over and call for a tow truck, at 7:40 we were back on the road again.

Cost for the tow and a used tire: $50. Turns out the tow truck driver was a person I went to High School with and he was willing to do it cheaply as long as we didn't need a receipt. :) We arrived in Milton around 9:30, but directions were lacking so we drove for a bit totally lost until stopping and getting directions from a local.

We finally arrived at Fiddlestyx around 10:40, just in time to catch Molly Hatchet's last three songs. We somehow managed to met up with a few other onliners, two of which were planned in advance (Frank, who posted a few days back he'd be there and Steve who called me from Mass. to say he'd be there) and one who wasn't (BigSnowy).

Up Front standing was out of the question, so instead we all settled for the area near the sound board. BOC took the stage around 11:45, and the setlist was (in order- I wrote it down for once!):

1. Stairway to the Stars
2. Cities on Flame
3. Career of Evil
4. E.T.I.
5. Harvest Moon
6. Buck's Boogie *
7. Unknown Tongues
8. Flaming Telepaths
9. See You in Black
10. Veteran of the Psychic Wars (*)
11. Live for Me
12. Lips in the Hills
13. Godzilla
14. (Don't Fear)The Reaper
15. encore Burnin for You
16. The Red and The Black

Everyone catch that- Unknown Tongues and Veteran, no In Thee and BfY as an encore!

*About a minute in Buck's Boogie, I heard a voice in my ear asking me how it sounded. Looking over, it was Woody. This would be a sign I've been attending too many shows recently. ;)

(*) For Veteran, Eric started off saying how America was a democracy and we would have a chance to vote on the next song. The options were: Last Days ofMay, Astronomy and Veteran. This wasn't an easy decision, but since I'd never seen Veteran performed live before the decision was made.

Of course it couldn't be something easy. If Eric had said the choices were Let Go, Beat 'Em Up and Veteran, I wouldn't feel so bad about it. I mean, I loved hearing Veteran- but I know also what we missed out on!

That pretty sums up my night- after the show I chatted with Woody a bit, snagged a few autographs- although the guys took off real quick, I think it was due to the rude assholes pushing their way in line for the autos.

I now have three autos on my BOC hat- Woody, Danny and Bobby but missed out on the others. Yes, John- that's the hat I bought from you. The one with the white front/blue lettering. John's the FAQMan, Chris is Cultjacket, I may soon be CultHat. :)

Cat and I finally met up after the show, which is probably good. As it was I got home with $10 in my pocket, and I think her Diet Pepsis would'v broken the First National Bank of Bob. This time I did manage to remember one of the two BOC gifts I had intended for her at Hershey, the next will have to wait for another time. (no bitching, Cat- at least you got one!) ;)

The trip home was uneventful, if I hadn't pulled over for the half-hour nap it would've been a 3 hour trip. The way up howevr seemed to be more of a three- hour TOUR, I feared for a while we were to be stranded on a Desert Isle, well make that the PA Turnpike next to two rotting deer carcasses.

Well, as far as the opener goes, if you like Molly Hatchet and southern rock (which I don't) they were good. If you don't, you waited impatiently (like me!). As far as BOC goes, the show turned out to be one of the best performances the Oysterboys have put on recently! EXCELLENT sound, even at front row center!

As Bob posted the setlist already, my highlights were Career of Evil, Lips in the Hills, and most definitely Veterans of the Psychic Wars (must have esp... I've had FOUO in the car all week playing!). Scored a pic from Danny, chatted with the boys (Buck headed out early), ran into a couple guys who were at Shakey's.

Band was vey animated last night! Looked like they were having a great time... I know I was!

Just stumbled in off the highway after catching the Lexington show earlier tonight. Setlist was as follows (in order):

1. Stairway to the Stars
2. Before the Kiss, a Redcap
3. Career of Evil
4. E.T.I.
5. Harvest Moon
6. Buck's Boogie
7. Joan Crawford
8. Burnin' for You
9. See You in Black
10. Then Came the Last Days of May
11. Cities on Flame
12. Take Me Away
13. Godzilla
14. (Don't Fear) the Reaper
15. Encore: Dominance and Submission

All in all, an awesome show. A little trouble with the power source for the stage lights, which kept going off, but as Eric said, "We don't need no stinking lights"...

I'm tired as hell. I'll write about how our show with them goes tomorrow night... ("THE MIDWESTERNER CHRONICLES"... with apologies to ROKMAN)

Just got back from the Bluegrass state myself. With my good friends Elvis and Dr. Love in tow, we had such a great time! It was their first BOC show, and to see their faces when the guys started rockin was worth the price of admission. They have always been big fans, but, I'm sure it runs a little deeper now.

I particularly think the opening act deserves mention. The Taildraggers did a great job of getting the crowd in a rockin mood. A very good, local, 3 man band that impressed the whole crowd. It was a solid hour of real good rock 'n' roll.

BOC played very well and seemed to be really enjoying themselves. The crowd was very into it and many of them were sharing their previous experiences and were very happy to finally see them again after many years.

As far as the minor light trouble, Eric probably said it best : "This bands got too much power for this place". I sure didn't let it spoil my evening.

After the show, my friends and I hung around the stage talking to fans and checking out the equipment. Bobby came out and signed a few autographs for us, and then Eric came out and did likewise. Just another case of the guys taking care of their loyal fans. What a great end to a great night of rock 'n' roll!!

Hopefully I'll get to see them again before this tour is over. This is the kind of show that produces lasting memories.

Just got in from the show, lots to say but must sleep 1st.

2 quickies: Stop The Car (Fakewood Trims band) was excellent and the set-list- Unknown Tongue, Lips in the Hills, This Ain't the Summer of Love, Astronomy, and... We Gotta Get Out of This Place!! More later...

As Mike mentioned, fantastic additions to the setlist last night! Complete list is as follows:

1. Stairway to the Stars
2. Cities on Flame
3. E.T.I.
4. Harvest Moon
5. Buck's Boogie
6. Career of Evil
7. Unknown Tongue
8. Burnin' for You
9. This Ain't the Summer of Love
10. Astronomy
11. See You in Black
12. Lips in the Hills
13. Godzilla
14. (Don't Fear) the Reaper
15. Encore: We Gotta Get Out of This Place
16. The Red and the Black

Our opening set went over really well, the crowd was very supportive. We sold all the CD's we brought with us (and took orders for several more), and made some new friends and fans.

My only regret is that I didn't actually get to meet the boys at all... as the openers, we weren't allowed into the one dressing room the club had, so we didn't get to hang with them at all.

I did wind up getting Buck, Allen, & Eric's autographs on the poster I designed for the show, but it was in a crush of people with no chance for any interaction.

Melissa (our female singer) got to shake Buck's hand as she came off stage, and he said he liked what he heard, plus Bobby complimented our drummer on our set.

All in all, a terrific evening, though... got to share the stage with some of my all-time heroes, won over an expectant BOC crowd with our music, and got to hear an incredible set from the boys for the second night in a row.

Buck was especially on fire for "Buck's Boogie" and "Astronomy", and when they tore into "Lips in the Hills", I officially lost my mind.

Definitely a night I'll remember for the rest of my life... :)

What a great show! I wasn't sober enough to remember the setlist, having too much fun dancing and singing along. They did play Career of Evil, which I was hoping for. In no order and not entirely inclusive:

1. Astronomy
2. Flaming Telepaths
3. Joan Crawford
4. Dominance and Submission,
5. Reaper (with the cool new intro)
6. Burning
7. Unknown Tongues
8. Stairway to the Stars
9. Cities on Flame
10. See You in Black
11. Harvest Moon
12. ETI
13. Buck's Boogie
14. Godzilla
15. Take Me Away

I know that's not complete.

After the show, got to meet with Buck -- what a great person he is. I have another autograph and photograph (and memory) to treasure. The place seemed filled with BOC fans. The two opening acts were pretty uninspiring.

The first, No Remorse, had a decent guitar player with a guitar that looked like two guitars attached, like siamese twins or something.

The second group, Enough Z'Enough, was pretty bad. No fire in them at all, just seemed to be goin' thru the motions (they sucked). BOC played for a whole two hours and got done a little after midnight.

Buck signed many CDs (one guy handed him five) cheerfully. It was a really memorable night. My one complaint - I brought $100 to spend on T-shirts AND THEY HAD NONE!!!! Damn. Maybe next time. We hung out with Rob, anyone else there last night?

