2017: BOC still on tour forever!!
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I took a nice little plane ride down to San Diego for some BOC!
The casino is near El Cajon, about 30 minutes east of San Diego. Nice little place, not too smoky. I was almost ejected for sneaking in a beer. Dry casino? Who knew? There was a couple of bars in the theater.
Danny Miranda on bass for this show. My first time seeing him since 2003. The band performed a ripping set for the appreciative audience. It was great to get some Tattoo Vampire!
It appeared we would not get an encore, Buck was pointing at his watch. Then boom! Out they come for some Hot Rails and Cities!
Another rock star performance form the Oyster boys! Thanks guys!
The setlist:
January 20, 2017- Albuquerque, NM: Danny Miranda playing in-place of Kasim...
The setlist:
Danny M. on bass showed late had some kid Andy fill in for a few songs.
The setlist was same as Albuquerque, except for Hot Rails as opening encore.
Cache Creek is a casino about 45 minutes North East of Sacramento.
Almost did not make this one. There were car accidents blocking all the roads. I left my office at 6:30 for a 45 minute drive. Ended up arriving at the casino at 8:15 for an 8 o'clock show. Boo!
I run to will call, run to the music hall, run to my seat, the Game of Thrones starts. I can't believe it, the one time I am happy that a band starts late.
The guys almost burned down the place. They absolutely killed it. Wonderful audience. Richie received a tremendous ovation for his Last Days solo, deservedly so.
When it was Buck's turn, he kicked out one of his cables, oops! He got it back in and started his solo on time like a champion. He did it again during Cities.
Great energenic performance! Same set they have done for the past few shows, minus Hot Rails.
Thanks guys!
We made the 4 hour trip to Everett WA to see The Amazing Blue Oyster Cult!!! This was show 44 for me.
A great show. The band was into the show. I had a blast hanging out with great friends before the show and making new friends during the show.
I can't wait to see them in March.
My morning started by running into Mr. Radino in the Sacramento airport. He was kind enough to chat with me for a bit. While this was going on, Mr. Sulton walks by.
Then I go to the gate, Richie and Andy sit right behind me. Am I on the same flight? Yes!! Eric, Buck and the other crew member (sorry I forget his name) sit down. I am in fanboy heaven!
It was hard not to bother them, I did not. Entering the aircraft, folks are having a bit of trouble stowing their luggage, no worries, I will chat with Mr. Roeser while I wait! Score! What fun to be on the same plane.
Give it up for the folks in the Pacific Northwest. They stood up right when the band came on, not many people sat down all night. I believe the band felt it too.
Strong, rocking performance for two hours! 18 song set list! Wow! Last Days was an event! ME 262 was f'ing metal. All around wonderful performance!
A local group called Medicine Hat opened. 8 piece band. I guess I would classify them as Canada rock. They were alright. Very good musicians.
Another fantastic evening of BOC! Thanks guys!
A freight rep I deal with invited me to hang out in Vegas the same weekend BOC was in town - score!! The Golden Nugget casino has a really nice showroom. Nice comfy chairs. Not a bad seat in the house.
A slamming, awesome rock show from the Oyster boys. Good audience. These guys just keep getting better with every performance.
Mr. Radino has been on fire this year! Nice ovations for Buck and Richie for the Last Days solos. Thanks for the rock guys!!
Setlist:
The Golden Nugent is indeed is a beautiful old-school Casino. The showroom where BOC played has perfect acoustics. Of the many times I've seen this band, I've never heard them play in essentially studio conditions and it was great. Every instrument could be heard individually.
Notable: Eric really does play sting guitar.
Danny Miranda, not Kasim Sultan was on bass at this show. I'll look around and see if I can find the setlist.
Great show... they blew the lid off of it!!!
Thanks for letting me know. I wonder what happened to Kasim for this gig...?
BOC at the Saban for the fourth year in a row. I arrived early and listened to the soundcheck, I heard Black Blade, In Thee, Dancin in the Ruins and Harvest Moon.
The show was opened by a hard blues/rock group calling themselves the Fat Daddy Special. I did not see them play, only heard their soundcheck. Really good.
Up next was a group called Archer Nation. Power trio playing old school metal. Sounded a bit like 90's Megadeth. Shredding lead guitarist/lead vocalist, good bassist. They were good.
BOC took the stage around 9pm. Really good show. Nice long set. Good audience. Another fun evening of rock!!
Set list:
What a great show! I made the 3 and an half hour drive up to Washington.
The crowd up front was a little weak as they didn't stand.
We stood some of the time but had others around us complain about us singing and standing.
I couldn't believe the 7 song encore.
They love coming to the EQC and they treated us to a great long show.
I picked up a set list and my 2 friends got drum sticks. I ended up with one of the sticks:
BOC back at the Emerald Queen! Always a good decision to fly up for this one. I missed it last year because I was in the middle of an Iron Maiden bender.
This may have been the show of the century!! Over two hours of pure rock!! The guys were on fire. A lot of fun interaction between Kasim and Richie.
I love the new bass break in the Red and the Black. Eric said it is their favorite place to play, and it showed. A fun, enthusiastic audience.
Always nice to experience BOC in the Seattle area. These folks love their BOC!
The encore just kept going and going. Wow!! 7!! Perfect Water had eluded me for years. Nice to finally hear it again. Ripping Black Blade! Thanks for extra long set guys!
Sheboygan setlist:
Fun show, but the night was made by seeing Mark (first time since the fans show), Lynnie (first time we've met her) and others.....
At our show last night I dedicated DFTR to Chuck Berry. For the encore I suggested we play one of his tunes and we settled on "Johnny B. Goode" which Richie sang. We'd never played it before (as BOC) but everyone knows Chuck Berry's repertoire. Between Chuck and Little Richard, they created our genre. His music and lyrics are the bedrock of rock and roll.
Saw BOC again last night. Great show. And a full show at that, being it was just them. Very responsive crowd and all smiles from the band as they left the stage. Looking forward to seeing them again this year a couple more times.
