Buck introduced Live For Me last night in Santa Barbara by saying, "Here's a tune off our new album that's going to be coming out March 24th." Of course, he didn't mention a title.

Great show, even if the venue was one of the cheesiest I've seen since Hot Rod Cafe on 1/27/96. FWIW - Set list was:

1. Stairway To The Stars
2. Before The Kiss (A Redcap)
3. ETI
4. Harvest Moon
5. Buck's Boogie
6. The Vigil
7. Live For me
8. Burnin' For You (Yep, they broke up The Big Three)
9. OD'd On Life Itself
10. Last Days Of May
11. In Thee
12. Cities On Flame
13. Godzilla
14. Reaper
15. Encores: Dominance & Submission
16. The Red & The Black

Even though the guys were jetlagged and really draggin' ass, they brought off a great show with one of the skronkiest, crunch versions of D&S I've *ever* heard.

Large kudos to Woody for getting the sound right while working through a nightmare of a system. Four hours, lots of soldering, sweating and swearing, and Woody had the place cranked.

When one popped down the appropriate coinage for the self-titled debut of the Blue Oyster Cult in 1972, one prepared to enjoy the hard edged glory of Transmaniacon MC and Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll, the lyrical wit of She's As Beautiful As A Foot and I'm On The Lamb But I ain't No Sheep, and perhaps even the occasional quaalude or two.

One did not anticipate hearing any of these songs performed live in a supper club environment some 26 years later. But here in the soft white underbelly of suburban Los Angeles - where surfers surf, smokers are not allowed to smoke, and room nightclubs offer well-known rock acts of questionable shelf life - are the Blue Oyster Cult, diz-busters grown middle aged, distant and professional. They are still surprisingly good, and tonight they are playing most of their best material.

These days Blue Oyster Cult features three original members - singer Eric Bloom, guitarist Donald 'Buck Dharma' Roeser, and keyboardist Allen Lanier - backed by former Rainbow/Black Sabbath drummer Bobby Rondonelli and Long Island bassist Danny Miranda. The Bouchard brothers rhythm section is long gone, but the songs themselves - and the core intelligence behind the writing of each - remain intact and more conspicuous than ever.

Here is a band that from it's inception has enjoyed the best of both worlds, making fun of the excesses of a musical genre while winning fans of that genre at the same time.

First the logos, the clothes, the artwork, the song titles, the umlauts - and then the songs, like Od'd On Life Itself and Dominance And Submission, hurling a pie into the faces of the Dios, Morbid Angels, and every other idiot-metal band that would come later and really mean it. And nowhere is that duality better reflected than in Buck Dharma's magnificent death-ode Don't Fear The Reaper, one of the finest rock'n'roll singles of all time, and as set closers go, about as best as any band could ever hope for.

So how could they lose? A total of 17 songs, three of them new, the remainder a superb cherry picking of their extensive repertoire. Thought the original triumvirate look grizzled and worn - the tiny Dharma now alternatively evokes the peculiar image of mini-Mafia don or the guy who runs the deli up the street - their sound is, as always was, unmistakably fierce.

A spectacular Buck's Boogie and the night's final song The Red And The Black, were inspiring; The Bloom-led audience singalong to Dominance And Submission was downright surrealistic. As was the entire night for that matter.

The new album is, inevitably, on it's way.

BOC just played Portland, OR tonight, where Eric announced the release date for the new album as 3/24/98. He did not mention the title.

I realize this is just hearsay to everybody at this point, but maybe this will help corroborate if others mention it who were at the show. With BOC's track record of 10 YEARS, I'd be just as skeptical, but EB himself said the 24th (not something vague like "Spring" or "sometime in March").

I've been reading that Eric's voice is sounding bad, and sadly I agree: it's kind of like an engine warming up, but he did sing somewhat better as the night went on... and he wasn't off key, and his style still kicks ass!!! It took Buck a couple of songs to warm up too, but you could tell he enjoyed playing tonight.

Also: BOC played the same night that the Stones played, so Eric managed to make a good jab at them, saying "maybe they'll drop in and jam with us?" Later they finished the show with "Satisfaction," BOC-style! Who needs Mick and Keith?

Portland: Roseland Theater is a decent enough venue with enough power in the house system to give the boys the sound they need. Good crowd with only a couple really stupid drunks. I was kinda leery of this place when we rolled up and it was around the corner from the Portland Rescue Mission, but it turned out to be a great gig.

As Jack posted, they really tore it up with Last Days being the absolute highlight of the set with Bobby and Buck just soaring. . Buck's solo has, if this is even within the realm of possibility, continued to improve over the past few years. Bobby's work on this song cannot go unmentioned - he likens playing Last Days behind Buck's blistering fretwork to running 2.5 miles in 7 minutes.

Satisfaction was an unexpected, and very cool, way to open the encore... I realize The Stones were in town, but when Buck jumped on the opening licks for Satisfaction, with everyone else bombing along, and Eric giving the vocals that EB treatment, it just served to remind that there's only one band worth travelling thousands of miles to see...

Great set, decent enough opener, and a nice impromptu party in the room after the gig with Danny, Bobby, Jack Secret and Joe Cos... Don't know if they'll ever get the cigar smell out of those drapes. Oh yeah, Gilby Clarke cancelled out.

Seattle: Lots of great things and one really bad thing about this place. First, the venue was laid out well, with a great house system that Woody stroked and coaxed until the sound was absolutely flawless.

However, their security and coordination sucked. I ordered my tickets for the show well over a month in advance, paid good money for front row center seats, and then the promoter/venue sold 300 standing seats and let everyone rush the stage. Once I got over being pissed off at the lame move, I started to enjoy the show...

I moved away from the stage during Buck's Boogie and just hung around at the board and side stage checking things out. The crowd was amazing - definitely out party us California types. What really blew me away was the amount of BOC gear being sported around. In addition to over 100 of the new shirts, I saw and old T&M shirt, the hat from '83, etc.

Good set, but only one song in the encore. Got a real charge out of Buck, Bobby and Danny's free from jam at sound check... Almost 40 minutes with Buck getting bluesy, funked, rocking, etc., etc., with Bobby and Danny following along as if they'd rehearsed the stuff for weeks. Later in sound check, they needed to redo Bobby's kit, so Woody Stevens (formerly of Dagger - buy the album!) sat in...

Woody got a nice little groove going, then Danny strapped on Eric's guitar and slid right in... Next thing I heard was Danny's bass, but how could that be? He was playing guitar... Well, out from behind Danny's cabinet, steps none other than Jack Secret playing Danny's Spector... 20 minutes of jamming and the promoter wanted to book them for the next night.

Also, got to meet Tad Doyle and his band TAD backstage... After Gilby Clarke cancelled (again), the promoter brought in this fairly weak opener called Indika... Singer was a pseudo Chris Cornell poseur, but their guitarist did some good stuff, so it wasn't a total loss.

Highlight of their set was when the guitarist's wireless started picking up a local radio station a la Spinal Tap. Good for a few laughs. I still think the promoter should've had Tad do the opening. . ;-)

Springfield: OK, I admit it. I was prepared to hate this place the minute I laid eyes on it... The stage looked like a postage stamp, and it was just laid out wrong. I was totally set for a really bad time... And, just when you think your predictions are going to come true (Hey, the openers played Enter Sandman then segued into Takin' Care of Business, so you know where this was headed), things change.

The boys hit the stage, Buck lit into Stairways (not!), he went straight into Redcap and the crowd just started to swell... The crowd just kinda paused and watched as things developed... When Buck went into ETI, the band kinda reared back, gathered up some steam, then just lurched into the most intense BOC set I have seen in 20 years.

I can't describe the sheer energy on that tiny stage, but the closest I've ever seen was some of Henry Rollins' first gigs with Black Flag. I'm not talking musically here, just the massive wall of intensity the band put out... Trust me, I know I'm given to hyperbole on occasion when I talk about the band, but the unvarnished fact of the matter is that I have never seen BOC tighter - the current lineup is mind boggling and their sound is harder than I've heard in many a year. If I've ever seen a better BOC show, I'm suffering from serious memory loss - this thing was incredible. Forgive me for blathering, but I am still stunned.

I'm currently nursing a death dealing head cold that is likely brought on by exhaustion. Made the Concord gig last night at some Country/Western bar called the Cadillac Ranch (someone noted it should have been called the Chevette Ranch). The sound, once again, was good, but Woody was working with a house system that had no gas... Normal playing level and the system was almost totally maxed out.

The set was good, and the crowd was on, but it was just to lame of a venue to get really excited about. Kind of a down way to end a 7 show, 12 day, 3800 mile road trip with the mighty Blue Oyster Cult. I'm really bummed that I can't be in Palo Alto tonight, but from what I hear on the radio, they may have to issue life preservers at the venue.

Anyway, it was a thoroughly enjoyable trip and I'm already looking forward to the next West Coast swing.

Roseville (metro Detroit) Michigan @ The Palladium

1. Before The Kiss, A Redcap
2. Cities On Flame
3. ETI
4. Harvest Moon
5. Buck's Boogie
6. OD'd On Life
7. The Vigil
8. Live For Me
9. Flaming Telepaths
10. See You In Black
11. Last Days Of May
12. In Thee
13. Burnin' For You
14. Godzilla
15. Don't Fear The Reaper
16. Encores: Dominance & Submission
17. The Red and The Black

03/13/1998 Friday Blue Oyster Cult/Animal Planet The Evening Star Lounge Niagara Falls, NY

1. Before The Redcap (A Kiss)
2. Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll
3. ETI
4. Harvest Moon
5. Bucks Boogie
6. O'ded On Life Itself
7. The Vigil
8. Live For Me
9. Flaming Telepaths
10. See You In Black
11. The Last Days Of May
12. In Thee
13. Burning For You
14. Godzilla (with bass & drum solos)
15. Don't Fear The Reaper
16. Encore: Dominance And Submission

My first BOC show in over 2 years (you guys just HAVE to get a little closer to Boston!), and I do declare - it was good (but you all knew that already).