Blue Oyster Cult, Club 2000 Charlotte, NC 4/22/99

1. Stairway To The Stars
2. Cities On Flame
3. E.T.I.
4. Harvest Moon
5. Burnin' For You
6. Career Of Evil
7. Unknown Tongue
8. Flaming Telepaths
9. See You In Black
10. Last Days In May
11. Buck's Boogie
12. Lips In The Hills
13. Godzilla
14. Reaper
15. E: Dominance & Submission

Total time: 1 hr 30 min

Well, I finally woke up, about 3 pm Friday, and headed to see yet another show. At least this one was a little more in my backyard compared to the haul to Charlotte. Got back a few hours ago and here's what went down "up in Cumming"... (no pun intended)

4/23/99 Cadillac Ranch, Cumming GA

1. Stairway To The Stars
2. Cities On Flame
3. E.T.I.
4. Harvest Moon
5. Career Of Evil
6. Joan Crawford
7. Burning For You
8. Flaming Telepaths
9. See You In Black
10. Astronomy
11. Take Me Away
12. Golden Age Of Leather
13. ME 262
14. Godzilla
15. Reaper
16. E: Dominance and Submission
17. Red and the Black

St Simon Island Ga. 4/24/99

1. Stairway to the Stars
2. Cities on Flame
3. E.T.I.
4. Career of Evil
5. Buck's Boogie
6. Burnin' for You
7. Live for Me
8. Joan Crawford
9. Flaming Telepaths
10. Veteran of the Psychic Wars
11. See You In Black
12. This Ain't the Summer of Love
13. Godzilla
14. The Reaper
15. encore: Golden Age of Leather>
16. the Red and the Black

I think I got the order right here, but I'm going from memory so again... The club was a small beach bar my guess capacity of 300 or so and it was packed out to the point of uncomfort. A stange crowd of what seemed like locals, and there was a heavy police presence both uniform and undercover around the bar for some reason... they should know BOC is too old to cause trouble these days, anyway they were around spreading paranoia in their wake...

The show absolutely smoked! The band was much more on than Thurs. nite in Charlotte ( I missed the Cummings show).

We made it to St Simons about 11 pm and were lucky enough to run into Artie outside who was nice enough to comp us into the show (great for me as I had $20 in my pocket and was 300 miles from home)

The weather was stormy and a huge thunderstorm passed over right in the middle of the set. Flashes of lighting came through a skylight over the stage and you culd see the rain pelting down during Live for Me, suddenly a huge thunderclap and a tolal power failure plunged the club into darkness with the Cult being illuminated by the lighting flashes it was the perfect Gothic setting as the power came back up (slowly and fitfully, breaker by breaker) and the Boys launched into Joan Crawford rising from the grave amidst the lightining and rain... WOW as perfect a BOC moment as I have had since I was hit by that laser beam back in 78... .

Other Highlights...

EVERYTHING... played tight and powerfully! That new intro Buck plays before the Reaper is great and very psychedelic as it winds into the opening riff... really nice!

Hey anymore reviews out there? There really were a small handful of people left by the time Godzilla arrived...

I haven't seen an opening band (the previous band "Spiral") get knocked off the stage so abruptly in some time, now we had just arrived so I don't know what went on earlier, musically, but someone walked by the sound room in the middle of their last song and said "Thats it!" so as they finished up, figuring out what to play next, they cut the lights and said "I guess its good night." Which was good, because soon enough the boys would be on.

The crowd packed in a little, but not that bad... couldn't have been more than a few hundred people at the start. Basement describes the place pretty well.

Though a basement with a couple nice bars and some decent moving around and sitting room was fine with me! I forgot how short Buck and Eric are.

I didn't even think there was a stage, maybe 6" off the ground at most. So seeing themfrom floor level was not possible unless you were a couple rows back or closer... or right at the sides, in front of Allen / Eric. I noticed its kind of difficult to just go up and watch Buck jam !! Imagine that!

Quick highlights for me: seeing Allen bouncing between keys and guitar all night and playing great, Eric filling in on keys within arms reach and my ears splitting from the speaker about 4 feet away! earplugs necessary, especially when Buck belts out his lines.

Wow! Stairway, have never seen live and I loved it, standard Cities, ETI's extended jam has been nice to hear the last couple times I've seen them.

Harvest Moon and it was time to move me and my buddy up in front of Allen. That jam and transition kills me. Buck's was a beer/bathroom break, Career of Evil!!! all I can say. Every song after that reached a different high...

Joan Crawford I haven't seen them play since like 84 excellent, Burnin is still the boogie tune, another friend of mine finally showed up in the middle of FT, idiot, heavy strobes, adding nicely to Eric's laughter, SYiB I went to get a beer and enjoyed that very much listening to a great tune a little far back.

After hearing Astronomy in Huntington, Last Days of May remained as the final song that I had left to hear... no wait, Veteran I still need to hear... anyway I wasn't familiar with the guitarist (George Cintron) who jammed out with them, but he added an over the top guitar heavy jam that fit pretty well in the middle of the regularheavy jam in the middle.

Actually Take Me Away didn't do much to me because of the HM overload that lead up to it. Same with This Ain't, but that damn chorus is inescapable!! I spent Godzilla and DFTR about 3 feet from the stage watching them play. Nothing more to add to that!

BLUE OYSTER CULT TO TRAVEL TO JAPAN FOR FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS
by Athena Schaffer

Blue Oyster Cult wil embark on its first Japanese tour in 20 years next May, and will perhaps do Hawaiian dates eithr before or after the Tokyo dates.

"We accepted an offer to go to Tokyo next Spring," said BOC guitarist Buck Dharma (Donald Roeser). "We're doing an extended engagement, six days at one place. We've previously had a hard time getting reasonable offers to go over there and to return. This is actually the first offer that makes economic sense to do."

Dharma said their previous record company, Sony, did not do too much in overseas promotion for the band, a trend that's already being reversed by CMC Records, who released the "Heaven Forbid" album earlier this year.

"'Heaven Forbid' is just about to be released in Japan," Dharma said. "We do have fans over there -- some quite enthusiastic Japanese fans. I think anyone who's not a fan just hasn't heard enough of us."

The band will be traveling light as it heads for Japan.

"We'll do Japan pretty much the same way we do Europe," Dharma said. "We go over with guitars, a few electronic effects, a little bit of drum hardware and cymbals, and everything else is rented over there."

Dharma is joined by two other original band members, Eric Bloom on vocals and Allen Lanier on keyboards. The band is rounded out by Danny "The Law" Miranda on bass and Bobby Rondinelli on drums.

Steve Schenck is still BOC's personal manager, as he has been for about 20 years. However, Steve has parted company with The Agency Group and is now affiliated with Paradise Artists, which handle BOC bookings. In fact, Schenck has opened a New York office for Paradise Artists.

According to Dharma, the heavy touring in support of "Heaven Forbid" is pretty much over and is being cut back to weekend dates for now, but that's not because the record is still not going strong. Several songs off the album have been released as singles, including the current "Live For Me".

"The album is still going strong," Dharma said. "'Live For Me' is currently the most popular radio record CMC has, and that's saying something because the album's been out since April 1. It's the star of the show right now, and they're real happy about that. I foresee a pretty long life for 'Heaven Forbid'." # # #

Pardon please if this isn't too descriptive... that comes tomorrow...

1. Stairway to the Stars (as expected... should have made a bet)
2. Before the Kiss, A Redcap (Wow! About the last tune I expected!)
3. Cities on Flame
4. ETI
5. Buck's Boogie (A great version!)
6. Harvest Moon
7. See You in Black (I gets fuzzy now)
8. Live For Me (I'm pretty sure they played all of these off the new album at some point, maybe even in this order)
9. Harvester of Eyes
10. Lips In The Hills (I think... fuzzy)
11. Career Of Evil
12. Then Came The Last Days Of May
13. Burnin' For You
14. Godzilla
15. (Don't Fear) The Reaper
16. Encore: The Golden Age of Leather
17. The Red & The Black

Please don't take this as an authoritative source for what was actually played... as I said before, I'm in no shape to report this evening's activity...

My young friends were impressed, mightily, even. It was a really good show, the sound was good, and the band was really into it, it seemed.

More later, it's really too late for me to write anything coherent. Apologies.

I was not feeling very well at all on Sunday. Got up just in time to make a tee time I had arranged with a gentleman who was here from the mainland installing a new version of software on the client/server system on which I work. He took the front nine, I took the back. It took all front nine for my head to clear, but even then I had to ask him to repeat hiself several times due to the ringing in my ears.