Friday, March 24, 2017
Isle of Capri Casino Waterfront Convention Center:
They dedicated Reaper to both Sib Hashian, original drummer for Boston, who passed away on March 22nd at the age of 67 and also to Chuck Barris of The Gong Show, who passed away on March 21st at the age of 87).
Another cool thing was Eric Bloom introducing all of the non-hit songs to the crowd. Whether anyone thought it was helpful or otherwise, I loved it because none of the mainstream fans would have known any of them anyway. For me, it gives me a chance to check those songs out and also the albums they were recorded on. Definitely a win-win lol.
The opening band was Dan Lawson...
This show was probably one of my least favorite BOC shows I have seen. I never thought the band ever got things together that night with the exception of a few songs. The sound was suspect all night which didn't help things!
Don't get me wrong, I was having a good time that night. It is just that compared to all my other live BOC shows, this was not anywhere close to some other evenings I encountered since my first show in 1981.
Shooting Shark was awesome and really made my evening though. Great versions of Vigil and DFTR were also highlights for me, especially what I am now calling "Buck's Noodle", the little solo jam he has before launching into Don't Fear The Reaper. It was long and really out there and I wish he could have keep doing that for a while longer! I would love it if Buck would do this more often during each performance as it really highlights what a great musician the guy is!
I do have to admit that after seeing so many GREAT BOC shows, you forget that they will occasionally have just an OK show and sometimes that ends up being the show you are at.
BOC at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. This is a coastal town in south Orange county, famous for the swallows migrating en masse every year. A nice little bar/restaurant that has bands play while you eat an overpriced crappy meal. Similar to the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills. Picnic tables in front of the stage, bar in the back. I did not want to spend big bucks to eat so I was stuck watching from the bar. Not a bad view though. Decent sound. Of course it was hard not to be bothered by all the f'ers running their mouths instead of enjoying the band.
A local group called the Gunboat Kings opened. Very good musicians. Sounded like a mash of Steely Dan and Pablo Cruise.
Another slamming, awesome performance from the Oyster boys. Black Blade for the first encore sans the Cave of Flesh speech. Nice Perfect Water for the second encore. Fun, enjoyable evening. Thanks for the rock!
Set:
OC at the Libbey Bowl in Ojai, CA. The Ojai valley is located 20 minutes north of Ventura. Quaint little mountain town. The venue is located in Libbey park, a popular hangout for the locals. Awesome little ampitheater,nice seats with a pit area in the front that had table seating.
The first opener was a garage blues band. I did not catch their name, nor did I watch them. I heard them from afar. The second opener called themselves the Malibu's. Not the UK sixties band. They featured a fella named Walter Egan who had a big hit in 1978 called Magnet and Steel, written for Stevie Nicks. A couple other guys said they played with Spirit. Decent band.
BOC comes on and kills it! They took the audience on a wild rock journey. By the end of the night, everyone was standing and dancing. There was a young lady in front of the stage that was exhibiting some interesting dance moves. I noticed Andy was filming her for a bit when she got really crazy. The rest of the band seemed to enjoy her skills too. This was also one of the loudest shows I have seen from them. Joan Crawford for the first encore, yes! Thanks for the rock!!
Set:
Danny is with BOC for the remainder of the year. It's all good, I really like the BOC with Danny on bass... We're gonna rock.
Saw Blue Oyster Cult for the second time this year on May 24th in Cedar Rapids, IA. They were the opening act for Boston. They played a 45-minute set with no encore, as follows:
I'll be seeing them at least two more times this year (10/6 St Charles, IL and 10/7 Waukegan, IL and maybe 9/3 Elkhorn, WI)
Setlist [ Danny Miranda on bass] :
Notes: I've probably seen close to 30 BOC shows to date. This by far is in the top 3. The band was feeding off the energy Danny brings to the set. During the solo section of "Then came the last days of May", I saw Eric getting into it (headbanging almost) at the keyboard and motioned for the band to continue the solo section (assuming due to the amazing jam they were getting into between Richie & Danny). Jules let loose quite a bit during the set, too.
Here is the setlist from the 26 May 2017 gig at the Game Changer World Event Center, Allentown PA:
The venue had audio production problems. BÖC did not come on until about 11:30 and they played until about 1:00.
7:30 - Opener: DNA (Damien Anderson) - one guy on an Ovation Acoustic/Electric - he did a song that vaguely sounded like Rooster by Alice in Chains. With the exception of a Cornell/Allman medley, all his stuff was original.
8:45 - MC guy...
8:47 - Game of Thrones - Danny Miranda on bass
Eric - I love the idea that you've just played SEVEN songs off the 1st LP... now I know that you've spoken slightly disparagingly of the idea in the past, but could now be the time to make it EIGHT, and find yourself "by a song, Redeemed"...? :-)
Anything can happen in Space and Time.
Setlist from tonight's show:
8:00pm: Game of Thrones intro
Band:
Eric Bloom
Buck Dharma
Ritchie Castellano
Jules Radino
Danny Miranda (surprise!)
Outstanding setlist, band was super tight, really nice hearing the older tunes, especially True Confessions / Tattoo Vampire!
BOC back at the House of Rock for the one year anniversary of the establishment.
V2 once again opened the show. They were a bit sloppy, but rocked. They started about half an hour late, which seemed to cut BOC's set short, F'ers!
Stairway to the Stars for the opener! I have not heard that one in about 15 years. They then proceeded to slay the audience.
These people came to drink and yell and scream. Seriously folks, 60 year old men yelling whooooo and yeeeaahhhh every five seconds is getting a bit tired. Oh well.
Another night of rock from the mighty BOC!! The set list going around is accurate.
BOC back at the Jackson Rancheria. They played here about 5 years ago. Jackson is a town about an hour southeast of Sacramento. Nice casino. They do a great job with concerts here.