When I post reviews, they tend to get long-winded, but perhaps my lack of sleep at the moment will keep this post to a respectable level. But I'm rambling already...

At 7:30, I kissed the wife and kids and began the 2-hour drive from Boston to Baltic, CT - which I thought was shorter, and unfortunately found the roads a bit slippery, but, as Dustin Hoffman said in 'Rain Man' - "I'm an excellent driver..." ;-)

The Hillside Cafe, other than the fact that it's been recently rennovated (and looks pretty good inside), is basically a dive in a rather out-of-the-way place (reminds me a little of the 'hick town' - and I say that lovingly - that I grew up in). Quite a few cops around - guess they were expecting us rock and roll geezers to get all liquored up and raise hell - they were right!

The opening band, Night Shift, got the crowd very suitably primed for BOC. What was most cool was this wasn't a band playing a lot of originals, this was a cover band playing lots of classic rock tunes from the 70s and 80s - stuff like Skynyrd, 38 Special, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Molly Hatchet (and the good old boys were rockin' in Heaven about all of those tunes, I can tell you!), and a few others (including Krokus' "Screaming in the Night" - remember that tune?). The band boasted of 2 rather fine guitarists - one on a Les Paul, and one on a Strat - ah, the 70s... :-)

During the opener's set, and between sets, I had the pleasure of meeting a few onliners (Mark, Lisa, Ed - thanks again for getting me my ticket buddy!, Imagine911, and Chariot - who got me a good spot on the floor just a few feet from the front). Kronos7 - I missed you - maybe next time...

BOC hit the stage, and... well, they were BOC - you all know how it was. Nothing I can say hasn't been written here and elsewhere hundreds of times. Quite simply, they were awesome - consumate professionals - and other than Danny mouthing "I'm sooo tired" to a roadie during the show, one would never have known it. They delivered a killer set of old and new which I believe went something like this (a few tunes might be out of order):

1. Before the Kiss
2. Cities on Flame
3. ETI
4. Harvest Moon
5. The Vigil
6. O.D. on Life
7. Buck's Boogie
8. Live for Me
9. Flaming Telapaths
10. See You in Black
11. Last Days of May
12. In Thee
13. Burnin' 4 U
14. Godzilla
15. Reaper
16. Encore: Dominance & Submission

A few other, somewhat random, observations:

I disagree "a little" with Mark on the sound - certainly for the place they were playing, I think they did a good job with the sound, but there appeared to have been some problems with Buck's guitar setup. He was definitely not high enough in the mix, at times being almost dwarfed by Eric's, and especially Allen's guitars (although their playing was top notch). For one or two songs, Buck was even playing what-I-thought was one of Eric's guitars (the red one with the alien on it). Also, the drums seemed a bit too loud in the mix (esp. the snare drum). Then again, I was only a few feet from the stage, which isn't always the optimal place for sound.

Bobby is an animal! This was the first time I'd seen him live and he was most impressive. His solo was impressive - his arms flying back and forth across the kit from cymbal to cymbal.

Danny prowled the stage as the consumate "Monster Bassman" that he is - although the size of the stage forced him to dodge bandmembers and mike stands alike. His solo was cool, although I for one think that Godzilla is really too long to have both bass and drum solos back to back in it. I think BOC should consider moving either the bass or drum solo to a different song in the set - how about a "speed bass" solo in the middle of "See You in Black" :-)

The new material is sounding excellent, and appeared to be well-received (true, most of the crowd doesn't yet know the words to these songs - unlike the old stuff, which the crowd sang along with all night). I hope BOC continues to feature at least 3 songs, if not more, from the new album.

I was standing near the side door where the band came in to take the stage (they "hid" behind the amps before doing the enocre since there was really no place to go but out of the building once off the stage). Buck's appearance kind of cracked me up. He entered carrying his guitar, wearing his black suit, and had his glasses on -- looked a bit like a businessman! Of course he quickly became the guitar god we all know and love...kinda like Clark Kent/Superman I guess...

A great show which just leaves me even more eager with anticipation for March 24th. And I really hope it isn't 2 years before I see you guys live again...

PS: The drive home? A bit more difficult - but I was sober and had some coffee on the road to stay awake. Got back around 4.

Blue Oyster Cult rocked the Hillside Café in Baltic CT, Saturday (3/14), and here is the review. (I apologize for not getting this posted right after, but it has taken this long for my ears to stop ringing.)

The Hillside Café is a little nondescript bar on the side of a hill (appropriate name, eh?) in the little industrial town of Baltic, which is a couple miles north of Norwich.

At 9:45, Night Shift started to jam, and I found myself planted next to Kronos7 (Hi Joel) and friends (Hi Joel's friends) in the front row.

Night Shift was a very good choice of openers for two reasons.

1. They played hard rock with a bit of a southern twist (.38 Special, Outlaws, Lynnard Skynnard - sp?, Stevie Ray Vaughn, G.T. & Destroyers, Krokus, among others).
2. They didn't suck. Actually, we had to agree, they were quite good. The only blight that happened during the opening act was when Gorge the Boozed-up Pony barreled his way to the front and acted like a complete ass. (I do not think he was acting though.) Thankfully, he left after falling down once, and climbing up on stage once.

When they went off, we all had to step back and to the right to let the band get their stuff off the stage and out the door. Yes, this place was SMALL. 300 tickets were sold and I'm pretty sure, the was the maximum capacity for the Hillside - cozy as a sardine can. Anyway, about 45 minutes later, it was time.

The boys took the stage at exactly 12:02 EST and did not let up on us until after 1:45. After the obligatory "From New York City...", they tore right into Before the Kiss, A Redcap and Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll.

Eric took a second to tell us about the new album coming out, and the four of us in the front began the evening's mantra "TEN MORE DAYS!!!*" He also told us about the snowy trip from Niagara Falls (slowly we turned, step by step, inch by inch ...) .

Next came Extra Terrestrial Intelligence. From the new album, they played Harvest Moon (TEN MORE DAYS!!!*). After a guitar switch, Buck raised the roof with an extended version (6:22) of Buck's Boogie.

Every time I see him play this, he has the biggest smirk on his face. From there, we were treated to O.D.'d on Life Itself and The Vigil. Another new song (TEN MORE DAYS*) that they played was Live for Me.

The next song, Flaming Telepaths, was one that I had not been privilege to hear live before. Seeing Eric laugh maniacally towards the end of it with his short hair, dark glasses, goatee, and a "Sick of it All" T-shirt gave me shivers. The last new song they played was I'd like to See You in Black. (TEN MORE DAYS!!!*)

In my opinion, the highlight of the night was Then Came the Last Days of May (shoulda been a movie). Buck's guitar work before the last verse is phenominal; his fingers move up and down the neck of his guitar like a spider. It was a religious experience. Next came In Thee. It was cool to see 3.O.C. crooning to this beautiful ballad.

Finally came the big three, Burnin' for You, Godzilla, and (Don't Fear) The Reaper. I always feel a pang of regret when BFU starts because the end is near (sniff, sniff). Danny and Bobby were able to cut loose on Godzilla, and like usual, it was awesome, I've never seen sticks move so fast, Bobby!

As for Danny, up till then, he looked like a caged animal because of the lack of room, but with the other boys off to the side, he was able to prowl around with his guitar treating us to some MONSTER bass.

B.O.C. did not come back on for an encore, since they couldn't leave the stage (did I say it was a small place?); So after a brief sidebar, we were treated with a little Dominance and Submission.

Unfortunately, I was only able to get one autograph (Buck's). The boys had to head out to Penn, and the security was not letting anyone in. The body guards were nice enough to take some stuff in to get signed - but that meant Joel stood outside with out his jacket for a good 20 minutes. All in all, one hell of a night.

* NINE MORE DAYS, now J

Observations and Unanswered Questions:

1. I noticed Buck and Danny wear earplugs - I assume they all do, though.
2. Buck and Al were wearing the same type of T-shirt, I can't read them. Anyone know what they say or mean?
3. 3 out of 4 B.O.C. sightings in CT come with snow - the last two Toads Place visits and now last night.

BCNU
Buzzardo (from Texas) ... Last Chance.

Texas Club (Baton Rouge, La.), March 24, 10:30 p.m. to 12:20 a.m.: Opening act: Nozmo King (from New Orleans), played from 9:00 to 9:30 p.m., mostly covers of classic rock. Pretty good.

BOC Setlist:

1. Before the Kiss (A Redcap)
2. Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll
3. ETI
4. Harvest Moon
5. Buck's Boogie
6. OD'd on Life Itself
7. The Vigil
8. Live for Me
9. Flaming Telepaths
10. See You in Black
11. Then Came the Last Days of May
12. In Thee
13. BFY
14. Zilla
15. DFTR (end regular set)
16. Encores: Dominance and Submission
17. The Red and The Black

What a kick-ass BOC show. I love the intimate atmosphere with BOC jamming. This was my first time seeing BOC in 8 years (as Eric said, "we don't come down here very often"), but about the 25th time since 1978 (I've lost count, unfortunately). I've only seen one show I didn't like (around 1985 in San Jose, Calif.; sound was horrible).

Buck's vocals were fuzzy early, but it was corrected by the third song (thankfully, Harvest Moon came over perfectly). His guitar work was as good as I remember it, perhaps better (is that possible?). He is still one fine player.

I was impressed by the heavy sound in the new songs (first time I'd heard any of the three new ones they played). Buck responded well to the crowd. He (and the other members) thrived on the diehards' reaction to his playing -- more so than I remember in the past. I must say it was great to see each one of them smile (even the new members, but especially Buck, Eric, and Allen). They seemed to dig deeper because of it.