Took care of a few errands, ate some aspirin, and headed to the show about 9 pm.

The crowd was a bit older tonite, the bikers were in evidence, and there was so much silicone running around that if a tsumani had hit, the whole building could have easily floated away. The opening band, Killswitch, was a local band that will soon be changing their names, they said. Maybe someone discovered that there's another band called Killswitch out there. But these local boys already have had a CD published, so maybe they need to. The bassist, guitarist, and drummer were all local boys, while the lead singer was haole, and doing his best Henry Rollins, but with long hair.

It was pretty much all speed metal, and one song was pretty much like another. They weren't bad, but as the singer said between songs once, "We're probably a little heavier than what you expected tonite." This is partially true, since tonite the show was sponsored by a local station that had recently changed formats from "classic rock" to "Rock 'n roll classics." What's the difference? Well, before you would hear Deep Purple, BOC, Thin Lizzy, ELP, Skynyrd, Bad Co., Led Zeppelin, and other great 70s rock classics. Now you hear mostly Fleetwood Mac, Beatles, Journey, and the only Zep they play is Fool in the Rain. Anyways...

The lead singer for Killswitch did a good job of trying to get the crowd fired up. Several times he made mention between songs that BOC was next. "I can't believe we're f***ing opening for Blue Oyster Cult!" and more like this. He said they considered it an honor, and I choose to believe him.

After they were done I found a seat in the middle next to a small drink table so that I could write the setlist and take some notes. As I was waiting for the set change (again about a half hour or so), Bobby Rondinelli appeared off stage to the right outside of the speaker stack.I don't think anyone recognized him. He was smoking a cigarette surveying the crowd and talking with the folks backstage.

Soon enough the band took the stage, Danny first, followed by Allen, Bobby, Eric, then Buck. They plugged in and checked instruments while someone did the introduction. Danny seemed to be having some trouble with his amp, but one of the stage crew apparently solved it quickly.

First song was OD'ed On Life Itself. Allen played guitar for this one, and Buck's solo was just incredible. Quite a few of the people up front seemed to know this song. The end of the song featured Buck and Allen playing the final riffs simultaneously... perfectly.

Cities On Flame was next, but Eric missed the opening lyrics a bit--his only mistake in a fantastic performance... more on this later. Buck was in a playful mood tonite. In fact, it seemed like the whole band just had a really good day in Paradise, because they came ready to play. For the solo, Buck started it, then sort of paused, smiled out at the crowd, made a performance of cracking his knuckles, then lit into his riffs. He then stuck his pick in his teeth and was hammering down on the fretboard for the next few minutes. He eventually used his tongue to pull the pick into his mouth as he continued to hammer down his solo, then pulled it out again for the finish. This was a huge crowd pleaser. Allen was on keyboard.

Harvester of Eyes followed, with Allen on guitar and Eric playing stun guitar. Actually Eric didn't strum too much during this song. The volume was up just like last night, but my position was much better for hearing the music mix. Congrats to Woody for another great job.

ETI came next, Allen on guitar. The crowd was a lot more into it than last night, maybe because it seemed that more of the crowd knew the songs. During the ending, Eric moved over to the keyboard, and Allen lit his first of many smokes of the evening. He waited through four whole songs!

Next was Harvest Moon, with Allen on guitar and Eric on keyboard. Tonite I was ready for Allen's great opening riffs of the solo section. Allen and Buck are really good together. You can tell that they know each other's talents well. During this song some girl tried climbing up on stage, and Allen almost had to call for one of the stage managers to handle the situation. Someone from the crowd had the sense to pull her back before any unpleasantness occurred.

Next came Buck's Boogie, and it scorched. Danny seemed a little preoccupied with some of the bouncing surgical work in front of the stage, but didn't miss a beat. Buck is playing a Swiss cheese guitar that looks like a custom Steinberger. I don't know if it's a Steinberger, but it's headless in the Steinberger style, sort of off-white with a classic body shape with concave sections carved out so it resembles a big hunk of Swiss. That appeals to this Wisconsin boy. Allen was on keyboard and Eric was playing this cool black axe with a white Kronos symbol painted through the pickups.

Career of Evil followed, Eric continuing to use the black Kronos guitar and Allen still on keyboards. In spite of Eric's early seeming error on Cities, he, Buck, and Danny sounded great singing the chorus together.

And then... it happened. I was stone cold sober, so I wasn't expecting to be moved by a song I had heard so many times. Allen began to finger his ivories, lightly tapping out the opening notes of Joan Crawford. He looked like a concert pianist up there as he built up the force of his blows on the keyboard, running the scale down to the low end and back up again. When the rest of the band joined in, I started to feel it. Then Eric began to sing, and I knew I was in for something special. Talk about being on! Eric was in the zone, to steal a sports phrase.

The sound clips were perfectly timed, and I felt shivers up and down my back all through the song. It was so powerful! Allen finished up his final keyboard riffs at the end, nodded up to Bobby, and then Bobby keyed the ending jam with crashing cymbals. I can't believe I witnessed this. I don't know if anyone else felt it like I did, but that was the singularly greatest performance of any song I have ever seen live by a group. Only Junior Brown has been able to evoke that kind of feeling in me from a live performance before. If you've never seen him, you should.

After this incredible treat, Eric switched to a deep red guitar with a sticker of a gray alien on it. Allen stayed at the keyboards for the next song, Flaming Telepaths. Buck switched to a black guitar, also Steinberger style. The guy next to me was a cold fish all through the night except for this song. I think it was the only time he moved.

Next Eric and Buck did a little talking back and forth. It went sort of like this:

Eric: What album is this next one off of?
Buck: I think it's called Mirrors.
Eric: Oh yeah, that's right.
Buck: This is a song about extra terrestrials... one of our many songs about extra terrestrials... we seem to spend a lot of time thinking about them.
Eric: Not that there's anything wrong with that
Buck: Not at all... this is called The Vigil

I like this song, which I suppose I'd better, since "MIRRORS IS A MASTERPIECE." ;-) Buck moved back to the cheese guitar for this song, and Allen grabbed an axe too. I enjoyed it, but I could sense some growing discontent from some bozos behind me. They wanted to hear Godzilla, and were determined to be heard. One of them had spent most of the show proving to everyone within a square mile that he had the shrillest, most piercing whistle. Luckily, he had lost his ability to do so about this time. See, excessive drinking does have certain benefits.

;-)

Buck dedicated the next tune, Live For Me, "to all the ladies out there." Allen plays guitar for this song.

Next was a real treat, but not too many of the patrons seemed to agree. Bobby left the stage, Eric stood off to the side of the stage, and Buck began to play In Thee. "Here's a little song that Allen wrote," Buck introduced it. Allen soon joined in on guitar, with Danny providing a steady bass line. Soon Eric came back to the front to join in singing, but not until he had to tell Allen to get out of the way so Eric could get to the microphone. Small stage. Very well performed, but too much crowd noise and idiots talking for me to enjoy it as much as I would have liked. One of them yelled "Screw the new sh*t, play Godzilla!" Ah well, the world needs morons too, I guess.

So I guess the timing was about right for the band to do as the crowd asked, and play the Big Three. It started with Burnin' For You, and the crowd literally erupted. Every bit of spare room near the front was occupied by dancing and screaming fans. People were much more frenzied tonite than last night. Eric grabbed another axe for this song, probably one of the nicest looking guitars around. It's a deep red with a splash of yellow over the pickups and in the yellow splash a black Kronos symbol. Allen was also on guitar.

Next came Godzilla, need I say more. Well, yes, actually, I do. Buck switched back to the black Steinberger, and Allen was playing the black guitar with the white Kronos symbol that Eric had been playing earlier. Buck ran the fretboard of his guitar along the mic stand to simulate the sound of spitting high tension wires being pulled down. Danny performed his bass solo, which was pretty damn good. The lucky fans right in front of him got a real show.

One of my friends wasn't overly impressed with Bobby's drumming last nite. Too bad he chose not to attend this evening's performance. Bobby's drum solo was just out of this world. It didn't start off special, but as he built the intensity, it got better and better. I especially liked the work he did on the snare. He started a drum roll very softly, built it up in volume, then dropped it low, back and forth that way a few times while maintaining speed and rhythm. He's got his kit well arranged so that he has three or four different paths to catch multiple cymbals with huge sweeps of his arms. Twice during the solo he stood up from behind the kit, challenging the audience to get louder. Very impressive.