No opener. BOC came on about 7:15. Pure rock! A flawless performance! Screams and She's as beautiful as a foot were quite a treat. They were played the night before, however it was difficult to hear with all the drunk hillbillies in Santa Rosa. The audience this night was into the show just as much, but a bit more polite. Several standing ovations that were well deserved.
For the encore, Eric said they were going to play a rare treat for us. I am thinking Transmaniacon or Workshop of the telescopes, nope. It was I love the Night, yeah, super rare! Just kidding guys.
Thanks for the great evening of rock!
Set list:
Schedule for "Main Stage 1":
11:30 - 12:10: Slydigs
13:10 - 13:55: Battle Beast
15:00 - 15:50: Blue Oyster Cult
17:00 - 17:50: Black Star Riders
19:05 - 20:05: Dee Snider
21:25 - 22:25: Europe
00:00 - 01:30: Rammstein
Schedule for "Indigo at the O2":
12:25 - 12.55: Bang Bang Romeo
13:25 - 14:05: The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown
14:35 - 15:15: GUN
15:45 - 16:30: The Answer
17.15: Blue Oyster Cult
The band came on bang on schedule (17:15), they were headlining the Indigo at the O2 afternoon session of the Stone Free Festival.
Eric said 'We are Blue Oyster Cult and we are here to play Blue Oyster Cult' before launching into the full first album in sequence.
He later said that this was only the second time they have ever done this (the first was on 8 June this year). It was a great show.
Setlist was:
Great to see the full first album, I had never seen 6 of these songs live before in the 25 BOC shows I have seen previously from 1978 to 2016. Highlights for me were I'm On the Lamb, Beautiful as a Foot and Workshop of the Telescopes.
Eric stated that they would be doing some songs that would be more familiar to fans who 'don't give a s**t about the first album'. BFY got a big cheer, Buck sang the two verses the wrong way round ('time' verse before 'home' verse), I think this was probably a mistake.
No drum solo in Godzilla, no noodle before DFTR. Some severe headbanging from parts of the crowd for Tattoo Vampire!
LDOM was the long version with guitar solos from Richie then Buck (as usual after the '... did they know a trap had been lain?' lyric, and before the 'They're OK the Last Days of May...' lyric).
The other 1st album songs were quite close to the album versions except for CoF which again was similar to the version they usually play these days. An extra bit was added after (I thought) it had finished, where they jammed from Buck's 'widdly-widdly' bit and then re-did the end of the song with Eric, Buck, Richie and Danny all lined up like they used to do during '5 guitars'. Fantastic!
Eric said they would stretch out and play some other stuff at the UK shows starting in Manchester on the 25th. I will be at Manchester and Nottingham... looking forward to them!
Made sure we got there early which was just as well as I believe many people didn't get in to see BOC. A quick mention for the other bands on the bill.
Arthur Brown was a delight and one of the most entertaining sets I've seen for a long time. People all around were smiling and what a voice at age 75. It's a pity Eric's vocals are not holding up so well.
Didn't know much about Gun before their set but enjoyed them and also The Answer played a great live show. And so to the main event.
Despite their triumphant return to London last year I was surprised to see them back so soon (if at all).
The day had started badly with the waiter at our hotel pouring scalding coffee down my back and it seemed for a while we might not make the gig at all.
However patched up I decided to soldier on but for the first time in nearly 30 BOC gigs without a BOC T-Shirt to show my colours as mine had fallen foul to the hot coffee. Fortunately my wife's was still intact so on we marched.
Off with the Answer and up went the BOC backdrop featuring the first album cover. Several pints of Stella in and huge expectation. However when any band play a whole album in sequence it can dull the natural flow of a gig that a more ingrained setlist gives, but this is a small gripe and it was great to hear some of these songs live for the first time, the pick of which was "Screams" beautifully sung by Ritchie.
The rest of the set was as expected and the main favourites so I doubt any one went home disappointed except by the fact it was a shortened set due to the timings of the other bands in the main arena.
Overall another fine performance and you can never complain about a constantly changing setlist which gives all fans young and old something new.
Still up for more we toddled over to the main arena. What a disappointment. Don't get me wrong it's a nice place but it is massive. Once we found our seats up in the Gods (and I'd booked early because of BOC) I feared the worst. You needed binoculars to see the stage and so felt apart from what was going on on it.
I've always wanted to hear The Sweet's songs live and I wasn't disappointed by the setlist but I so wish I'd seen them in a smaller venue. It was similar with Rainbow despite their set and light show. After a few numbers we just lost interest. Managed to hold out to see Child in Time followed by Stargazer which is another song I can now tick off my list and then left early to beat the masses to the one available tube station.
Great to see BOC again and hope they come back soon. I am just missing Baby Ice Dog, Wings Wetted Down and Cagey Cretins as songs not seen live off the first 3 albums. How about it fellas...?
Schedule for "Valley Stage":
10:30 - 11:00: Bright Curse
11:40 - 12:10: Vodun
12:50 - 13:30: The Vintage Caravan
14:20 - 15:00: Crippled Black Phoenix
16:00 - 16:40: Ufomammut
17:40 - 18:30: Pentagram
19:40 - 20:40: Blue Oyster Cult
21:50 - 22:50: Clutch
00:00 - 01:00: Hawkwind
Schedule:
15:30 - Sarah Olivier
16:45 - Wilko Johnson
18:30 - Blue Oyster Cult
20:15 - The Stranglers
Amazing gig last night. Venue about 2/3 full, but very lively. T-Shirts all sold out by time the support had finished.
My daughter almost came to the gig, but based on the setlist probably good that she didn't. Not much she would have recognised.
Astonishing to hear the whole first album, and then into Red & Black, which Eric said was the first time that and I'm On The Lamb had ever been played in the same show.
Lots of Buck vocals, maybe resting Eric's voice a little???
My 22nd BOC show plus 2 Soft White Underbelly shows in 1981. I've seen Allen's last show in Nottingham in 2006 and Albert's last show in Dunstable in 1981 but this gig was the best ever. The band played superbly for 2 hours and to hear the 1st album played in its entirety was amazing.