All of the old standards were fine (heard them tons of times, but always love anything BOC plays live at show volume/settings), but I really enjoyed The Vigil (wouldn't any BOC fan?). Buck seemed especially sharp on that. His work on the 3 new songs was enthusiastic (and crisp work). As I mentioned, a very heavy (yet clear) sound. As heavy as these new songs sound on CD, they're even better live (at least on this night). Based on this, there is no reason BOC should even think about quitting (if they are, but I doubt it). The crowd loved them as much as the old standby trio (BFY/Zilla/DFTR) -- this bunch had its share of classic rock groupies.

HEAVEN FORBID COMMENTS
What a CD! They definitely play the best 3 songs live (See You in Black, Harvest Moon, Live for Me). Heck, I guess it's 4 with the live version of In Thee. I think my friends who are so-so on BOC will like this CD (yes, I have friends who are so-so on BOC!). Let's hope BOC gets some airplay, because the tunes are catchy ones -- catchy enough to help the current tour. Harvest Moon and Live for Me have fantastic work by Buck; good to see he's still strong.

All in all, a fun day (and I hope BOC enjoyed some Cajun cuisine on their brief stop). Wish there were more days like this. Maybe the Brain Surgeons will venture into south Louisiana one day. Until then, we have CDs and great memories -- I treasure mine (one of which includes the 1980 midnight show at The Old Waldorf in San Francisco).

My best wishes to BOC, its staff, and fans everywhere.

Last night, B.O.C. came to the Texas Club here in Baton Rouge. I wish I could say the place was packed, but the crowd was heavy with loyal fans who have been waiting for nine years for the band to return to Louisiana.

Eagle 98.1, a local classic rock station, promoted the event. Since Baton Rouge doesn't have a new music station anymore, I suppose this was the only choice. We receive a station which plays a mix of classic rock and new rock, WCKW, here, but this station also serves the New Orleans area. WCKW is promoting their show in Mandeville, a city which has become a suburb of New Orleans.

I mention this to point out one what I believe is one of the problems B.O.C. faces on their current tour. They are being promoted as a "retro band," another group like Bad Company or the John Fogerty-less "Creedence Clearwater Revisited." Since the Eagle doesn't play new material, they were promoting a band releasing a new album on the very day of the concert and never once played a cut from that album. Of course the audience was nothing but people who had always liked B.O.C. Who else knew about the show than hard core fans and people who like classic rock and really dig The Reaper?

One of the nice consequences of this, though, was an enthusiastic and well-informed audience. My friends and I planted ourselves right down in front of Roesser and never moved. We were pleased and amused to hear people behind us shouting for Lips In the Hills. One girl standing next to me who admitted to my friend that she was 14 when Imaginos came out shouted for Veins. People sang along with Flaming Telepaths. Eric Bloom did not have to coax the audience to respond to Dominance and Submission. The crowd knew the lines as well as he did for songs which may have never been played on the radio anywhere.

To put his in perspective, one has to realize that They simply don't come here anymore. The people in south Louisiana have been keeping the faith for Blue Oyster Cult based on nothing but memories of eighties concerts and the albums. These are not people who have had opportunity after opportunity to see the group perform. Many have probably only became fans since the 1988, and have never seen them live. And yet, here they were, singing along with the songs they knew so well. It was a great experience.

On to the concert itself. We arrived early and took our place at the front of the line. When the club opened its doors, we were told we could not wait in front of the stage until the show started so we captured some tables, had a few drinks and waited.

The Nosmo Kings, a funny cover band out of New Orleans, opened for the group. The Kings have a kind of relaxed short hair nineties look, but play a mix of heavy covers from the the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. They played Skynnard, Metallica (Enter Sandman jammed), Jerry Lee Lewis the Beatles... you get an impression of how eclectic they were. The band obviously didn't take themselves too seriously. For example, they announced, "we play all original songs by the original artists." So many times one gets pompous opening acts apparently unaware that the audience has not come here to see them, but the featured group. Of course, the Nosmo Kings come from New Orleans and any time playing before layed back and often very critical N.O. audiences tends to disabuse all but the truly best bands of swelled egos. We could have done a hell of a lot worse.

I made a quick trip to empty some of my beer I had been drinking and rejoined by buddies. Can you imagine waiting for nine years then finding you had to go during The Reaper? Images of Alan Sheppard in The Right Stuff come to mind. Fortunately for the sensibilities of my companions this did not happen.

B.O.C. came on at 10:30 and played a good clean solid set for two hours. I had the playlist from the newsgroup and so knew what they were going to play, but of course thats not the same as hearing it. The band doesn't fool around between songs. The keep the chatter to a minimum, just play their rock and roll. And play it well they do. Roesser reminded me of a gymnast performing a complicated routine and performing it well. The man does not put on airs, but plays an outstanding solo or fill then gives a little smile that seems to show an inner satisfaction.

I just am still so excited from hearing The Vigil live. The guitar work from Roesser blew me away. After hearing Flaming Telepaths and The Vigil, one of my friends turned to me and said "I can die now." Actually, I don't think he really meant that because we have plans to go see the group in Gulport Mississippi on Thursday and in Mandeville on Saturday, but he communicated how we all felt rather well. The band shows a mastery which can only come from years of performing constantly on the road.

I felt a sadness when they started into Burnin' For You, beginning "The Big Three," as I knew this we were nearing the end. One of my companions after the show agreed , "I almost didn't want to hear it." I noticed that they mixed Burnin' For You and The Reaper with more distortion than I remember last time around. This seems to be in keeping with the heavier selection on the playlist and mood of Heaven Forbid.

I couldn't help but notice a controversy on the group over the traditional bass and drum solo break during Godzilla. Personally, I am a bass fanatic and love a good long crashing live drum solo. The break here I noticed was much shorter than the on the tour I remember from nine years ago. I really don't think it came close to dragging the show out.

Once again we had the opportunity to be inches from Buck Dharma playing The Reaper. I find it too easy sometimes to lapse into superlatives when talking about this, but, they played a great version. There is no substitute for being there, even if you have a young security guard in front of you doing a pantomine of being bored. My thought was, "My god man, don't you have one bit of rock and roll in you? How can you just lean back and yawn like that?" I think they put these guys through some kind of special training to make them like this or give them some kind of drugs.

Being up close has its downside, of course. Concerts are usually mixed to have the sound focused on the middle of the auditorium. Lyrics becomes difficult to make out and the highs tend to become tinny. To me, though, I can sit back and listen to the intricate nuances of an album all evening every evening. Live shows are to be experienced. We were there to SEE Buck Dharma, and see him we did. A couple of my friends wore Imaginos T-Shirts which they have lovingly cared for for years. Buck noticed, I think, and very obligingly kept his guitar close to the edge of our section of the stage.

After the Dominance and Submission and Red and the Black encore the show ended. As I said, the show was all too short. I wouldn't have minded amore extended jam on Godzilla or even longer solos, but what I really wanted was more material. I'm sure everybody says this after a show they enjoy. I know the secret to performing is to always leave the audience wanting more and the band played a very tight set. Yet, I can't shake the feeling that they could have played longer. I miss Astronomy, which they could have done in its Secret Treaties incarnation, if they wanted to keep things in early B.O.C. mode. Damaged would be outstanding live. Ah well.

I noticed when I received the playlist the heavy reliance on songs from the early albums. This was a guitar concert. Allen Lanier played guitar more than he played his keyboard. I love the early stuff, but I would have liked something from Imaginos or Cultosaurus. This said, I think they chose deliberately. The line up of older songs are the very ones which seem to be in keeping with the style of Heaven Forbid. As I mentioned, even The Reaper is heavy. Personally, I love it, even given that we missed some things. I love rock and roll and after all the years, Blue Oyster Cult plays it. Think about this for a second, what older band has come out even HARDER than they were 10 years ago? The only phrase for it, tired as it may be is, "they rocked." Worth the wait? Damn straight. I just hope we don't have to wait so long for them to return.

I have some more thoughts, but this is already overlong. I will post more later after the Gulfport or Mandeville concerts.

Another small club gig. Diverse setlist, but I remember they did the big three. They played about 1 hour 45 minutes and Jason got another record signed by the band.

Had a beer and Hung out with Buck for a little while after the show...

I would like to thank Bolle, Brian, Briz and Pete for the kind things they said about my ramblings I posted this week on the newsgroup. I'm a newbie here, having just discovered the group, but I have been so energized by the new album and tour that I felt the need to share my thoughts about this experience. Since somebody seems to be reading these things, always a reward for any kind of writer, I'll continue.

Two good friends and I got off work yesterday and headed off into the darkness for B.O.C's show in Gulfport, Mississippi. This was probably foolish on my part at the least because as I am writing this I'm falling asleep in my office, but hey I've had nine years to sleep. We were a little worried about our late start, because Mustang Sally's, the club where they appeared, sold no advance tickets. We went out on a limb anyway and, armed with a map printed off the computer from Yahoo, drove the 130 miles or so to the show.

Gulfport anchors the western half of what used southerners used to call "the redneck riviera." The term refers to the Gulf Coast from the Florida panhandle through Mississippi. At one time legalized gambling made the Mississippi Gulfport and rough and tumble spot, a kind of "Las Vegas South," home of the imfamous "Dixie Mafia." During the seventies and eighties the area slumped, entering a kind of sleepy southern lethargy. An accident of geography makes the nearest swimmable beaches in Gulfshores Alabama. Mississippi has beaches, but they are most appropriate for picnics, fishing off piers, and so forth. This fact prevented the state from becoming a spring break destination like Fort Walton Beach in Florida.

Then, in the nineties, the Mississippi legislature legalized gambling on the coast again. Now gambling boats and dockside gambling have revitalized towns like Gulfport and Biloxi. New clubs and entertainment venues have opened up. Mustang Sally's is one such club.