After finishing up Godzilla, Buck began the solo used for the intro to Reaper. I saw a funny look on Danny's face while Buck was playing the intro. I of course don't know what he was thinking, but it seemed to me that he was thinking something like this: "In just two more minutes, they're going to hear what they came to hear, the one song that everyone knows. They're all going to be blown away, and they don't even know it yet. And we're the ones that are going to do that." I don't know if that's true or not, but it sure looked like that's what he was thinking. I think he's really happy to be playing in BOC.

The boys made their curtain calls after Reaper, then left before returning for the inevitable encore. They chose Dominance & Submission, a fine choice. Eric had the crowd in the palm of his hand, with everyone screaming out "Dominance" on cue. Did I mention that Eric was just doing a fantastic job on vocals tonite? I'm not kidding. At one point, Eric went over to the right side of the stage, grabbed Danny, and dragged him over to where Eric had been on the left side near the keyboards. Eric wanted Danny to play some for the people in front of Eric's position.

And then it was over. People (including me) quickly left, as some of us have jobs in the morning. One more show to go.

I stopped by the sound board on the way out, and asked a likely looking fellow if he was Woody. He said yes, and so I mentioned that I had been reading his posts on a.m.boc. I introduced myself and made a little small talk, but didn't hang around. My head was killing me from the night before, and I wanted to get home and to bed. I said I'd see him tomorrow, so I'll say hi to him again.

That's it. If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! If you like what you're reading, please say so. If you don't like, I want to hear that, too. I take criticism very well. ;-)

Condensed setlist for 9 May 99 Honolulu, HI

1. OD'ed On Life Itself
2. Cities On Flame
3. Harvester Of Eyes
4. ETI
5. Harvest Moon
6. Buck's Boogie
7. Career OF Evil
8. Joan Crawford
9. Flaming Telepaths
10. The Vigil
11. Live For Me
12. In Thee
13. Burnin' For You
14. Godzilla
15. (Don't Fear) The Reaper
16. Encore: Dominance and Submission

Estimated show time: 1:35

Now to the last show on Oahu. Before the kiss, a setlist:

1. Before The Kiss, A Redcap
2. OD'ed On Life Itself
3. Cities On Flame
4. Harvester Of Eyes
5. ETI
6. Harvest Moon
7. Buck's Boogie
8. Flaming Telepaths
9. Career Of Evil
10. Unknown Tongue
11. Then Came The Last Days Of May
12. This Ain't The Summer Of Love
13. Burnin' For You
14. Godzilla (bass solo, drum solo)
15. (Don't Fear) The Reaper
16. Encore: The Golden Age Of Leather
17. The Red & The Black

Similar to the Saturday night show as far as the encore goes, with a little difference in the main body. I was hoping to hear Astronomy and Take Me Away tonite, since they hadn't played those two on the two previous nites. Them's the breaks, I guess.

I decided to taxi down to the show tonite so I could have a few brews. I walked in to the sound of scorching live blues, Stevie Ray Vaughn style, so I bought a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (the place isn't cheap, but the beer choices are good), and grabbed a seat right in front of thestage. Only one other guy was there at the time, and this opening band sounded good.

I wasn't wrong. I like bluesy stuff (Blue Oyster Cult, bluesy stuff... there's a link there, I know, but I can't quite identify it... oh well), and this local band, Deja Voodoo, had it going on. They're a five-piece band, made up of a guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, drummer, and... get this... a harp player!

That's harmonica player, to those uninitiated in the rockin' blues. Being an aspiring harpster myself, I grabbed a seat right in front of him. they played mostly original stuff, but also covered some SRV, including If The House If Rockin. They did well.

Of the opening bands I saw, this was by far the best. The price at the door was $15, and I would have paid it just to see these guys. I already had a pass for both Sunday and Monday (purchased early for $12), but now I can make my henpecked buddy jealous.

If you read my previous post, I made mention of my friend Chris who is a big blues fan. Well, I tried to talk him into going tonite, but he gave me some lame story about being in the doghouse with his bride (who is a very nice lady, I don't mean to stereotype here), and not wanting to make matters worse.

I calmly explained that if he's already in the doghouse, it doesn't matter what he does, he won't get out of it until she has determined that he's paid the appropriate penance for whatever she thinks he's done, so he might as well come on out and have fun. No dice. I was very disappointed in him.

Still, I agreed to buy one of the BOC baseball jerseys for him, which they're selling at the shows and are really pretty nice. Plus, I have theis great live blues performance to lord over him.

But enough about my lame loser friends. They missed out. The opening band was great, and if you happen to hear of a band coming to your area called Deja Voodoo, I highly recommend checking them out. I'll be buying the CD this week. Really, they were that good.

Again, the wait was about half an hour or so. I saw Bobby out in the crowd before the show. He was talking to some girl, so I waited a few seconds then told him how much I enjoyed his drum solo Sunday.

He said thanks, then we both moved on. I said hi to Woody before the show and BSed with him for a few minutes, then let him get back to work.

I was stationed right in front of Eric tonight, as opposed to Saturday when I was in front of Danny. I enjoyed singing along with Eric, but I think I preferred being over on the right side (as the audience views the stage). Actually, the best place is center stage in front of Buck.

Eric's vocals were better Sunday, but they were still damn good. He had to miss part of the chorus on Harvester Of Eyes to cough, but other than that, all was fine. Of course, I was in a better listening position Sunday, so that may be why I think he sounded better then.

Speaking of sound, they seemed to be turned down just a tad tonite.

One funny thing happened. Apparently the boys are familiar with this fan who was up front near me. About halfway through the show, they took time out to bring everyone's attention to this guy they called Miller (who was bumming smokes off me all night, by the way) who in 1988 followed them around Europe to all the shows they did there.

Anyway, I think it was during Burnin' For You (which is appropriate) that Miller lights up a doobie right in front of the stage and starts convulsing from holding his breath in too long. The aromatic amoke was drifting across the stage, and Allen kept waving a baseball cap trying to keep it away.

Eric stepped back out of the way of the smoke, and Danny got Bobby's attention and pointed out what Miller was up to. Everyone on stage had a good laugh about the whole affair, and once I realized what was going on, I had a few guffaws myself.

Allen just kept shaking his head, as if to say, "what's with this guy?" They call it pakalolo here, if you're interested.

The crowd was even more reserved than Saturday, at least until they started Burnin' For You. Then, just like Sunday, the people were about five deep standing in front of the stage dancing and screaming. Attendance I estimate at about 220 for Saturday, 240 for Sunday, and 185 for Monday.

Sorry for the short show report, but I think I've given pretty good descriptions for the others, and they're all about the same. I tell you what, though, I'll never listen to Then Came The Last Days Of May the same again.

Live, this is a completely different song. Just incredible how they can take a melody line out beyond the bounds of normalcy and just blow an audience away.

Talked with Woody a bit after the show. He was glad to have a few days in one place to see the local area. He said they went to Hanauma Bay one day (prime snorkeling spot) for a little snorkeling, and went to see the USS Missouri War Memorial and Pearl Harbor. The Mighty Mo is quite a sight to see; I recently did some volunteer work on it to get it ready for public tours.

Also, Woody confirms that there's no set setlist. They play what they feel like playing at the time. Woody has a listing of how to set levels during certain songs, but he doesn't know what they'll play until he hears it begin.

And so I sign off, my show reports complete, and a more noble task I think I've never undertaken. Thank you for your time.

P.S. I don't have any plans to see the Maui show, but one never knows, does one?

OK, OK, by request here are some (dim) memories of the excellent show.

BOC played in Guam on May 14, 1999. We were in Guam because my wife was serving a Navy tour of duty, and I was teaching school. I had never been to a BOC show, and have yet to see a second, though I would go in a heartbeat.

In short, I wasn't what you would call a fan, but I was familiar with AGENTS OF FORTUNE and FIRE OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN. Knowing what little I did, I decided to spring for a pair of tickets and see what these guys were all about.

Tickets were $8 each on sale at Radio Shack at the mall. The venue was the Hilton hotel ballroom, (NB the BOC website lists the venue as the Hyatt; don't know if they have merged or if the site is in error) in Hagatna, the capital of Guam, sometimes also spelled Agana. BOC played two shows that night, an 8:00 and a 10:00. We went to the 8:00.