Buck's guitar seemed a little lost in the mix at times but otherwise the show was outstanding. Eric was smiling all the way through the show and it was great to hear the tribute to Allen on his 71st birthday.
All we need now is Secret Treaties in it's entirety at Nottingham tomorrow and I will be a happy man for the rest of my life
BOC forever!
First time I'd seen BOC since Holmfirth in 2008 - and 14th time in all, the first being the Free Trade Hall in 1975. The Holmfirth show was superb but over the following 9 years (& 2 weeks!), I kept saying "I'll be happy if I get to see them again" - and finally it happened.
The support act Jared James Nicols was OK and tried hard, but there was too much posing for me; holding high notes and not much variation in the songs. Somewhere between Ted Nugent and The Darkness but maybe I was being harsh because I just wanted BOC to get on.
I'd been very jealous when I saw the announcement for London, playing the first album in its entireity. I had thought about going down but as it turned out I couldn't make it. Then they came out, on the stroke of 9.00 without any announcement - I still like the "On your feet or on your knees" lead in but hey ho.
They started with Transmaniacon MC, and then I'm on the Lamb. Could it be the entire first album? Next came Last Days of May and it became clear. Again a fantastic solo from Ritchie, followed by Buck's blistering solo. This really is BOC's "Freebird" and is probably as important as Reaper in the set list in my view.
Long time since I'd seen Before the Kiss, which again is a favourite, but to be honest the sound wasn't great on this. By the end of Redeemed I was checking the London set list on my phone to see what might come next. Red and Black was a real surprise, especially as they had played "I'm on the Lamb", and Eric said it was the first time they had done this.
Of the remainder, not a massive fan of The Vigil but enjoyed it live. True Confessions was a nice tribute to Allen on his birthday, and I liked Tattoo Vampire. Godzilla was superb and a bit of a surprise as the clock was ticking towards the 11.00 curfew.
Finally came Reaper which always hits the right notes, and there was just enough time for Hot Rails as an encore with Ritchie on lead vocals - he looked as though he really enjoyed this and it was as good as I'd ever seen it.
One can only hope that if and when Eric and Buck decide to call it a day, he takes up the mantle. Eric was not leading on as many songs but still largely nailed the ones he did, especially Lips in the Hills.
Looking back, it is always possible to reflect on the songs they didn't play - Buck's Boogie, ME 262 and Black Blade come to mind - but that would be churlish. 21 songs and probably the best set list they have played in years -we were treated royally.
My one complaint was that it wasn't filmed because to me this was the best that I had ever seen them. Still, I understand that London was so lets hope that it gets released. I even stayed behind to meet Buck, who was very patient as I was poncing around with my camera phone.
Who knows if they will tour the UK again but to be honest they will have difficulty in topping this - all in all a perfect night.
Support: Jared James Nichols
Set List:
The Old Gods Return!
When BOC last played Newcastle in 2008, I thought that was probably the last time I'd see them live. Oh ye of little faith! Back they come to do it one more time with a decent sized tour. When my good friend Keith and I strolled around the corner from the venue, I was amazed to see a HUGE line before us. It very quickly became a huge line after us too. Perhaps everyone though it was possibly the last time too?
After negotiating both the over strict security and the frankly amateurish box office, we finally got in. Wasn't too struck on a t-shirt, though was taken aback at the "45 years" tag. I was reminded that my first BOC gig was 1978...
Support band came on, Jared James Nichols - sub Ted Nugent cock-rock posturing. Drummer was good.
A bit of stage clearing and the inevitable 1-2 / 1-2 malarkey meant that the clock was creeping around to 21:00. I was wondering what the curfew was, haven fallen foul of that in 2008.
When I saw the setlist from Manchester, 21 songs with the first album in it's entirety, I did hope against hope that the same thing would happen, though I knew that it probably wouldn't. The Game of Thrones intro blasted out - no "R U Ready 2 Rock Newcassel" - they came on to much whooping and cheering and went straight into 'Stairway to the Stars' as a statement of intent. Now this was my 12th show and my trusty spreadsheet tells me that I've never heard this live. Go figure.
Eric was in v chatty mood and was moving and singing much better that any 72 year old should, especially considering their punishing touring schedule! He mainly used the black SG with a gold Chronos embossed on it, but swapped to a custom Reaper model late on. Buck used his 'Cheeseberger' exclusively.
Other highlights - a 'oh, let's do this one' moment gave us a stonking OD'd on Life Itself; Black Blade, one of my faves; a sublime Last Days of May with two incredible solos; Tattoo Vampire; Lips in the Hills and I Love the Night, all first time live for me.
A singalong Reaper closed off the set, with the aforementioned I Love the Night and a powerful Cities on Flame as the encores. I would have swapped any of True Confessions / Dancing in the Ruins / Harvest Moon for Workshop of the Telescopes or ME262, but hey, I don't make the setlist.
As it was, it was a fantastic 2 hours 17 song set, performed brilliantly, with just a very few wobbles with tuning and vox. Did I mention Eric is 72? The 'young guys' Richie, Jules and a returning Danny Miranda all played out of their skins once again. Could this be the last time? Maybe, but I don't know...
Here's a review of this gig - plus photo gallery - from "metalexpressradio.com":
My 25th BOC/SWU show having managed to see them at least once on every tour since their first one in 1975. Having seen them perform a spellbinding show at Manchester 3 days before wasn't quite sure what to expect tonight but the band came through with possibly any even better performance than Manchester.
They started with Transmaniacon MC and first thoughts were could we possibly be getting the 1st album again.Although its a song I have not given too much attention to over the years I now think its as good an opening song as the Red and Black.
Golden Age next so now we knew we were going to get a normal show but the whole band was giving it 110% throughout the 2 hours.
Next up Eric gave us an explanation of how Before the Kiss, A Redcap was conceived including Sandy Pearlman's involvement.