The bar sits on Beach Drive, right across from the Gulf of Mexico. On a clear night, when the moon hangs just right these beaches remind me of Imaginos. As we walked from my car, a cool gulf breeze hit us. From the outside, this seemed a perfect venue.

Inside, the club proved to be small, much smaller than the Texas Club in Baton Rouge. The Texas Club, as the name suggests, normally books country acts. When they are not hosting live music, they play as strange ecletic mix of dance music and country. It's a big place, and this probably contributed to the sense that the crowd seemed small. Mustang Sally's is a bar. Instead of on a raised stage, the bands play in a kind of pit surrounded by a railing that I assume forms a dance floor at other times. This resulted in it being impossible to see the acts if one is standing any distance from them.

When we arrived we were able to stand one row back. The front had been staked out by a group of diehard fans who remained enthusiastic the entire evening. They had crafted "blue oyster" pendants which they proudly hung around their necks on cords. One girl had a Wisconsin personalized license plate that said "BOC ROX." They told us that the last time Blue Oyster Cult played the Mississippi Gulf Coast, they played the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum when the band was still doing arena tours in the mid-eighties.

The place filled up with enthusiastic rock and rollers. I was encouraged to see younger faces in the audience. While more B.O.C. t-shirts were in evidence than in Baton Rouge, indicating long time loyalists, we also noticed many people who seemed to be just out getting rowdy at a rock group on a Thursday night. I find this encouraging. B.O.C. does not need to preach to the choir, although I for one would like more sermons now and again. They need to reach out to new people who come just to see a show and become converted. Fresh blood and fresh fans mean more B.O.C. and a lasting influence. Otherwise, it will die with us.

The opening act were not properly introduced and never told us their name. Once guy in the audience kept shouting, "who are you?" but the group stubbornly refused to answer. This proved fine with me because I don't imagine I will ever need to look for any of the albums. They proved to be the exact opposite of the Nosmo Kings, except that they were also funny, only in their case unintentionally.

The act was a heavy metal trio, whose singer-bassist had obviously been told he looked like Axel Rose of Gun 'n Roses and whose guitarist had long stringy brown hair and did an amazing but obviously unintentional impression of Nigel Tufnel in Spinal Tap. They seemed to emerge straight from a garage somewhere in the late seventies, playing a simplistic rendition of what the singer, whatever his name is, aptly described as "original shit." I swear the guitarist looks like guys I went to middle school with. He postured, jumped up on the ledge before the railing and gestured to the crowd. They were Bill and Ted meet Beevis and Butthead meet Spinal Tap, all taken deadly seriously like we were there adoring fans come to sing along with their tunes. Good lord.

They were awful, but at least they kept us in stitches. The best thing I can say of this unknown band, besides the humor, is that they were well rehearsed. These guys spend alot of time in that seventies garage, but their music was simple without much risk. Even the drummer, who was shirtless with long unkempt hair as is traditional, played basic back beats to the "original shit" to which the audience was treated.

The audience cheered and clapped though. The fans were here to have a good time, albeit sometimes too much so as the bouncers often had to move to quell extremely minor disturbances thoughout the show. Note that the show had bouncers, not "security," as it appropriate when watching a bar act. The bouncers proved excellent, never overreacting and seemed to know a large amount of what was basically a small town crowd. And I never saw one yawn once.

After a break, B.O.C. finally bounced on stage. They seemed more relaxed and to enjoy themselves more than at the Baton Rouge show. Buck Dharma jumped around, smiled waved and generally seemed to be having a good time.

The group even dressed more relaxed. At the Baton Rouge show, Buck wore a black collarless shirt under a sport coat which he took off later in the show. Here, he wore a sleeveless "Twin Peaks Sheriff's Department T-Shirt. Black t-shirts were the order of the day for the rest of the band as well.

During Before the Kiss, Buck jumped up on the ledge and played. Unfortunately, this was the last time we were to see this. Our enthusiastic acquaintences tended to reach their hands out through the railing. I don't think Roesser like to risk being touched while playing, so he stayed back away from the edge of the crowd.

I believe the band's demeanor may have something to do with the day off they received on Wednesday. They may also prefer to play smaller clubs. The boys in no way appeared embarrassed by their surroundings, but seemed to feed off the crowd's enthusiasm.

Peter Longeway has mentioned that the group seemed out of sync during the first half the Texas Club show. I noticed that the sound mix seemed to be off and that the band was gesturing alot to people off stage during the early part of that performance. Here, there were no such problems. The band attacked each number with gusto. As I rocked to See You In Black and Harvest Moon, tunes already becoming familiar, I found that their versions were more full of energy than at the last concert.

Occasionally the band made a couple of technical gaffes, more so than at the Baton Rouge show which I believe was tighter musically, but this is Blue Oyster Cult. A flubbed B.O.C. song sounds better than most other bands played perfectly, and there weren't that many mistakes. Miranda treated us to a different and longer bass solo, during Godzilla, something dear to my heart although controversial to some. I noticed that Roesser climbed the top of the stairs at the DJ booth behind the stage and watched the solo smiling. Then, he came down put on his guitar and waited. When the bassist noticed, he brought the solo to an end. Buck Dharma is clearly in charge of this band.

Eric Bloom mentioned that the band was leaving for their Jackson Mississippi show that evening. Jackson is Mississippi's capital and the largest city in the state located in the north near the Tennessee border. This would make for quite a trip. I think that this is the reason they did not do the Red and the Black. For an encore they simply ripped into a jammin' rendition of Dominance and Submission and bid the audience farewell.

I managed to snag an On Tour Forever t-shirt at the table in the back. They didn't have a merchandise table at the Baton Rouge show for some reason. At twenty dollars, the t-shirt was reasonably priced for a concert shirts. I can not say the same thing for the baseball caps which were also quoted at twenty dollars. I love B.O.C. but, twenty dollars for a baseball cap?

We left the show and headed back to Baton Rouge at one in the morning. Tomorrow we will be there in force in Mandeville.

The band played The Red and the Black in their encore for the Baton Rouge show, but ended early in Gulfport. I can only hope that we hear it in Mandeville since they have an open date on Sunday before the Little Rock show.

The group played the Heaven Forbid material pretty much the same way as they played the rest of their set, no doubt because they have been playing the songs live for so long as you guessed.

At both shows they mentioned Heaven Forbid each time they played a tune and encouraged the audience to buy it, as it just came out. Interestingly, well maybe not that interestingly, in Baton Rouge they credited the accoustic In Thee to Heaven Forbid by way of Mirrors, while in Gulfport they simply credited it to Mirrors.

This album is becoming ingrained like so many other of their releases. I find the tunes coming to my mind unbidden. It started great and is actually getting better with repeat listening. It has been so long since I could say that about an album. I like every song on the CD.

At last I sit down to collect my thoughts and review the Mandeville show, despite the agonized complaints of my brethren overseas. Since they have announced dates in Europe, I need no longer worry about whatever small bit of guilt I might have had at discussing the show.

I find myself exhausted and elated after the last week. The previous week the newsgroup buzzed with talk of the new album and the current tour. I downloaded See You In Black from CMC's website. Sunday and Monday the anticipation of what would occur built. Then, Tuesday March 24 arrived. In the morning, a new album purchased. All day the tune hummed through my computer at work. That night, they came. Wednesday, a day off lunch and dinner spent in conversation about the album and concert with friends. At work, Heaven Forbid again. Thursday, three good buddies set off for Gulfport and we were rocked again. Friday, like Thursday.

Then, on Saturday night, they gave their final show in this area in Mandeville, Louisiana. Seven of us, appropriately enough, set off to see the concert. Mandeville is a city on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain. The city has become a suburb of the New Orleans, connected to what the locals call the Crescent City by the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway which spans the lake. The Causeway extends 24 miles across the lake (actually an estuary) making it the longest bridge in the world, unless some third world muckety-muck hasn't stolen our thunder. When travelling across the Causeway, both shores disappear in the middle, a strange experience for the uninitiated.

The northshore, as we call it even in Baton Rouge to the west, has filled up with upper-middle class people looking to escape the crime andconfusion of big city life in New Orleans. But New Orleanians have a way of bringing their culture with them, and a nightlife has come to Mandeville. Headliner's, the club where they played Saturday night, forms part of that.

Once again, they appeared in a site situated on water. Headliner's sits on Lakeshore drive, directly on the lake. The sky appeared pitch black over the lake on our left as we walked around the corner to the show. One of my friends made another crack about the subhumans emerging during the show as we entered.

We found Headliner's a perfect venue. For the first time, a little poster on a column selling Heaven Forbid greeted us at the door. A very attractive young blonde woman sold the tshirts and hats to our right. As we arrived early, we got to the show at eight when it the club had it listed as starting at ten, we were able to seize our traditional spot. This time the show took place in a club, which though smaller than many, had clearly been designed for rock concerts. Bars sat up and to the side. An open lowered area extended back from the stage. The stage itself rose only a foot or so above the floor. A railing, merely chest-high, ran across the front. We would stand right in from of Buck Dharma, as close as someone you talked to in your living room.

Unlike the other shows, in smaller metropolitan areas on weeknights, this would be a Saturday night concert in the New Orleans area. A people began to file in we could see it would be a big crowd. Imaginos tshirts and flat out tshirts appeared. The audience would be a mix of northshore yuppies, biker types (on of whom was to "conduct" the show while pressed into my side waving his hands in front of my face, but this is a minor gripe), guitar afficionados (young and old), classic rock listeners, and hardcore B.O.C. faithful. You know, their fans.

This had us excited, but accompanied by a bittersweet feeling as well. The last show of our Blue Oyster Cult odyssey would soon begin. I must admit, though, I didn't feel as sad as I thought I might. I felt kind of relaxed, in the groove. This had become part of my life. I guess in one respect, much as I found it hard to believe this was all happening at the beginning of the week, I didn't really think it was ending at the end of the week.