The Hilton ballroom in Guam seats about 200. Far fewer than that were in attendance at the 8:00 show; I'd say about 100 people made it. We came early, and sat at a little table just feet from the stage. I have never been so close to any band I have ever seen, and that was phenomenal: it really added to the intimacy of the experience.

I planned ahead and brought earplugs, because I didn't want my head to ring the next day. I guess at 32 I am too old, but I still think it was a good move. Some other day I'll tell you all about the Van Halen show without earplugs... ouch!

The band came on at about 8:05 pm. There was no opener, just the LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FROM NEW YORK CITY, THE AMAZING BOC thing, and they came on. I didn't write down a set list, which will disappoint everyone reading this.

Sorry. I recall that they played about half of HEAVEN FORBID, the Big Three and some older stuff, but beyond that I don't remember any specifics. Some things I do remember are that they played Buck's Boogie, with the whole knuckle-cracking, spitting-into-the-hands thing, and that Buck (of course) played his custom Steinberger with the half-circles cut out of it so that it looks like a piece of swiss cheese - hence the nickname Cheeseberger. They also played ETI, a personal favorite, though I gather it goes without saying that they played it.

Other fun memories of the show: I remember joking with my wife about Buck's picture on the ticket face. He looks so incongruous -- being short andhaving that little moustache (ok, the promo shot was old) next to big old Bobby and Danny, that we had to chuckle. And then to find out that he is the driving force behind the band cracked us up.

Eric also mentioned that BOC had never played Guam before, stating that "it was one of the few places they had never been." I thought that was a nice touch.

So they rocked the house and I became a huge fan, which has been terrific because BOC fans are the nicest people. At the end of the show, Bobby tossed a drumstick into the audience, and it landed right at my wife's feet. She didn't know that it was meant as a souvenir, so she just looked at it for a beat until another fan picked it up.

Oh well. She's a little naive about these things. We did get to meet Bobby after the show in the lobby, and he signed our tickets, which was also really cool. Those tickets are gone, sorry to say, lost in all these military moves. We did not see or meet Buck or any other band members.

Overall, the show was outstanding. It was close to my house and completely uncrowded. The music was EXCELLENT -- enough to turn me into a crazy fan. For those of you who like to compare, it was better than half the Dead shows I've been to, but not as good as two of them. It was also better in most respects than Van Halen.

With Jerry gigging in the hereafter, Van Halen and BOC are about the only shows I'll go to; maybe the odd Jimmy Buffett show. Now I live on Long Island and go to Stony Brook, so my BOC connections are stronger than ever, if only in spirit.

If they would hurry up and play a hometown show, I would go and take better notes for you guys! (Please, nobody mention the cancelled Smith Point Park show.) I've been asked to find out about the early gigs at the Stony Brook Gym, and I'm working on that, but I'm a grad student and it'll take a few weeks.

It's fitting to end a review with a quote for the true Cultists, but since I'm an infrequent poster I'll give you guys a fat slow one right over the plate:

I love darkness
I love light
Dan

PS looking forward to the DVD!

Show was in a ball field, stage right around 2nd base, the amazing NRBQ were but one opening act (feedback, anyone?) - first time seeing the boys outdoors and / or in the daytime - highly recommended! set list:

1. stairway to the stars
2. OD'd on life itself
3. cities on flame
4. ETI
5. harvest moon
6. career of evil (first time seeing live!)
7. joan crawford
8. see you in black
9. burnin' for you
10. last days of may - majorly frightening, & buck actually muttered the "what luck" line, also a first for me
11. harvester of eyes
12. godzilla /w/someone's kid "helping out" on drums, much to bobby's amusement - bass / drums solos
13. reaper, w/the funniest moment when buck fudged the middle part intro notes & went on to mug in a very self-deprecating way, although most of the crowd was hip & "let it slide," cheered him on even more - a rare & fabulously human moment -

What a great day. Beautiful weather, I love the summer! Seeing "Career of Evil" was a treat to say the least.

I remember seeing NRBQ way back when I was in high school. They were great back then. I thought they were bad today. I think they miss their original front man Big Al ( forget his last name).

The second band was truly fantastic. Scorching guitar, the entire band had a great sound. The name of the band was Indigenous. I highly recommend a listen.

It really was very funny when Buck had his trouble during DFTR. It seemed that he just forgot how to play the notes. He was lost for about 10 seconds.

He kept trying to find the notes when I think Bobby finally gave him the key with the bass and off he went, back to the blistering solo.

What could have been a tough moment Buck turned into a funny moment. The crowd went nuts with Buck's antics. The crowd was loving him. Chalk up another memory for the BOC journal.

BOC's June 24 Pittsburgh, PA concert was filmed by VH-1 for use in a "Where Are They Now" segment, and perhaps something bigger and better later on.

VH-1 filmed the concert with 5 cameras, and also conducted interviews with the band.

Look for the "Where Are They Now" to be broadcast Tuesday, August 3.

Actually it wasn't terribly hot..just sounded good for a subject! Arrived in Franklin with better half and four year old in tow for her first BOC show ever and my first outside venue. Snagged a hotel room and headed to Tunetown. Nice layout, clean, organized... would go again!

Three openers starting at about five... the first, Ashes to Ashes, I believe, was metal and good, though loud to the point of distortion at times.

The second one from Pittsburgh, and Cultjacket can supply the name, as I forget, was the best of the three.

The third, Jakes Blues, was just that... good, but could have lived without it... would have preferred a bit more appropriate forerunner to BOC.

While purchasing a very cool new '99 tour shirt with the reaper on the front and a giant kronos on the back, Art spotted me sporting an older tour shirt, and I took a second to say hi and show it to him. The boys took the stage at about 9:40 and literally burned through the set!!!

Better half kept daughter well behind soundboard (no way could she stand front row like her old lady - gotta harden her up!), so I spent a third of the set back with them, a third by Woody, and a third, including the encore with Cultjacket and co. Always great to see Chris and the missus who had their son and a friend in tow!

Also met up with a terrific couple from Erie who was looking for Chris... discovered them by watching her for a minute holding a sign that said "Cultjacket?" He lurks here... hey, great to meet both of you!

Better half was very cool... he knew how much I love the front and encouraged me to stay there... he was happy listening where he was, watching the kid, and comfortable away from the crunch of the crowd, which there was very little of last night even though the audience was large.

Everyone was cool, letting people up front, no one fighting for a spot..nice change! Daughter was dancing to Godzilla, her favorite, and kept repeating "the amazing Blue Oyster Cult" while playing with other youngsters in the back!

Hopefully got some terrific pics of the band... at the end after D and S as the encore, Bobby motioned to me and handed me a stick. Thanks again, Bobby! Fireworks display began immediately, and knowing daughter is not wild about the noise, I quickly said my goodbyes to all and headed back to the car and hit the road. Didn't get a chance to chat to the boys, but that's ok... another time!

The Oysterboys were having a hell of a good time last night... no known problems save for about three notes from Joan Crawford disappearing for some reason and someone kicking a light connection on Danny that was quickly fixed...

I don't think I've seen the boys more into a show..they were absolutely fantastic!! The sound was great no matter where you stood. Chris will supply the setlist, I'm sure, so I won't get into that.

Neat thing happened this morning..after about four hours sleep we decided to pull out early and beat the rush. Walking bleary-eyed across the parking lot I noticed a guitar pic on the ground... almost passed it up but reached down and got it. Half asleep, I couldn't comprehend what was written on it, then I flipped it over and saw that ever familiar kronos!

Flipped it again, focused my eyes, and lo and behold, the name Eric Bloom met my eyes!! Someone should be more careful out there, but finders keepers... so I got a pic by "proxy"!

On a not-so-happy note, a snafu with better half's vacation forces me to bow out of the Atlantic City show (ouch!), so I will keep my promise to Charlie, who I will regretfully not be able to meet at last, and send the beers I promised to buy by proxy, aka one Bob Milot, if he will do that for me!

Have a happy fourth everyone... I spent it the best way I possibly could... with family, friends, and Blue Oyster Cult!!

Set list TuneTune Franklin PA July 3rd

1. Stairway
2. OD On Life
3. ME262
4. ETI
5. Harvest Moon
6. Bucks Boogie
7. Harvester Of Eyes
8. Career Of Evil
9. Joan Crawford
10. Cities On Flame
11. The Vigil
12. Astronomy
13. Burnin 4 You
14. Godzilla
15. Reaper
16. D/Submission as the encore

95 minutes in time.