After a great version of BFY Eric announed they were going to f**k with the setlist because they can and a blistering version of Harvester of Eyes followed.
At last we got something from the majestic Secret Treaties. Great versions of The Vigil and Shooting Shark followed and unlike Manchester Buck's guitar was crystal clear and boy did he play some superb solos.
After a superbly powerful Lips in the Hills we got the next set list change with the introduction of the great combination of Screams/She's as Beautiful as a Foot.
Dancin in the ruins followed which I'd not heard live for about 30 years. Last Days of May followed and both Richie and Buck's guitar solos were breathtaking, Buck's nearly brought tears to my eyes it was so beautifully constructed.
True Confessions/Tattoo Vampire brought us to something big coming from Sherwood Forest was it Friar Tuck no its the Lizard King Godzilla. I like the fact they have taken it back to how they played it on Spectres - it has so much more power.
Time for Buck to build up the one man wall of sound and then into a superb version of DFTR. Some time left before curfew and the way Eric's stood with the mike could it be a second song from Secret Treaties yes the best encore song anywhere Dominance and Submission, great singing from the audience and then finally Richie gives us a great version of Hot Rails to Hell and its time to leave after once again BOC prove they are the greatest rock and roll band on the planet.
Standing so close to Eric you realise how he builds the foundation for most of the songs with his guitarwork and hats off to him with the effort he has to put in to sing his songs.
I just hope they will be back next year to celebrate 45 years since Tyranny and Mutation and hopefully follow it up the next year with the greatest of them all Secret Treaties.
I've loved this band since the moment I dropped the needle onto Secret Treaties for the very first time in 1974. Thank you Max Bell for writing your review in NME all those years ago and thanks to BOC for coming over to this small island on so many tours over the last 42 years.
A personal reflection on a special gig which I hope captures some of the feelings hardcore fans have for this band.
I hadn't seen BOC since their last 2008 gig in Manchester. That was very good but there was frustration that no encores were played - a small but sour note on which to finish a tour.
In the intervening 9 years much has happened to fans, the band and music marketing. And I was busy with family, holidays and work when the Agents dates came last year. Was BOC becoming one of those things I did in the past?
I read the dates for this tour with mixed feelings. Would they still have that buzz? I'd already bought tickets for the Ritchie Blackmore gig in Glasgow so was peeved when I saw it clashed with BOC in Manchester. And could I haul myself across country to Newcastle? Would it be worth it for those drum and bass solos? Would they still be able to surprise?
So it was that on Wednesday evening I brooded about BOC and how I'd enjoyed them so much in the past. I thought of the rave reviews from Newcastle and Manchester, of the homage to their first album. And I thought "you've followed this band for 41 years. Try one last go because you never know if you'll see them again."
Glasgow it was then - a stressed hour on the internet booking tickets from agents who made a fortune out of me, then a train seat and the hotel room on trivago. Would it be worth it? The expense, the time, dashing from work, 2 hours on the train, a late night and up at 6 for the early train to be at my desk for 9 am Friday. For a band I've seen more than 20 times already.
Off the train at Glasgow, a taxi dash to my hotel and then out in the same taxi to the 02. 6-50, and a crowd beginning to form. A real buzz in the atmosphere and then we started to enter the hall.
And suddenly it all became worthwhile. Near the front I saw Yorkshire Sue, the Irish contingent, Simon - old friends all and it was delightful to exchange grins, handshakes, hugs, beers. There was much speculation about the set length, set lists and opening numbers. Frustration at the length of the support act - and then at 8-30 BOC hit the stage.
The emotion I felt was tremendous. All doubts were gone. A great sense of gratitude for the enormous pleasure they had given me over the years, for opening the doors to history, sci-fi, poetry and literature, language, the world beyond my small English village. They kicked off with Transmaniacon MC and it was all marvellous from then on. Slick, tight, participatory, with sparkling gems - Career of Evil, Lips in the Hills, Tattoo Vampire, all good punchy rockers - Dancing in the ruins, which is such a hook line, and the splendid tribute to Allen Lanier - Joan Crawford and True Confessions were marvellous.
Killer bigboys were Last days of May, and a clear indication that they were listening to the fans who want to hear the classics - Godzilla kept short and punchy by dropping solos, which thrilled me to the core. It implied surprises later on. Reaper sounded more like the original than any I've heard before, and all the better for it, and then back for the encores we missed at Manchester. Astronomy and a chunky Cities on Flame.
This crowd were enthusiastic, BOC clearly enjoyed themselves and the mutual appreciation and respect were marvellous. People know this band deliver. And they make it look effortless. When Blackmore showed flashes of genius, I felt relief. But BOC were permanently astounding, and we just thought "THIS IS WHAT THEY DO! IT'S WHAT THEY'VE DONE FOR YEARS!"
Afterwards about 8 of us had a brilliant two hours reminiscing, sinking beers and bumping (briefly) into Jules in the Pizza parlour next door. I hit the sack at midnight, got up at 5.40 for the 6-30 train, and was at my desk for just gone 9. I then sleepwalked through my day, got home and drove my wife and her friends to see Tom Jones whilst I returned home for a nap. Too tired for Tom, I said, I probably won't be seeing BOC again with it being so knackering.
Unless there's a day with a 'd' in it.
Set List:
Here's a review of this gig from "fabricationshq.com":
I'm not sure why this got cancelled, but it's now gone from the BOC schedules...
Schedule:
12:40 - Lords of Black
13:30 - Dirkschneider
14:35 - Nu
15:40 - Sodom
16:45 - Gotthard
17:50 - Carcass
18:55 - Blue Oyster Cult
20:00 - Emperor
21:05 - Deep Purple
22:55 - Rosendo
00:00 - Alice Cooper
01:40 - Saxon
Set List (I might have messed up the order):
I just attended my fourth BOC show and was lucky enough to get Buck's setlist (and a Buck pick)!
As far as the setlist is concerned there's some changes from what's listed and what they played. See below for the actual list.