The club soon filled with people and the show started with no bull. Unlike the Baton Rouge and Gulfport shows, neither Headliner's nor WCKW subjected us to DJs acting stupid or the Bud girls. Not that I don't appreciate the Bud girls. I got a blinking light bottle cap from one in Baton Rouge and a Tshirt at Gulfport. Beautiful women in tight fitting minidresses and I just connect, although perhaps not entirely as much as I would want.

The opening band, Invisible Cowboy, just came on and introduced themselves, which put them immediately head and shoulders above the unknown band in Gulfport. These people actually had a record! (gasp!) The best of the opening act of the three shows then began to play a hard rocking set. I find it hard to peg their style. Anyone familiar with Cowboy Mouth or Better Than Ezra might recognize what may be emerging as a south Louisiana rock sound. They were much harder than Ezra, but all three bands play a kind of country influenced rock, absent the twang but with a hard driving beat with a reliance on guitar fills.

Yet for all this, this group seemed not as out of place as one might think. What is even weirder, for a group who on the surface would seem to be distant from B.O.C. they played at least one song which clearly had B.O.C. influences. Behind each verse drifted a nice haunting little guitar fill ala Reaper. The front man introduced one song as being about a fundamentalist preacher kidnapped by aliens. Yeah, Invisible Cowboy knows them. The only thing I think may be holding them back is their lead guitarist. Although the man was quite competent, many places their songs begged for an extended guitar solo. Instead we received a slightly drawn out version of his basic riff. It may be that he simply doesn't have it to give.

We all had a chance to chat with the band's singer/guitarist front man who observed that he remembered when you could get thrown out of school for wearing the Blue Oyster Cult symbol. He was likable, the group was likable, and I think we all liked them. They didn't overstay their welcome, but played their little bit, thanked the audience and the club for having them and left.

Now we waited for them to arrive for what seemed like ages. There seemed to be some trouble with Bloom's custom blue guitar with the white B.O.C. symbol. Even into the show, we could see the roadies working with it off in the wings. At one point, a red version appeared with an alien head plastered on it, but eventually the blue guitar returned. The band was not free of technical problems Saturday night, as at one point early on in the show people poured over the wiring plugged into the keyboards trying to find a fault.

Then, they arrived. The band walked out on stage to their eerie excitement building opening music. I could see that Roeser still had his glasses on which he got rid of before coming onto the stage.

From the moment they launched into Before The Kiss, I could tell this would be a special show. We had speculated the band might be tired after the long trip to and from Jackson. What we got was B.O.C. in a groove. The band was not bouncing around like they were in Gulfport, but they were not as relatively uptight as they were in Baton Rouge. They played their tunes with intensity and emotion as well as the virtuosity we all expect from Blue Oyster Cult.

Upon talking to my friends afterwards this felt like a personal concert. At one point, Roeser looked at us where we stand in front of him gestured to us decked out in our tshirts and said "we would like to thank our loyal Louisiana fans." Illusion or no, the boys seemed to be playing a show for US. This feeling simply was not present in the other concerts. This was the best show I have been to, and others who were with us who had seen them more times agreed.

I can still hear the Reaper playing in my mind as I write this. At the end of the Reaper, Buck looked down and tossed us his pick which resides next to my computer. I own a blue "Buck Dharma" signed pick used to play the Reaper tossed to us in thanks for our support. For old hands, no big deal I guess. For me, incredible. After the encore he shook our hands. What a way to close the week.

They had Sunday, today and tomorrow off. On Wednesday they go to Little Rock to play at a club unfortunately named Big Bam Boo. On Thursday, they play Jones Plaza in Houston. One of my friends, one who journeyed with me to all three of the shows I saw, lives in Houston. He will see them again, the bastard. He keeps trying to lure me to drive the 600 miles to see our favorite band one more time. As they play on a weeknight, this just isn't possible for me, although I admit I would be tempted were the concert on a weekend. But, you know I could arrange to spread my work into Wednesday and Saturday...

Just returned from the Houston show. This was a free concert, kicking off the regular "Party on the Plaza" series that takes place downtown during the Spring months. Here's some random observations:

Beer booths were everywhere (Bud, Miller, and some microbrews sponsored the show), and most of the people were making good use of the taps. Definitely a party mood and crowd. Jones Plaza is smack in the middle of downtown Houston, so there were big skyscrapers surrounding the party, and there were huge spotlights coursing over the buildings throughout the show, adding a "big event" feeling to the evening.

Boys seemed to be having a good time, and the sound was pretty good, I think, for an outdoor show.

I normally don't wear band T-shirts to shows, but BOC seemed to be a different situation, so I'm really glad I wore my Summer Daze/First LP shirt. I got several comments/questions about the shirt and got into some pretty good conversations about the band as a result of being spotted wearing it.

I saw one Box A Rocks T-shirt. Crowd was a good mix of bikers, babes, businessmen, and me.

Encore was "Dominance"...no "Red & Black."

The thing that struck me was that Buck did most of the singing, and Eric spent as much time behind the keys as Allen because A.L. was playing guitar so much of the time. It didn't bother me, but I guess I just had this impression that Eric was the singer in the band, and that Buck did the occasional vocal on his own tunes when Eric's voice was too aggressive. For this show, Buck was the singer, and Eric did the occasional vocal.

Overall, I had a great time...this band is unique in that they attract a big crowd out to hear the big three, but also a lot of "heads" that were going crazy during "vigil," "telepaths," "last days," etc.

New tunes played were "Harvest Moon," "SYIB," and "Live for Me."

I'm wondering now where the band will be hanging out for the next 5 days before their next show in nearby San Antonio.

Jay pretty much hit the nail on the head concerning the Houston show except for one thing. The sound was terrible. I hope whoever mixed that show didn't get paid for it. There were several places where Buck was 4 or more measures into a solo before the level on his guitar was turned up. It was obvious that whoever worked the board was unfamilar with BOC except for the Big 3.

I was really impressed with Danny. He looked like he was having the time of his life on stage. I have to say that I too was surprized to see Allen on guitar as much as he was.

The biggest disappointment other than the amateurish sound mixing and the Jerry Springer episode (fight) that broke out right by me was that the guys didn't play ME-262.

Here's a portion of the write-up of the Houston show by the Sidewalk.com columnist, who is obviously not a fan:

In fact, it was 9 pm - an hour after the advertised time - when featured headliners Blue Oyster Cult took the stage. By this time the plaza was packed to its concrete gills with an increasingly drunk crowd of way-after-work revelers and BOC die-hards, not all of whom have a terribly good idea of proper public behavior (one Sidewalk staffer was approached on two different occasions by leering suits who aggressively mistook her wearing of a nose ring to mean that she could/would get them cocaine, which is not the sort of hassle anyone wants at a public event, free or no).

While this was going on, plaza security was busily making sure that attendees understood that Party on the Plaza means just that: on the Plaza. Anyone endeavoring to carry their beer down the grassy slope to the Porta-Cans was informed that, no, you can't take your beer down there. And my party was more than once reprimanded for simply standing on that same grassy slope. Never mind that the concrete plaza was already a crowd-control hazard teeming with bingeing businessmen trying to score coke, and never mind that the slope was simultaneously overrun with unattended children. Priorities, people?

And by the way, yes, Blue Oyster Cult was playing during all of this, but seemingly in direct and willful contradiction to the Washed-Up Rock Band maxim of Give the People What They Want. We were there until 10 pm, into the band's acoustic interlude, fer chrissakes, without having heard a single note of a single one of the band's three hits. Disappointing. But since my mama raised me to look for something nice to say, we'll search for the positive spin: Let's just say there's room for improvement

Caravan of Dreams... Nice small club, pretty packed that night. Only thing I hated was their no-cameras policy. It was April 9th. I'm attaching a scan of the ticket stub.

A very nice little club. Buck dedicated The Reaper to Cozy Powell, Wendy O. Williams & Tammy Wynett. Everywhere I looked, beautiful women graced Dallas/Ft Worth.

JUST drove back here to Oklahoma from the Ft. Worth show (3 hour drive), and I have to say that it was AWESOME!! The opening band, The Diner Junkies was even great.

Here's the set list:

1. Burnin' For You
2. Cities On Flame
3. E.T.I.
4. Harvest Moon
5. Buck's Boogie
6. OD'd on Life Itself
7. The Vigil
8. Live For ME
9. Flaming Telepaths
10. See You In Black
11. The Last Days Of May
12. In Thee
13. Godzilla
14. Don't Fear The Reaper
15. Encores: Dominance And Submission
16. The Red And The Black

Only Allen, Danny and Eric came out to sign autographs... have to get Buck's and Bobby's later on.

That can't possibly be the order of the songs played... was it?? I'm sure it was late and you were wiped out from a fine show...your forgiven ;-) Glad ya got some autographs.. :-)

Nope, that was indeed the order of songs. They hit the stage to Burnin' For You, and closed with Dominance and R&B. The highlight of the night for me was The Vigil (which surprised me very much) and finally hearing Flaming Telepaths live.

Wow, what a night! I got Eric and Allen to sign my Spectres and Cultosaurus Erectus CDs and I got Eris, Allen and Danny's auto on my ticket. Eric alsogave me a nifty blue pick. Woohoo!

After last night, I've had some time to think about the show and I have a couple of thoughts. First, they sounded as good as I've ever heard them. Everyone was on. I was a bit surprised to see a lot less of Eric. At times he seemed to be so far in the background that he disappeared.

I really had the feeling that BOC is so very much Buck's band. He was the driving force, musically and lyrically, that led that band from song to song.

Danny looked liked the happiest person in the club. It's really cool to see someone who is obviously just happy to be there.

Well, that's number 5. I can't wait for number 6!