This place has got to be my favorite outdoor place. It's what Rock n Roll is all about.

BYOB, BYO Tent, BYO Food, BYO Drugs etc. BYOKids, BYOPets. No one cares what you do as long as your not a total asshole.

BOC Headlined and came on about 9:40... 4 opening bands before and the day got underway about 4:00. 1 band from Pittsburgh,1 from Cleveland and 1 from Erie,and a local act. all respectable Rock Music from all the openers who got about 45 mins each.

This place is in the middle of no where 2 hrs North of Pittsburgh or about `1 1/2 hrs East of Cleveland... .Hung out with lots of great on-liners. Lori Morey up from Texas,Cat from this board and family who drove 5hrs from Eastern PA. Great to see you again,Rich from Erie,Jim from Cleveland,Mike from Warren Ohio etc.

Great time for all.

The Oysterboys really smoked in the 90 degree heat. Long extented solos from Buck in all songs. Eric really enjoying the Cat Walk out to the crowd, and was really belting out the vocals.

2 shows i've seen now within 10 days,and these 2 have to rank up with 2 of the top ten i've seen from BOC ever. Just a top notch night for all

Was a special show for me as well Show No 50 since 1973, and my wifes birthday. The owner of TuneTown is a great guy was ex band manger for ELO, BTO and others, he used to work with Steve Schneck back in the late 70-early 80's.

Check out this place,and suport him. I told him i'd give him a plug online :-). 1888-TUNETOWN lots of great bands all summer.

Good Fireworks after the show to cap off a great night. Special thanks to you Art Ring.

I made the trek across Wisconsin last night to see BOC at the Rock Fest in Cadott, WI. The Rock Fest is a huge four day camping/rock music festival.

I just bought a one day ticket and left after seeing the Oysterboys and about half of America's show, who opened for them. Skynyrd closed the night, but it was a long way back and I had to work today so I didn't stay for them.

I really enjoyed the show, although I was puzzled that the organizers gave America a little more time to play than they did BOC. It was a tight 12 song, 70 minute set in front of 20-25,000 people, a very strong crowd (like it always should be!).

The set-up was excellent, very nice stage and sound system and a large screen with four cameras providing coverage. I was impressed. The sound for BOC was a little inconsistent.

Buck's guitar was actually a little too loud at the start of the show, which isn't a bad problem to have!! It was then a little too low in the mix for the last three songs, I thought, but not that bad. All in all, I had a great time and really look forward to the show at the Navy Pier in Chicago in a few weeks!

Here's the set list:

1. Stairway to the Stars
2. OD'd On Life
3. Burnin' For You
4. ETI
5. Harvest Moon
6. Buck's Boogie
7. Career of Evil
8. Joan Crawford
9. Cities On Flame
10. Godzilla
11. Reaper
12. encore: The Red & The Black

For three hot days in July... The ROCK won't STOP
By Jill Erickson
Tribune Staff Writer

LEWISTOWN - Classic rock fans will be flocking here from all over for the Classic Rock Roundup, July 16-18, on an eight-acre site about 12 miles southeast of town.

Three days of classic rock, camping and camaraderie can be found at the roundup, which promoters are billing as the ultimate "party in the Rockies."

The chief organizers are Dave Hoffbeck, who moved from North Dakota to Lewistown to help arrange the rock fest, and Arlen Evensen, president of Classic Rock Roundup State Development Corp., the Lewistown company that's sponsoring the festival. Hoffbeck put together the similar Rockin' the Hills festival in Bottineau, N.D. last summer, which he said drew 10,000 fans daily, despite rain.

In Lewistown, music will be from about noon until 2 a.m. each day by a total of some two dozen national and regional classic rock groups and artists. Classic Rock Roundup ticket prices range from $40 for an advance one-day pass to $105 for a three-day pass purchased at the gate. VIP tickets cost $300 for the first one and $275 for each additional VIP. Tickets to a warm-up party on Thursday, July 15, cost $15 - but party admission is free for three-day pass-holders. The three-day camping fee is $40.

Ticket outlets are in Billings at Bohemian Music, Ernie November's and Tiny's Tavern; in Kalispell at Sunshine Tapes & CDs; in Bozeman and Great Falls at CD Warehouse locations; and in Helena at Music to Go.

Concert promoters have a 10-year lease on the site near Lewistown, on land owned by Ed and Pat Lynes. The Classic Rock Roundup could be the first of many events on the plot, promoters said.

For more information about Classic Rock Roundup, call toll-free (888) 538-9006, or, in the Lewistown area, (406) 538-6993. The event's office is at 414 W. Broadway in Lewistown. Visit www.classicrockroundup.com.

The Schedule
The Classic Rock Roundup's Sunday schedule will not be announced in advance because it is being left up to the artists, said Treacy Limpus of the festival office in Lewistown.

Performers for Sunday are part of the Rock Never Stops tour and include Ted Nugent, Night Ranger, Slaughter and Quiet Riot.

The tentative music schedule for Friday and Saturday follows:

Friday July 16:
Noon - Kerry Kearney
1:30 p.m. - Austin Healy
2 p.m. - Ozark Mountain Daredevils
3:30 p.m. - Knight Crawler
4 p.m. - Dr. Hook
5:30 p.m. - Austin Healy
6 p.m. - Grass Roots
7:30 p.m. - Knight Crawler
8 p.m. - Randy Bachman
9:30 p.m. - Austin Healy
10 p.m. - Chuck Negron of Three Dog Night
11:30 p.m. - Knight Crawler
Midnight - Rare Earth

Saturday July 17:
1 p.m. - Badfinger
2:30 p.m. - Bones for Fido
3 p.m. - Head East
4:30 p.m. - Knight Crawler
5 p.m. - The Mighty Roosters
6:30 p.m. - Bones for Fido
7 p.m. - Blue Oyster Cult
8:30 p.m. - Knight Crawler
9 p.m. - Joan Jett and the Blackheads
10:30 p.m. - Bones for Fido
11 p.m. - Loverboy
12:30 a.m. - Knight Crawler

San Antonio, TX July 28 (My best recollection, order is most likely jumbled in the middle)

1. Stairway to the Stars
2. O.D.'d On Life Itself
3. Buck's Boogie
4. E.T.I
5. Before the Kiss
6. Joan Crawford
7. Harvest Moon
8. Career of Evil
9. Cities on Flame
10. Take Me Away
11. Burnin' For You
12. Harvester of Eyes
13. Last Days of May (with a truly amazing Buck guitar solo, one of the best I've ever heard from any artist)
14. Don't Fear the Reaper
15. Godzilla
16. Encore: Dominance and Submission

This was an excellent show, my first B.O.C. show in five years and they were in top form.

Noticed Alan Lanier playing guitar on 40-50% of the songs with Eric picking up on keyboards when needed.

It is a testiment to the professionalism of the band that they still play such a great show after so many years.

Tonight: Blue Oyster Cult, Nazareth and Survivor, rock, 7 p.m. Pine Knob, exit 89 off I-75, Clarkston. $12.50, $22.50. 248-377-0100.

OK guys i was there and this may be missing one i'm not sure. i think we got the abbreviated set, and it goes something like this...

1. stairway to the stars
2. o'd on life
3. burnin for you
4. e.t.i.
5. harvest moon
6. career of evil
7. joan crawford
8. havester of eyes
9. buck's boogie
10. cities on flame
11. godzilla
12. don't fear the reaper

There was no encore, and the boys seemed to be off before 11 pm

All in all it was still a good show and i wouldn't have missed it for the world, still kinda bumed i missed the VH1 thingy but id rather see em live.

p.s. even my 12 year old daughter enjoyed the show

Your set list matches with mine, so I guess I didn't miss any songs on my list! The sound sucked, as usual.

Danny's bass was too loud, and the only time I could hear the guitars was when Buck (and Allen once) did a lead. The rest of the time it was pretty muddy.

Just before the end of Godzilla, I saw Buck look at his watch. I think Pine Knob has a deal with the community that concerts get over by 11:00.

Blue Oyster Cult headlined a three band concert Tuesday evening. There were about 8,000 fans at the 14,000 capacity Pine Knob facility outside of metro Detroit.

BOC gave the same set as last Decembers concert at the Palace. The Palace holds 22,000 and only 3,000 attended that concert where BOC was the second of three bands.

My ticket for the December concert was $5 for the fifth row plus $6 for parking. My ticket for the August concert was $22.50 for row H in the pavilion. Lawn seating was available for $12. Parking was $6.