Las Cruces, New Mexico Setlist:
BOC also played Dancin' In The Ruins.
I believe, but I am not 100% positive, that it was played prior to The Vigil. They said that it was an unplanned addition to the set list.
I saw the show with 8 other friends an hour up the road from home. We did a little tailgating in the parking lot before the show.
The show was short because FogHat opened. The band brought it again, Jules was tight on the drums. It was great to see Danny again.
Eric's voice was good on the songs that he sang. Richie and Buck killed it on guitar.
We saw Woody prior to the show, I requested Joan Crawford and he said, we'll see.
When it was encore time Eric asked the crowd what we wanted to hear. Cities, Hot Rails, Joan Crawford, Black Blade. It was close but Joan Crawford won.
Here is the set list:
Jack Russell's Great White
Dicki Fliszar (drums/vocals), Robby Lochnar (guitar/vocals), Dan McNay (bass/Vocals), Tony Montana (guitar/keyboard/vocals), Jack Russell (vocals)
Blue Öyster Cult
Eric Bloom (guitar/keyboard/vocals), Richie Castellano (guitar/keyboard/vocals), Danny Miranda (bass/vocals), Jules Radino (drums), Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (guitar/vocals)
Ted Nugent
Jason Hartless (drums/vocals), Ted Nugent (guitar/vocals), Greg Smith (bass/vocals)
The setlist:
I have been to about 20 BOC shows from '76 to present and it is always a treat. Of course they are much better when they headline, they seem to get into it more. I wish they could always headline.
Several things that stood out to me. First, Eric's voice is better and stronger than the last few times I saw them and that's a good thing.
Also I liked seeing Danny Miranda back at Bass. I like Kasim don't get me wrong, but Danny give the BOC more of a groove to the rhythm section, in my opinion.
I like this lineup and also Jules and Richie are great and always come out to say hi to the fans afterwards, that's cool.
I had never heard Transmaniacon live before and was happy to see that.
And of course Buck was big time on his game, and a couple of friends that I brought and my son also who has never seen BOC said that Buck was awesome and the show was great.
The opening band Mothership was heavy and very good. Kind of a Black Sabbath sound to them.
Could it be the opening act was: The Good Rats ? This information was in my excel-file.
Spiedie Festival
Otsiningo Park, Binghamton, N.Y.
I was not there. I got this from dimeadozen.org:
The Independent Garden Center Convention Show is the world's largest trade show and conference for independent garden center owners, managers and buyers. It is not open to the general public. In addition to the trade show, "IGC's Free Party & Concert is the fun and networking event of the year for independent garden centers and vendors."
Past IGC Show Concert headliners have included REO Speedwagon, the Gin Blossoms, Don Felder of The Eagles, Eddie Money, America, Kansas, Foreigner's Lou Gramm, Charlie Daniels, Styx's Dennis DeYoung and 38 Special, among others."
This year it's BOC... so far as I can tell, a $25.00 show registration fee will allow you to attend the concert on Tuesday....
Friday 18 Aug Schedule for the "Main Stage" at Fourth and State Streets:
7 p.m. - Blue Oyster Cult
9 p.m. - Dennis DeYoung
Set list Erie, PA 8-18-17:
Great show! Band sounded better than ever with the music, vocals/harmonies spot on.
Been following BOC since 1976 and this show did not disappoint. They seem to get better every time I see them - well worth the 1.5 hr. drive from Buffalo, NY.
After the show, drummer Jules Radino went out of his way to spend some time with us and he made sure my 13 yr. old daughter (also a fan) and I got to meet the band.
Overall it was a great experience.
Friday, Sep. 1 Schedule for the "Stan Colella Stage at Chevy Court":
2 p.m. - A Tribe Called Red
8 p.m. - Blue Oyster Cult
All concerts are free to Fairgoers with your Fair admission!
The show took place at the New York State Fair. There was no opening act (A Tribe Called Red played at 14:00). The Game of Thrones theme fired up right at 20:00 as the band hit the stage. The Chevy Court Stage area was full and the crowd was ready to rock and roll and the band would not let them down. The setlist seemed to be pretty static from recent shows with ME 262 in for Buck's Boogie.
Despite the surprisingly cool temperature as the sun went and the dubious sound issues and feedback early in the set, the band was on point and were firing on all cylinders. There seems to be a different vibe with Danny Miranda on bass. Kasim might be a better technical player, but Danny is no slouch and his energy is evident. He and Jules laid down a solid rhythm all night long. The vocal harmonies were excellent across all the songs once the sound issues were resolved.
Eric is still a great master of ceremonies and his voice held up well on the songs he took the lead on. It would be great to hear him sing some more songs in concert but the fact that he's still getting it done at 72 is amazing.
Richie continues to become more and more confident. Whether it's his lead or rhythm guitar work, tinkling the keys or his vocals, he seems at ease with it all. If rumours of another album are true, I can't wait to hear his contributions. His guitar duel with Buck on Last Days was aural pleasure.
Buck is simply sublime. His playing is always tastefully sublime. There is never a wasted note and he can play it any way that you want. From the heaviness to Tattoo Vampire to subtlety on True Confessions and everything in between, Buck does is all with ease. He...is...the...man.
This is my 7th BOC show and it was my 13 year old son's first. We drove down to Syracuse from Ottawa and it was well worth the 3 hour drive and more. My son is a guitar player and he was amazed by Buck and Richie's skills. In his words, the show was phenomenal. Another convert to the Blue Oyster Cult!
A great show by a legendary band. We can't wait to see them again.
Here's a review of this gig - plus photo gallery - from "syracuse.com":
There was a standing-room-only turnout at Chevy Court for this show, which was free with admission to the State Fair.
The band was in fine form despite the unseasonably cold temperatures. It was 50 degrees outside by the end of the show.
This was the third time the band has played the NY State Fair, the most recent being in 2010.
Eric made a point of mentioning that every member of the band is from New York State.