Opening for BOC was a local band, Homemade Flavor. They were composed of the former members of Pantera and a couple of others. They weren't too good. Bassist kept throwing in jazz licks. Drummer was off. So was the keyboardist.

While they were playing, I propped up on the wall surrounding the dance floor and winced at the crappy job they were doing. After a bit, I was joined by a big guy with a lot of curly hair. He took a couple of drinks off his water or whatever, leaned over to me and asked, "Whaddaya think of these guys?"

I told him. They needed a rhythm player, drummer needed to tighten up, bass and keys needed to get with the program or git gone. He agreed with my assessment, and turned to leave. "Hope you enjoy the rest of the show."

"That's guaranteed. I've been a BOC fan since the early '70's. Unless they've lost it hugely, there's no way I'll be disappointed."

He smiled and strolled off.

I got another beer and went up on one of the balconies overlooking the stage while the guys got ready. Buck, Eric, Allen I recognized. Dude with a headrag came out and checked his bass; Danny.

Then I spotted the big guy with the hair. He walked on stage like he owned it, went to the drums, and started preflighting his kit. My jaw went thump on the floor. Robby. I'd been talking to Robby.

When the show was over, he came back out into the crowd looking for me. "Well? Did we live up to your expectations?"

Oh, yeah... and then some. I just wish I'd had the jacket so I could've gotten an autograph or five. Sigh.

I was disappointed by one thing, though. Not nearly enough people were there. 616 shoulda been packed. It was about half full.

The radio stations and concert venues aren't doing nearly enough to promote the guys when they come to town, and that's criminal. BOC is tighter now than they were fifteen years ago, and are a thousand times better than a lot of bigname acts like Aerosmith who still have the name draw to pack a large arena. I think the presence of Danny and Robby in the band, new blood, is one reason they sound so much better. I may get blasted for this, but my opinion is that they're better by far than the Bouchard brothers ever were.

One of the tracks they did was the all acoustic "In Thee", and they had most everybody in the club singing with them. "Godzilla" got turned into a showcase/pissbreak piece, and the encore was "Dominance & Submission", which a local critic once badmouthed them for doing it during a show. Eric never forgets.

I'm going to Lexington, TN next weekend to see them at Lakefest '98. There are other acts on the ticket: April Wine, Nazareth, Pat Travers.Big deal. Far as I'm concerned, this is a BOC show, and nothing else. The rest is filler.Hope to see some of you there. Look for a short, chunky, bikeroid guy in a denim jacket covered in squadron patches, with Link Wray's signature on the right shoulder.

Yea, its a bit late but you know how that goes... set list for the May 1 Birch Hill (Old Bridge, NJ) show. BOC played the same set as previously reported for the gigs around the BBQ East in April.

1. Burning for you
2. ETI
3. Harvest Moon
4. Cities on Flame
5. See You In Black
6. Buck's Boogie
7. OD'd on Life
8. The Vigil
9. Flaming Telepaths
10. Live for Me
11. Last Days of May
12. In Thee
13. Godzilla
14. Reaper
15. Encore: Dominance

Took the stage at 12:20, left stage at 2:10am. As usual a tight, loud, and rockin set - however much more business like than past years sessions. The house was fairly packed, no idea of exactly how many attended 400? 500? 600?.

Buck was his usual guitar virtuoso, but much more subdued than last year when I saw BOC at same venue. No rolling up his sleeves, hand wringing, shit-eatin' grins in anticipation of a lightning hot riff, etc. Allen was center stage playing guitar for a good portion of the set - he actually looked alert and perky!

Eric played more keyboards than I'd seen before and spent a lot of time off to stage right. Vioce sounded strongand on-key. Nothing of note to say about DM or BR - both were steady and consistent.

Nice to see one of my old favorites, OD'd on Life, back in the play list. The mid-to-end transition in ETI literally shook to ground. Harvest Moon was awesome, but the rendition of Flaming Telepaths stole the show. Buck's Boogie ,well what can you say - it just seems to get better with age. Never did and probably never will understand playing In Thee - it really slows the show and momentum. Guess I'm just an old timer who longs for the Harvester of Eyes and Mistress of the Salmon Salt days!

A real nice touch to have Burning for You start the set. It really got the fans yelling, screaming and singing. I'd guess it is a much better sing-a-long than Stairway to the Stars, the standard opener for the past 20 years or so. Would have liked to have seen on more encore song, maybe something new like Cold Gray Light of Dawn or X-ray eyes.

All in all quite the night...

Shakey's is definitely a badly-designed venue for rock acts, but the crowd was still really cool and the beer was cheap and they had Yuengling. I drank a few pitchers myself, of course sharing with my friend (and driver) Bob Milot! I saw BOC with Bob (my first time with BOC) at Lupo's in Bethlehem (PA), which was an acoustically superior venue with room for a far larger crowd. However, the folks at Shakey's still showed proper reverence and fanaticism for the priests of Metal, and Bob and I had a great time. Like Bob said, we did a lot of screaming and came out sounding like we'd been swallowing rocks. There were some diehard fans we'll be in touch with for good now, and most of all we had contact with the band and walked away with trophies.

As Bob said, he caught (more or less) Eric Bloom's pick (which as I remember was actually thrown at us by Danny Miranda (the bassist), and he got some first-edition vinyl signed. I got my copy of 'Heaven Forbid' signed by Bobby Rondinelli (who also played with Black Sabbath, which is my Most Fave Metal Band - or just Most Fave Band, BOC is a VERY close #2, no you can't kill me), who chatted with me a bit about the late Ray Gillen (Sabbath, Badlands, Sun Red Sun and the old Rondinelli bar band Bobby had after his days in Rainbow) and Sabbath's Cross Purposes album. He was suprised I had his solo album with Gillen and that I knew his brother had been in that band (he played guitar).

I also got Allen Lanier and Buck Dharma (yeah! YEAH!) to sign my copy of HF, and I got a pic of Buck with me and one of Buck with Bob.

In the meantime, I encourage you most strongly to go see the band when and if they hit your area. Don't miss out, even if the venue sucks.

My fiancee and I went to the show here last night and it was great. We went to the Bear radio to see a friend as Eric and Buck were scheduled to do an interview. After dishing off a bunch of CD's to be signed we went outside to greet them.

About 1/2 hour later this little purple rental car pulls in and outsteps Buck (he was driving) and Eric. They were looking around so we said hello, got some stuff signed (ST and Spectres albums) talked a bit and they went into the studio for TV and radio interviews. Kudos to the media here. Alberta loves BOC.

We then went to the venue and had to wait until 9:30 for the opener as there was a hockey game on (I was only slightly steamed).

Anyway BOC hit the stage at 11 and played for 1h 45min. Their set list was the same as has been posted before but the new arrangements are unbelievable. They are so tight I couldn't believe it. We sat right infront of Buck all night and my ears melted. After D&S (encore) he tossed me his pick.

Highlight for me was LDoM. They have re-worked it and the solo break can't be explained, it must be experienced. Godzilla was great as Bobby and Danny really got to show their chops. The segues btween bass and drum solos kept the sound very fresh. No cliche 70s solo breaks with these guys. This line-up is awesome live. Most of the songs have been slightly re-worked and sound like they could have been recorded yesterday.

Sorry for the rambling but my mind still hasn't registered all it was exposed to. These guys are first class musicians and most importantly real people. Big smiles all night, meeting the fans, what more can you ask for. Do yourself a favour and see this show. They play in Red Deer 15 May which is 1.5 hr drive from here. I think I'll have to go.

What a great week. I managed 2 shows and some time with the band. Their stint in Alberta was excellent. The band is in top form and Danny and Bobby make up a MONSTER rythm section. IMHO the best since the brothers.

Their set changed slightly substituting Lips and Summer of Love for OD'ed and FT. The encore went from D&S to ME 262 and R&B. Great way to end a Canadian leg with reference to the Mounties and all.

The band hung around to chat and sign stuff for a bit. Here is the mark of a peoples band as not many hang with the fans. Thanks guys.

I'm not much of a reviwer but I will say, if at all possible, DON'T MISS THIS. BOC rocks and I can't wait to see them again, and again...

Setlist for 5/22/98 Conyers, GA

1. Burnin' For You
2. Cities On Flame
3. ETI
4. Harvest Moon
5. Buck's Boogie
6. Vigil
7. Live For Me
8. Flaming Telepaths
9. See You In Black
10. Godzilla-> bass solo-> drum solo-> Godzilla
11. Reaper
12. Encore: Dominance & Submission

(1:27:00), roughly!

*** HAD ONE HELL OF A TIME!! LOVE THE NEW MATERIAL!!! :) ***

*** MY FIRST EVER BOC SHOW -- I KNOW (what can I say!) -- I'M A LATE (ERIC) BLOOMER!!! ***

Definitely, see them while you can!!! They are just awesome, haven't lost a beat at all since the 80s!!! (If they only had lasers, but knowing them, it would be one hell of an expense in 90s DOLLARS!!! $$$

Flaming Telepaths: Pretty cool to hear this song, though at the time I kept calling this song "Flaming Wonder". Being a newly initiated BOC fan, my friend corrected me on the title and enjoyed it nonetheless. He wanted to hear Astronomy, but I wasn't too picky!

See You In Black: When I first heard this through a downloaded MP3, I thought that maybe I tracked a wrong file. However, that isn't thecase and this heavy, earthshaking rocker represents the most intensely heavy BOC I've ever heard. Even more heavy than Tyranny (though that was VERY HEAVY for '73). Twenty-five years later, BOC demonstrate why they are one of the main pioneers of hard rock/heavy metal in America.

Still I can't help thinking how much it sounds like Metallica (excuse me). Personally, Eric Bloom could kick Hetfield's ass anyday! (yeah, yeah. ass-kickin's cool!! hee!)