I realize that someone asked for a curret set list. I tried to keep up, but since I was uncertain of all of the titles, I figured I'd get flamed for trying.

Buck's voice sounded better in August than in December.

If you live in lower Michigan and missed these two shows, don't forget that BOC will be at the State Fair in September.

I was at that show, 2nd row from the stage. It was pretty cool. The sound close in was pretty good, although I still have a headache!

I was rather disappointed in the length of the BOC set but I figger it had something to do with community bylaws or something.

How did you like Nazereth? I'm pretty impressed that the lead singer still has a voice after all those years!

All in all, a great evening. Where is this State Fair?

I've said this before, and I seriously doubt that what you're hearing as overkill on bass comes from Danny's Guitar... The P.A. is most likely bottom heavy and you get too much hum from let's say the drums which makes it all muddy...

Reasons for this is more often than not that the Main band's Sound tech is fucking with the other bands just so he can make his band sound better and there'sa not much you can do about it...

If you're in a Club, then you're talking a different scenario all together, but here...

It's sooo rare that a bass guitar is too loud, and I am sure Woody knows what he's doing out there...

Bolle, In revisiting Knowville, your assessment in spot on. The low end distortion was not Danny's Bass, or Woody's work.

They just had the PA too freakin' loud and unfortunately, the bottom end was distorted the worst (weighing in again: this time for the "Bass was NOT too loud crowd ;-)

I'm going to stick with my initial statement. The bass was too loud. I'm a bass player, so I know the difference between the guitars, drums, keys, and bass.

Tuesday night BOC was the main band, so I don't think the sound guys from Nazareth or Survivor (which sounded well balanced) mucked with the board.

Some of the muddiness may have come from the PA, but I think it's a waste of talent to have Eric or Allen play their guitars when they can't be heard.

Mark, No offense, but we are talking physics here not what instrument you're playing...

Issues such as where you were standing during the show is one aspect fer sure... was it windy? that's another aspect... many more to approach but not now...

Main issue remains... If the P.A,. has too much low end, you're gonna suffer with Hum etc. too heavy on the 60hz frequency and what not...

Maybe I'll have Woody come in here and explain this lot again... and then we'll see what gives!

As an aside to this, We suffered a bad bass sound at the Silverbowl in Vegas back in June with Bad Company, possibly the very same phenomenon...

Yeah, I took physics classes in college too. For those of you who didn't, it's simple. If two instruments are playing two musical lines, and you can't hear one, the other is too loud. I've sat/stood near the sound booth, and away from it, and usually, I can't hear the rythm guitars.

A month ago there was a lot of wind at a Pine Knob concert and the mid/high range seemed to waver, so I know what you're talking about there. Can't do much about mother nature. You can fix too much low end with an equalizer.

Maybe we do need to hear from Woody.

Yeah that's the deal, they have to be off by 11 'cause of the neighborhood setting. That was the set allright. I was in row 3 dead center, my best seat yet for them. There were some people bitching allright about no encore, maybe not aware of the time limit.

Emailed Buck after the show and he told me that they would like to be able to play a 90 minute show at the Knob but they never get to. See you, Sean.

Jim, I can't tell you about the Dallas show, but speaking as a devout fan, I can tell you that nothing has ever topped a BOC concert in my lifetime.

Sure, there might have been some sound problems, and possibly some of your favorite tunes were omitted, but having witnessed living legends performing legendary tunes, along with Buck's sweet guitar, should be sufficient.

One must remember that the boys are on a marathon tour which precludes a huge production with superior sound engineering.

What I saw in Salt Lake City on Aug 6, was 5 incredible musicians kicking ass on stage, and a very appreciative crowd that was ready for everything they delivered!!!! On a side note, I can't tell you what a pleasure it was to attend a Hard Rock Concert without having to participate in a dumb-ass Mosh Pit.

I was there purely for the music, and I was allowed to enjoy every single note. I'm 43 years old and I was giddy as a teenager during their performance.

My wife was with me and she enjoyed it immensely, without any real knowledge of what she witnessing. She is now prepared to become a Cultophile! Jim...

if you have mixed feelings on the concert, just remember that ideal concert conditions could not be met on such short travel time and prep. And remember that you witnessed "The Amazing Blue Oyster Cult",

Well, it's been a very busy week for this fast-growing B.O.C. advocate. I just spent a good portion of the last week delving into the crew's first three albums to prepare for the band's appearance at Navy Pier. Well, the day finally arrived, and it was pretty neat.

The Skyline Stage complex at Navy Pier was a huge white canopy, covering a pretty enclosed seating area; we all got excellent views of the stage.

From rows A to P, you felt like you were in a small club. Anyway, it was packed pretty well, even at the farthest rows way up and back. It was a memorable experience.

The show started around 8 PM, as scheduled. This is my attempt to compile a setlist. Amazing that I knew almost every title, seeing that I hadn't known a single tune off the first three albums a week ago; and those first three absolutely incredible albums (IMHO), absolutely ruled the setlist. Well, here goes:

1. Stairway to the Stars
2. OD'd on Life Itself
3. Before the Kiss, a Redcap
4. E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)
5. Harvest Moon
6. x_1 (unknown)
7. Career of Evil
8. Joan Crawford
9. Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll
10. Harvester of Eyes
11. Burnin' For You
12. x_2 (unknown)
13. Godzilla
14. (Don't Fear) The Reaper
15. Dominance and Submission
16. The Red and the Black

Songs omitted from Matt's great review were Last Days of May and Buck's Boogie. It was a great concert! They really seemed to enjoy playing; it was a great mood.

Sound could have been better, but I guess that applies to 90% of their shows. Crowd stayed seated too much for my tastes. I danced in the aisle the whole time!

This was the second BOC show that I have been able to attend (the first wsa back in '84 or '85, when they toured with Aldo Nova; I saw them then in Shreveport, LA). As far as I was concerned, the Dallas show last Wednesday was great.

Now I know that there were some equipment problems (the sound system really does need some work there at the Canyon Club) and I could have done without the opening bands (no insult intended, but I didn't think that they meshed well with BOC and having to sit there for over two hours waiting was a bit tiresome).

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I thought that the level of showmanship and musical talent that the guys displayed was at least on par if not better than I had remembered from my first experience with them (which is truly one of the best concert experiences I have ever had... and I have been to quite a few).

My only real disappointment was that i wanted to hear them play more of the new stuff and the only song that they played off of Heaven Forbid was Harvest Moon.

Again, I know that I was more than likely alone on this one, but I _wanted_ to hear the new material live, though I was happy to hear the old favorites as well.

All in all, I would give the concert an extremely high rating though there were things that maybe could have been done better (things of a technical nature).

1. stairway !opener
2. oded
3. eti
4. before the kiss
5. career of evil
6. buck's boogie
7. joan crawford
8. in thee
9. harvest moon
10. cities on flame
11. harvester of eyes
12. burning for you
13. last days of may
14. godzilla
15. reaper
16. encore: dominance

Not in that order - can't remember the order...

Little bit of a delayed post here, but a set list and quick review of the August 27 show in Atlantic City follows. Wasn't able to log on for a while so I don't have posts from 8/26 till 9/1 so don't know if any other reviews were posted, but will be interesting how they differ from mine.

BOC headlined (only act) The Shell venue at Trump Marina, set list (order mostly accurate)...

1. Stairway
2. OD'd
3. Before the Kiss
4. ETI
5. Harvest Moon
6. Bucks Boogie
7. Career of Evil
8. Last Days of May
9. Cities On Flame
10. Harvester of Eyes
11. Joan Crawford
12. Burning 4u
13. In Thee
14. Godzilla
15. Reaper
16. D&S (encore)

BOC was on top of their game for an extremely lively and energetic set! Played about 1 hr 50 minutes... the venue is a class room with superb acoustics, the sound and lighting seemed right on the money and very professionally handled.

As typical with a "Vegas" style room all attendees are seated at tables - no one stands. The BOC crowd almost seemed out of place in such a fancy place.

For first two or three songs, the crowd seemed somewhat subdued. However, the cheering and applause were typically BOC loud and frantic by mid-set and all seemed in a frenzy by the end.

An interesting observation, after one of the early songs as the crowd's energy picked-up, Eric motioned with his had as if to say "keep seated - its all right, let the folks in the back see" and said something like "take it easy, we have a lot to play".

Wasn't sure what to read into that, did he really think folks would sit on their hands at a BOC show or was he annoyed that we all weren't on our feet (or on our knees) right from the get-go??