Setlist:
Support Act: The Woomblies Rock Orchestra
Setlist:
Tonight's show was a benefit concert for Hospice of South Central Indiana. It was held at Mill Race Park in Columbus, IN. Weather turned out just about perfect after heavy rain the day before. The support act was an Indianapolis-based classic rock cover band called The Woomblies Rock Orchestra. Played Led Zepp, The Who, The Beatles, Foreigner... They were impressive- featured a string section in addition to guitar, bass, keys, and drums. Really got the crowd pumped.
BOC's set was pretty standard as of late, but they played a blistering "The Vigil" - the best I had heard from many shows. The mix was spot on - vocals never sounded better, as did guitars on Last Days. Nice to see Danny back on stage, he is a great fit with the band. Great crowd - several BOC shirts in our area. We stayed at the same hotel as the boys, so got to hang a little in the bar after the show. Good times!
Here's a review of this gig - plus photo gallery - from "therepublic.com":
Setlist:
This show was at the Jackpot Junction Casino in southwest Minnesota. September 9th.
Setlist:
The band was in great spirits and full of energy and passion. Love having Danny back. Eric was witty and joking all evening. His voice sounded excellent.
The venue was state of the art with sound and light. Mix was excellent. A few technical glitches with Bucks guitar and rig between songs...that is when EB stepped in with some wit and joking.
It was fun show. They played a few deep cuts which I expected not to hear at a casino gig. Three song encore. 110 Minutes.
The Setlist:
BOC was in Cottonwood, Arizona on Saturday September 16 for an outdoor show at the Thunder Valley Rally.
Opening bands on the bill were Mr. Skynyrd (Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band from Tucson, AZ) and Mogollon (also from Arizona). Both bands were excellent.
BOC came on at 9:30PM with a beautiful evening for rock n' roll, and rocked until 11PM.
Set List:
A nice set mix-up. Danny Miranda on bass. Another exceptional show by the Cultsters!
BOC On Tour Forever!
BOC back at the Canyon Club in beautiful Agoura Hills, CA. First time since 2014 in this venue. Nice bar with tables in the open area. A raised platform in the back with more tables. Located in a strip mall.
The opening group was the Fat Daddy Special, who opened at the Saban back in March. Excellent hard blues rock band. The singer shredded just as much as the lead player. Next we had Evolution Eden all the way from the SF bay area. Another excellent,polished performance. I would call them Hard pop. Once again, the singer shredded just as much as the lead guy. Both openers were very entertaining. Great job guys!
Then we had the Oyster boys! The setlist:
Another fantastic performance. Joan Crawford early in the set. Black Blade without the Cave of Flesh intro. Reaper was dedicated to Bobby "the Brain" Heenan. See you in Black for the first encore! Yes! I had not heard that one in five years. Thanks for the rock!
Where is Andy? I did not see him in Santa Rosa or Jackson earlier this summer. Did Kasim take him?
BOC at Big Bear Lake. Located about an hour from San Bernardino. Three hour drive from Agoura Hills. I had a 71/2 drive home to Sacramento the next day. Twisty winding climb up the mountain. Gorgeous town on the lake. Plenty of bars, restaurants and shopping. The Cave is right on the main street. A very nice bar. Big room that sloped down to the stage. Tables in the back, two sections of GA with a pit. A few seats on the sides.
Opening the show we had a group from the LA basin called Infused By Defiance. Thrashy groove metal. Pantera mixed with Suicidal Tendencies. The musicians were very good, however the singer was a bit of a douche. They did a good job. They were pulling the rock star thing and taking too long to break down their equipment. BOC's crew came out and had to tell them to move it!
BOC came on about 9pm. Nice mix to the set. Joan Crawford two days in a row! The guys were really on it this night. I was about 5 feet from Buck. He was on fire. Eric said they had a bit of an issue with traffic getting there. We had some extremely rude cunts show up and start bothering the band and everyone else around them. Knocking over drinks, slamming into people. Nice! Over all a wonderful day at the lake with BOC tearing it up at night. Thanks for the rock!
The setlist:
Eric Bloom rocked up to Long Island High School for the Arts and gave them a talk - here's the excerpt from their FB page:
Master Class: On Tuesday, LIHSA students welcomed famed musician, singer, songwriter, and Long Islander Eric Bloom, frontman for the rock group Blue Oyster Cult.
Bloom talked about the early days of rock 'n' roll, and how the students should follow their drive and their passion.
Professor Norman Prusslin, Director of the Media Arts Minor/Living Learning Center, Stony Brook, moderated the event.
I was at this show and can give you the set list. Here it is:
There was no encore...
After weeks of eagerly looking forward to this show, it was shocking to see only four musicians hit the stage - no Eric Bloom! Just before "Burnin' For You", Buck announced that "Eric had to go back home - he's okay, but he had to head back home", with no other info coming out since. Buck also said "we're trying to reconfigure things up here on stage", and they did a great job - even though Eric's presence was missed on many levels, his absence seemed to bring out even better performances from the other four musicians.
There are those moments in a BOC show where the band is able to reach out and take hold of the entire audience and transport it to the center of the cosmos and back, when even the casual fans stop chatting and fall silent as they too become spellbound, and for this show that was especially true during "The Vigil". It's one of their best later-career songs and always a treat to hear, but it had never lifted me off my feet as it did during this show.
As a long-time fan who's seen them over three dozen times, the biggest thrills for me come when they bring out any deep cuts that I've never heard them play live before - so I got the supreme joy of hearing "Lips In The Hills" and "Tattoo Vampire" live for the first time. The band played roughly from 9:45 to 11 p.m. with no encore.
Here's the set list:
There was no encore...
Great venue, classic old theater. Mark Farner opened, definitely brought his A game.
BOC lineup for the evening:
Buck Dharma, doing front man duties along with lead guitar and more vocals than usual, due to Eric Bloom being out sick. I think Buck is not enjoying his stint as front man. Song intros were a bit choppy and disjointed, with a few awkwardly long pauses while searching for the right words. Eric and Buck are definitely a team that shouldn't be broken up.