Last Days Of May: One of Buck Dharma's many highlights, but definitely the most beautiful. I swear his voice hasn't changed in 25+ years. I was so drawn into this number that I lost track of all space and time. (Sounds like a classic BOC theme huh? ;)

Godzilla: This drunk couple behind us reminded me that every has their own "Freebird". The male counterpart was slurrily yelling, "Lizard! Lizard! Play the Lizard soooong!!!" Then his female accomplice joins in with "Godzeeeela!!!!"

Upon responding this after 3 straight songs, Bloom responds, "Huh, what was that?!?" A cheer erupts from the crowd naturally. "Oh you mean that one, the one and only original?" he continued. That obviously must've been a stab at the producers of the Godzilla movie who didn't want to include the band on the soundtrack. I think the band is still a little bitter about that, but anyway...

In came the stomping footsteps of that gargantuan green beast and the call for "GODZILLAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" [Opening chords please...] In between the song, there were respectable bass and drum solos. Man, I only wish it had been the Bouchards. Still, I'll take an abriged version of BOC anyday, and there was still more music to come.

Reaper: This song sticks out in my youth more than any other one, and to see it done live is so special. Buck Dharma is a genius for coming up with the solo for the song, for it is forever engraved into my musical subconscious. It is any wonder why Buck is one of the best guitarists to come out in the 70s?? I rest my case.

(Aaaah man! That was the end of the set? They had only played like an hour and 15 minutes, but was worth every minute. Still we all wanted more, more, MORE!!!)

The band comes back out and they do an awesome rendition of Dominance and Submission. Bloom leads the crowd in the frantic cheers of "Dominance" while he so coolly replies "Sub...mission!" What a rush!!! This is probably THE MAIN SONG that lured me into further exploring early BOC albums. Secret Treaties is still probably my favorite BOC, especially Side 1 from Career-->ME 262.

Which by the way, they didn't go into ME 262. I was a little bummed. I mean, they could have played at least one more song but the bastards at the Horse Park probably wanted to close shop. I had noticed they played it at other venues, but not here. Damnit!!!

Didn't have it crush my evening though. This was surely my Top 2 concerts for me in '98 (the other being Page/Plant in Atlanta). I can't wait to see the "hungry boys" again!!! :) Anything they play is alright by me. But they have such a variety of songs from past albums that they could play totally different material each night. Sure you should have Godzilla, Reaper, Burnin' and Cities, but an occasional Great Sun Jester, Black Blade, Stairway To The Stars, or even Joan Crawford could be in order. Even stuff from Revolution or Ninja, two somewhat underrated albums.

Here's to the cult!!!! Long live BOC in '98 and beyond! (I'm gonna have to set up plans for the 30th anniversary in 2000).

It all fell apart for BOC on Lynchburg, at "Livefest". The show started only a few minutes late as stage crew had many problems hooking up properly.

The first song, Burnin for You, had no PA, consequently, no vocals. After some repair work, the band continued with "Cities" and ETI, and the vocals were still bearly audible. Eric was changing guitars every song, as his playing was not getting through, either. "Harvest Moon" - the same - the vocals were inaudible.

To make it worse, when Allen stepped up to play his solo - yep, you guessed it - no volume, no audible solo. This was really sucking, even tho most of the audience seemed to pay it little attention. "Flaming Telepaths" - low vocals and no sound for the keyboard solo.

I will say that "See you in Black" kicked royal ass - even though, again the vocals were non-existent. With it's 3 guitar assault, it's just killer. All through the show, roadies were scurrying about trying to solve the sound problems to little avail. When Allen's guitar came to life during Harvest Moon, in came in so loud that it buried Buck for the remainder of the tune.

Oh, but the worst was yet to be. After "Live for Me", Eric says that they are being told they have to wrap up the show and says something like 'hell with em - we're playing all night'. They launch into Godzilla - in the middle of the drum solo, the stage lights were turned off - the band in total darkness.

Eric grabs a flashlite and shines it on the drummer - they ended up finishing the song in the dark [guess we got to see em in Black] and then the power is cut totally - no instruments, lights, PA - the show was shut down. I was leaning on the barricade on the front row - yea I saw the pony-tailed guy with none on top [g] - and Eric and Allen both tried to tell the audience that they had been shut down - but unless you were front row, you didn't hear or see em.

When everyone realized the show was indeed over, chants of "Bullshit" accompanied bottles and trash thrown on the stage, though it never got out of hand. I believe many in the crowd assumed that BOC had purposely ended the show. As I made my way through the crowd, I heard "Get yer tired old asses and hit the fuckin road" and " Those geezers are late for the rest home" among the many profanities hurled at the band. I hope the radio station that sponsored the show - WROV - will make a statement absolving the band, and explain just what the fuck happened.

Here was a show promoted for months, a two day festival, and the headliners get the plug pulled after [I'm guessing] about 35 minutes - they never even got to play their biggest hit " The Reaper". With the sound fuck-ups, an overall ugly night for BOC. But...

Can someone tell me who the band was that preceded em - the skinny little white guy with the black bassist and drummer? Now THOSE guys were fuckin awesome.

Danny told me they literally pulled the plug because of curfew bullshit... he was pissed. Sounds like VERY lame planning on the promoters of the gig to me. What a shame to do this to a band willing to work so hard to promote this great new CD..... :-(

WROV and the rest of the folks who organized this event need a good a## kicking! There were many problems due to the way the pa was set up! However, the major problem was that BOC were due to start at 9pm and play an hour and a half set.

However, they did not get the go ahead until 9:40!!! Then of course the power was 'unplugged' at 10:30 - This was a disaster from the start - the road crew had huge problems with the way things were set up by the locals - Also, there was little or no security backstage, which does not help when the band is trying to get ready for the gig.

Art Ring (the road manager) had to usher people out of BOC's tent as they believed it was their place to party free. There were a few other problems - basically the promoters were clueless!!!! I thought the band dealt with it very well! They all felt for the crowd, but what could they do?

Buck did use his new Steinberger - yellow, with Swiss cheeseholes drilled into the body - Buck told me that it is Cheeseberger!!!!

I also attended the Lynchburg Fiasco (as I shall heretofore refer to "Livestock '98"). Dale's note was a pretty accurate description of the sound problems they encountered.

The subsequent note that stated that BOC were originally scheduled to go on at 9 was also right... that was the time that WROV had been giving out all week. However, I'm still not clear on why the people running the thing felt compelled to pull the plug on the band...

While there is apparently a curfew in Lynchburg, everyone who mentioned it also told me that it is at ELEVEN PM, not 10:30! Also, the station failed to mention that the entire show had startedlate that morning because the people setting the stuff up initially didn't want to get wet when it was raining. Geez.

I happened to be watching when the guy said something to Eric... he looked surprised, but nodded. However, they did cooperate to the extent of skipping several numbers from the usual set list and going right to GODZILLA.

I would think that anyone with two brain cells to rub together would be able to figure out that the crowd was gonna go ballistic if they didn't at -least- get ZILLA and REAPER, but apparently that's too much of a stretch for them.

Anyway, here's what actually got performed:

1. burnin' for you
2. cities on flame
3. eti
4. harvest moon
5. buck's boogie
6. live for me
7. flaming telepaths
8. see you in black
9. half of godzilla

It gets worse, too. Not only has the station NOT said anything to explain that this disaster wasn't the fault of BOC, they've been doing exactly the opposite! They've been slamming the band on-air ever since the show.

Among the "witty" comments were things like "They're gonna change their name to Blue Oyster Suck" and "They were just total dicks" and complaints about the "attitude" the band had and so on.

This afternoon they had people calling in and complaining about them, while the DJs egged them on! BTW, there's now a WROV window sticker lying somewhere in the middle of US Rt 220 if anyone wants it... it's never gonna be on MY car again!

The only real up side to the entire evening was that all of the guys seemed to like my HEAVEN FORBID shirt. Eric and Allen had already left in disgust, but I did get Buck, Bobby and Danny to sign my copy of the CD. Buck also signed CULT CLASSIC.

While they were obviously not happy with the way the show had gone, they were quite cordial to the fans who ventured backafterwards. Danny said that the fans had been very good to them, and he really hated that they had gotten "cheated".

{sigh} I could go on and on, but there's no point. The long and the short of it is that rather than admit that they screwed up royally, the station is dumping the whole thing in the laps of BOC. So who does that leave as the REAL 'total dicks?" HINT: They call themselves "the rock of Virginia"....

Rolled in to picturesque Harrisonburg thru the Shenandoah Mtns yesterday at about 8:00pm. Got lucky to get tix, the place, Mainstreet Bar and Grill, was already packed to the gills and more waiting to get in. An excellent little venue, but only held about 200 or so and had a VERY small stage. (Only one strobe box used on Telepaths)

The band was originally billed as starting at 9:00, but when I called earlier they said 9:45. Then the bar held them back until 10:00. Well, I got in about 8:15, got a couple beers and made my way to the front. People had still left the very front of the stage open, so I parked it right in front of Bucks mike and struck up a conversation with a pretty cool local guy named Marty. Told him about the net, he will be checking it out soon.

The crowd was restless by 10:00, blaming the band for being late. I explained that it is the CLUB that dictates when the show begins, and does so to sell more alcohol, and the ones in front seemed to understand. Finally, at 10:00, after the DJ -played the 20th southern rock-country-western song in a row (Including John Denver "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", I kid you not!) the Boys were on.

Set list mirrored the past few shows, noticable exceptions were no "Bucks Boogie", and addition of "Lips in the Hills" and "Summer of Love". The vocals werelow to start, but got better as time went.

Highlites were the magical solo in "Last Days of May", even the local sound man seemed blown away. Really enjoyed Summer, too!! Unfortunately, I did not meet any real cultifiles, most of the rednecks in the joint screamed "Reaper, Reaper!!" after every song to which Eric finally said, "We'll get to it!!"