Given that they sold out the room (440 seats at $25 a pop) I thought we might be in for something out of the ordinary (like Teen Archer or something) and maybe an very extended set.

Didn't happen, but BOC definitely played the "A" versions of all the songs... solos were hot and jams were extended and tight and HOT!! Had to be just about the best Bucks Boogie and LDOM versions I've ever seen (and I go back to 1974).

Buck and Allen were literally attacking the front of the stage with extended riffs. Danny was pounding the bass while dancing the night away. Bobby had a superb night and gave quite an impressive and very extended drum solo during zilla.

He seemed to go on for several minutes with his "standard" fare then took it into overdrive for an extra special display of drumming speed and moves for an extra two minutes.

All in all a night to try not to forget !!

Saw BOC last night. The band before them was impersonating the Beatles and created a surreal atmosphere for me. Yada yada yada... BOC put on a great show as usual.

Really great sound for a little outdoor festival thing. Nice stage with a portion that extended into the audience in the middle and Buck let some kid work the reverb bar (?) during Cities on Flame.

The band seemed to be having a good time. Lots of BOC fans came out of the woodwork for this unpublicized free appearance. They played for an hour and 45 minutes.

I can't remember the whole setlist but it was similar to the Chicago Navy Pier show except they played ME262 instead of The Red and The Black.

Lots of stuff off ST, which is always a treat. Harvest Moon, quite appropriate for a festival called HARVEST festival. I saw a lot of people who seemed like hardcore fans, also people who seemed to know the band members... Were any of you there?

BOC came on right at 3:30, brought my 12yo daughter wearing her Japan Tour Shirt (Thanks MELNE!) to her first show with the boys!

We were fifth row, and the "crowd", maybe 1000 people in the orchestra/lower section, were thoroughly pumped... on their feet most of the time. I don't know who the idiots who booked this show were, but FIRST????

There were a ton of people who came late and missed them thinking they had to be close to the headliner slot. Lots of people commenting on my BB Jersey and my wife's FOUO shirt (THANKS AGAIN MELNE!!).

Short playlist, and a good story from Eric concerning Blood Sweat and Tears in Turkey years ago... He was making a reference to the 20 - 30 people on the lawn! :>)

Anyway, my daughter had a blast, highlight for her was OF COURSE Godzilla, she got a big kick out of Eric's "Sounds Like Something Big Coming This Way NOW!!"... I had to explain he's been saying that for about 25 years! LOL!!

She also claimed "This was way better than the Backstreet Boys show I saw!!"... hmmmmm... there's hope yet!!

Setlist:

1. Stairway
2. OD'd
3. ETI
4. Harvest Moon
5. COF
6. Buck's Boogie
7. Burning
8. Godzilla w/ solo's, Danny is really kicking ass now!
9. Reaper (Intro was even better than normal, band seemed bewildered when crowd began a full unison hand clap to make a beat, Buck ended up playing it a bit longer, I think because of it)

Anyway, we had a great time, but wish it could've been a little longer! And now, I have a little Oystergirl!!!

Before the show when I was talking to Woody, I had mentioned how bad the sound was in Jaxx and it was kinda rough for the opening bands that had just played.

Woody worked his magic to get a perfect mix, the sound just blew me away. I could hear everybody's instrument and voice just perfect...

After the 2 great shows I saw BOC do in the summer,At Jaxx they even topped those past two.

The last 3 BOC Show have to rank in the top 5 for me of all time. What was so cool was the extended piano in J Crawford,the BD Solo in LDOM, they just really jammed most songs like back in the 70's.

Kind of a anything that goes approach to all the songs. For taking the stage at almost 12:30 a.m. I figured they would get cut off at 2a.m., but they played untill almost 2:25

The set list in order:

1. Stairway
2. OD On Life
3. ETI
4. Harvest Moon
5. Buck's Boogie
6. Take Me Away
7. Joan Crawford ( Eric was playing licks to Beautiful as a Foot before the song)
8. Cities On Flame
9. Burnin 4 You
10. Harvester Of Eyes ( smoking heavy version)
11. Days Of May
12. Lips In The Hills( the best version live i've ever heard)
13. Zilla
14. Reaper with Buck's solo intro
15. encores Golden Age
16. Dom/Submission

Total time of show was a 107 mins. With 16 songs that shows that most songs were much longer than the norm.

Rob good to see you again... Sucks what happened to your coat...

I agree with all that was said about this show. It's amazing, Chris and I had the same thought... just how bad the sound was for the first two openers...

The 60hz hum was almost unbearable during the first two bands. Sound got WAY better when JAXX' own Road Ducks came on, they played a number of classic 70's southern rock...

The kicker is when I told Jay (drummer, owner of JAXX, and birthday boy) that I used to go see them at a club in Brewster NY called Fore n Aft..kinda blue the guys away!

Anyway, the sound for BOC was the best I have ever heard in a club. I noticed a number of things a little different this time... most prominently, to me, was the presence of O'Douls on stage for Buck and Alan...

Hmmmm... anyway, if you've never been to JAXX, they have a pretty good size stage and an excellent lighting system... plenty of prowling room for Danny (who's solo was not only great, but stunningly beautiful...

Much different than I recall), but the real "prowler" on this night was Alan... he was ALL OVER THE STAGE!!! I haven't seen Alan so animated in 15 years.

The highlight for me was Lips, the last couple times I heard it were kinda rough... this time it was MUCH cleaner and polished... if that makes sense.

Harvester and Take me Away also kicked royally. Great show, band was in great spirits afterwards, too!

Maddies setlist:

1. Stairway
2. Oded
3. ETI
4. Harvest moon
5. Bucks boogie
6. Take me away
7. Burning for you
8. HOE
9. Joan Crawford
10. COF
11. Vigil
12. Astronomy
13. Godzilla
14. DFTR
15. encore GAOL
16. RED and Black

Saw the show at Higher Ground on 11/11 in Winooski VT. Had been waiting 20 years to see buck & co. live.

The show made every second of the 20 year wait worthwile, thanks to the band and thanks to my friends Chris and Laurie of Burlington for doing so much to get me there. best concert I've EVER seen.

I went to the show last night and the boys rocked!!!! I haven't seen the Cult since Toads in 1987 and begged the wife to go to this one. Sound was incredible and the show was great with the lighting and overhead projection screen.

No matter where you were in the room you had a fantastic view. I even got to go backstage after the first gig and meet the boys and get my Agents album signed by all the guys (except Allen whom Eric didn't know where he was).

Buck was great and I got to wish him a happy birthday. After Eric signed it for me he asked me how to get to the slots so we went through a side entrance and out onto the casino floor where he started to check out the action!!! I also got to meet many die hard Cult fanatics like myself and we all had an amazing time.

Nice to get to meet Ron A . again and Ronald Loree and shoot the breeze at the side of the stage, that belt buckle is too much Ron A!!!! Krono, sorry I didn't get to meet you but Ron said you were there.

I'm sure you had a good time!!! I wanted to stay for the second set but the wife and the couple we went with wanted to get home to the kids and they lost all their money on the slots!! I'm glad my camera worked as I was right in front of the stage and I shot 5 rolls of film, I thought security would be upset but they let me take all the pictures I wanted.

Now to convince the wife to let me go the next time!!! As far as I know the second set was pretty close to the first but I did hear Bucks Boogie which they didn't play in the first set, I had to gamble so I really didn't get a set list for set 2.

If anyone knows what they played please let me know. Hope everybody had a fun time, I sure did.

SETLIST #1:

1. Stairway to the Stars
2. Before the Kiss
3. E.T.I.
4. Harvest Moon
5. Burning for You
6. Harvester of eyes
7. Joan Crawford
8. Cities on Flame
9. Godzilla - Buck broke his string and Eric told a joke while they were fixing it
10. The Reaper

We just missed getting into the first show, we stood right in the entrance way and it was perfect!!! We were first into the second show and got the front table right in the middle!!

Both shows were awesome, the boys sounded great, and they did Buck's Boogie and The Vigil in the second set!

Mohegan Sun is an awesome place to see a show!

Saw the show last night at the Vanderbilt. Opened for Eddie Money... BOC was absolutely fantastic. Played about an hour and a half. Did the classics, did some newer stuff.

They really sounded good. Sounded MUCH better than I thought they would.

Eddie Money sucked... really really bad. We wound up leaving about halfway through Eddie Money's set.