Jules Radino on drums
Danny Miranda on bass
Richie Castellano on guitar, keys, and more vocals than usual
Andy Ascolese on keys and stun guitar.
Setlist:
Decent show overall. For all the talk lately about Eric's voice, or lack thereof, his absence as a skilled frontman was evident. Everyone on stage did a decent job. Danny's bass was almost too low in the mix from where I was, difficult to hear him at times. Jules is gaining flair as a drummer, with stick twirls and such. He very much seems to enjoy being BOC's drummer.
Nice to see Andy again. He's a professional working musician, and seems to enjoy being on stage. Last time I saw him with BOC, he was on bass at a show in May of 2016. No knock against him, but best wishes for Eric's healthy return.
Setlist:
Note: Eric came back after being having to miss some shows due to sickness.
BOC was at the Genesee Theater in Waukegan, Illinoise on Saturday October 7, 2017. Waukegan is a suburban town north of Chicago on Lake Michigan.
On the bill was Head East and April Wine. Both bands were great. April Wine was very heavy.
BOC came on at 10:15PM with all members present and accounted for. They played until 11:30.
Another great time in Plymouth! It is always nice to see a BOC show in an old stomping ground that you used to live in the past! Met some great people at both the motel and also at the show itself from all over the country.
Always nice catching up with friends you only see at shows but also making new friends (to see at future shows)!
The SetList:
Caught a couple of new songs this evening. Screams and She's As Beautiful... were my first live and hope to see them again. Always great getting new songs (and old songs not played in a while) at a show.
Shooting Shark and Vigil were my two favorite songs of the evening, although it seemed that all the songs they played were enjoyable..
Here's what the press release said:
Don Henley tops the bill for the upcoming Rock Getaway event in Mexico. The event is an all-inclusive vacaction/festival experience that is set to take place at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in Mexico from October 26 to November 5.
This year Henley leads an all-star lineup that also includes appearances from the likes of Bad Company and Santana.
Tickets for the event go on sale to the general public starting Monday, April 17 at 7:00 a.m. EST/10:00 a.m. PST through the event's official website.
The line-ups:
4-Day Package Lineup
(Oct 26 - 29) or (Nov 2-5):
Steve Miller Band | Roger Daltrey | Bad Company | Foreigner | REO Speedwagon | Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo | Cheap Trick | Don Felder | Blue Oyster Cult | Starship featuring Mickey Thomas | Foghat | Queensryche | Los Lobos
7-Day & 11-Day Package Lineup
(Oct 26 - Nov 1) or (Oct 30 - Nov 5) or (Oct 26 - Nov 5):
Don Henley | Santana | Steve Miller Band | Roger Daltrey | Bad Company | Foreigner | REO Speedwagon | Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo | Cheap Trick | George Thorogood and the Destroyers | Don Felder | Blue Oyster Cult | Starship featuring Mickey Thomas | Foghat | Queensryche | Los Lobos | Warren Hill | Olivia Rox | Sahnas Brothers | Atomic Punks (Tribute to Van Halen) | Guns 2 Roses (Tribute to Guns and Roses) and more.
So... which gig dates were BOC scheduled to play? The only information I could manage to get was a bit confusing - here's the dates that seemed to be in the offing at various times:
Thu 26 Oct 2017: Unico Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Fri 27 Oct 2017: Barcelo Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Sat 28 Oct 2017: Hard Rock Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Mon 30 Oct 2017: Hard Rock Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Thu 02 Nov 2017: Unico Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Fri 03 Nov 2017: Barcelo Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Sat 04 Nov 2017: Hard Rock Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico
However, as far as I can tell, most weren't played, and BOC only played two dates (28 & 30 Oct) - see below...
If you know better, or can supply any background information regarding the above dates, please let me know...
Penn's Peak - November 4, 2017 Setlist:
Good show at Penn's Peak with half of the songs from the first album played. The guys seemed to all be in a good mood.
Buck broke a string during Buck's Boogie. My nephew was thrilled to get the pick Buck used for the encores. Thanks Buck!
The setlist you have for the Nov 5 2017 Houston show is accurate.
We were lucky to have BOC back in Houston after only a couple of months. Usually it is every 2 or 3 years. Once again the boys didn't disappoint.
The crowd (which had a lot of younger people in it because it was a festival as opposed to a normal concert) was really loud and appreciated the BOC.
As I said in a review a couple of months ago I like Danny back in the band. I did like Kasim also. Danny seems to add a good groove to the rhythm section.
All of the guys were spot on and I am just happy that some of my friends got to see the Amazing B.O.C.
Opening acts were:
Nov 9 Morristown with Jefferson Starship:
Apparently, Kasim was there playing bass for the encore, with Danny on guitar.
Wow, what a killer show, Hung out with fellow Northwest BOC bro's Chuck and Jeremy. Drove 5 hours to eastern Wa. to see my 61 BOC show. This was a top 5 show for me.
My fav was July 4th, 1981, Day on the green. My hero Eric bloom stole the show, what a badasss.
Getting back to Ferndale, I had just had MAJOR back surgery and was forbidden from traveling, but, no way was I going to miss this show.
Got a nice shout out from Eric about our elite group the Northwest BOC bro's saying he wants a cut from our groups bootleg tshirts jokingly.
The crowd sucked early as they were an older crowd, but, the boy's wipped them into a frenzy, by the Then came the last day's of may, WOW, Jesus, The best version of that song Ive ever seen, Richie and Buck smoked.
I give Jules the crown as he was possessed all night, what a great time keeper, he was amazing.
The highlight of the night was Eric coming out for the encore and putting his arm around me and asking Chris, what song do I want them to play, a really rock star moment for me, WOW................
Thanks to Chuck for giving my wife a laminated poster from the venue, Badass, thx Chuck
I don't know of any gigs booked for December... but check here to see blueoystercult.com's current show list detailing BOC's current gig schedule for all the latest info...