Asked Buck about the Lynchburg show, and he said he felt bad because it seemed the audience blamed BOC. He wasn't happy about it. D & S closed the show, but Eric had a hard time getting the virgins in the crowd to do their part. He seemed to be chuckling about it.

All in all, a great show. Allen looked better (to me) than he had earlier this month, and Bobby and Danny look and sound very integrated now. The BOC machine is revved up, fellas, and with the momentum Harvest Moon is building, maybe we'll see them in larger arenas soon.

Caught the Mem Day gig in Decatur, IL... a drive well worth it. Set list started off a little different compared to what I'm used to seeing...

1. Burning For You (for an opener?!? That's a switch!)
2. Cities on Flame
3. ETI
4. Harvest Moon
5. OD'd on Life
6. Live For Me
7. Summer of Love (Good to see it back in the lineup.)
8. See you in Black
9. Last Days In May (Appropriately enough.)
10. Lips in the Hills
11. Godzilla
12. Reaper
13. Encores: ME262
14. Dominance and Submission
15. Red and Black

I'm not from the Decatur area, but it looks like the local radio station must really be pushing HF. The locals seemed more familiar with "See You in Black" than "Burnin' For You"! Can anyone from around that area explain this bizarre inversion? The vocals were a little hard to make out from the back of the tent, but I really can't complain.. I mean, when else can I see BOC for $5, right?

The new stuff makes great live material, now that I actually know what the words are supposed to be. I think I went home with a latent case of whiplash from SYIB...

After following and seeing the Cult since the beginning, I couldn't let last Saturday's Lynchburg catastrophe be possibly my last live memory of the band. So I travelled the 3 hours to Richmond for "Rockstock 98". Man, if I'd known that Pat Travers and Jackyll would also be there I'd have gotten there sooner.

This show went off without a hitch. A fine outdoor amphitheatre, good seating, good securuty. Not one problem with PA or sound, after they toned down the bass drums in Burnin For You. Not what I would call an inspired performance - rather, professional and workman - like. For those interested, some observations:

1. The set was pretty much the same as has been posted regularly except no "Vigil" or ME 262. No Dominance and Submission either.
2. The highpoints of the show for me are the two new songs, Harvest Moon and SYIB, particularly Allen's solo in Harvest Moon is a treat. Please do not get me wrong, but Buck solo's nearly every song, and great as he is, they tend to sound much the same after a few songs and many years. Allen's short but fierce spot, which was not heard in Lynchburg last week, was the coolest part of the show.
3. Speaking of Allen, he looked great last night, as opposed to walking [barely] death last week. He was very animated and all over the stage, most times grinning from ear to ear. Welcome back to the living, AL [gr]
4. For two weeks straight, everyone was dressed the same. I mean, identically what they each wore last week. Are the slate grey jeans thateach member is wearing the new "touring" gear? All had various black shirts: Buck the sleevless pit bull, Bloom the road-racing thunder, etc. Looks to me as if this is the official look of this tour. Too bad. I mean, we're here for the music, sure. But they could do more to make the shows more visually appealing - if they wanted to. Perhaps they don't. No problem.
5. Danny and Bobby have to be, pound for pound, the fattest rhythm section in the history of rock and roll. During the drum solo on 'zilla, Bobby's lips pucker, his cheeks balloon, his eyes pop, and he literally looks like he's gonna explode. When he walked out from behind the drums at show's close, he looks like he's packing a bowling ball under his [yes, black] tee shirt. I wonder what Rick Downey's up to these days?

OK, that's about it. Not a bad way to say adios to BOC - I doubt I'll have many opportunities, if any, to see them again. But it's been a long, cool ride, and I'm pleased to have been along for most of it.

RANT MODE ON: Jeez, where the hell is George Geranimos (sp?) - BOC's very excellent soundboard man?!?!? Obviously not running the board in Richmond, VA this past Saturday night! That's where NOT! The sound mix just plain sucked canal water and I was sitting right behind the sound and light boards where the sound "should" have been the best!

BOC's opening song, "BFY," was a bloody massacre. Just sonically pathetic all the way from the overbearing bass drums right down to the virtually non-existant lead vocals; which by the way, never really came up in the mix properly until "TCTLDofMay" (-thank God-). And what's up with Buck's new guitar; it never sounded "right" all night and was usually buried way down in the mix; therefore Buck's solo's were usually completely lost on the crowd.

Moreover, Buck's vocals on the NEW SINGLE (... damn, they gotta get at least get that one right...) "Harvest Moon" were so faint as to be almost completely missing in the first verse! And the keyboards sounded completely out-of-place all night; never fitting-in smoothly and usuallly sounding like a squanky, out-of-tune organ-grinder's instrument.

Now mind you, I don't believe any of this was the fault of the band members; who were obviously trying their best under very difficult circumstances.

Question; why didn't BOC use the same soundboard as Pat Travers and Jackyl; both of which were excellent mixes?

Question; what with a new album out and doing well is BOC "settling" for less than perfection in the sound mix; when there's just SO MUCH riding on it each night?

Question; even though BOC got the best "slot" of the weekend's headliners at the WRXL Big Rockstock; why were they denied an encore (I saw a security person come over to the light board in the middle of "DFTR" and mouth "... 10:45, right?..." ) and given the bum's rush (apparently to the suprise of Buck and Eric from the expressions on their faces) when the lights came up SO FAST? The only way this was "better" than Lynchburg the previous Saturday night was that the venue didn't just cut the power in mid-Godzil....!

Question; why for the SECOND Saturday night in a row wasn't BOC's crew able to effectively set-up the stage and be ready to go on-time at 9:15? Aren't they getting paid to handle this seemingly straight-forward task? Jackyl managed to come on right at 7:30 on-time and were off at 8:40, just ahead of schedule-no problems.

RANT MODE OFF Well, the weather was great, it was good to hear "Summer of Love" again live, "TCTLDofM" still kicks-ass (...please get that one on CD guys...), it was good to see the band playing in a big venue again and I suppose a "bad" mix of BOC is still better than a good mix of anyone else; but otherwise, sigh...

I'll tell ya, JW, I was down front deadcenter 3 rows deep, and the sound seemed fine to me. But I was pretty happy just to hear all the mics and instuments working, as opposed to Lynchburg. After they toned the drums down after BFY - which is probably the weakest opening song of any BOC tour I have seen - all seemed ok. It could have and should have been louder, though.

To be honest, I remember thinking that the keyboards sucked most of the night. Most of the time, the problem was actually Allen. He appeared to be a half beat slow on every solo, and rushed his finish in a garbled mess to get it all in - like he couldn't keep up with the speed of the songs. I can't say about Eric's work on keys, as I really didn't pay them much attention.

The vocals? Sounded alright up close. Eric has lost the snarl and growl of his youth. He alters a lot of his vocals now, singing in places he used to scream. Sure, his age, and saving his voice for a long tour are the reasons. But it does lessen the performance no less. Buck has never had a strong voice, and Eric no longer has the menacing voice that gave BOC's material that style and attitude that made songs like "Cities on Flame" work.

[That song, btw, is now played with absolutely no fire or passion at all now - a very measured and practiced routine with Buck still stretching his fingers before the big speed solo. Man, that's been his act unchanged for 20 years.]

Don't get me wrong. I don't expect these guys to be able to play, perform, or even feel the same way they did years ago in their prime. I go now because I still love the songs, and still remember how much they meant to me.

But I'll be honest. At 41 yrs of age, nothing has made me feel my age more than seeing this once killer band transform into aworking corporation right before my eyes. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

"Things ain't like they used to be - and this ain't the summer of love." But I'll take what I can get.

Sound is being handled by Steve ( Woody) Lacerra these days. I've seen 4 shows this year with Woody and 1 last year... 4 of them were excellent mixes 2 were not...

I saw 11 shows with GPG ( George) last year and 10 the year before... I'd say about the same with 2/3 sounding good the others not...

Why is this - well poor sound equipment of someplaces can be blamed. The others where the opening bands sound fine and BOC not who knows...

I ask George about this and he was miffed... George has been alternating doing sound for Morbid Angel, and Anthrax over the last 6 months... His reason for this is his business...

But i'm sure we will see the likes of GPG again with BOC.

I have to agree with the keys, vocals, and BD's Guitar being low in the mix for a few years anyway... I'd best describe it as a muddy type of mix

Just got home after the show. I was near the front, just to Buck's left. And he was magnificent tonight, The Vigil and the extended solo in TCTLDOM especially.

But what is going on with the gear? Right from the start there were equipment problems (Eric said), I think some hassle was with the transmitters from the guitars. Buck certainly had trouble and seemed to be having words with the crew. At the end, Eric's guitar refused to function at all, and after the only encore (D&M) Buck looked really pissed off and pushed Eric's stack over onto the stage.

However: A great set, I really enjoyed it.

We got - and I forget the order:

1. Burnin For You
2. Cities On Flame
3. Harvest Moon
4. ETI
5. Buck's Boogie (which was fantastic)
6. Vigil
7. THTLDOM
8. Live For Me
9. Reaper
10. FT (and the sound was atrocious for that one)
11. OD'd
12. SYIB
13. Godzilla
14. D&S

I think that's it - may have missed one...

What would really piss me off though is if this "goodbye" show - which I feel it is - has just been screwed by equipment problems. Buck really played well, as good as I can recall seeing him, and he looked really fucked off about what happened with the gear.

And Bobby the drummer! What a guy! Cigarette at all times (except during solo) and, it seems, a hungry guy...

I was there too, and I enjoyed it, although with slightly mixed feelings. I'm nowhere near as avid a fan of BOC as most people here; I love themfor their brilliant moments - of which there are plenty - but there's an awful lot of stuff of theirs that doesn't do much for me. And I could say exactly the same about this gig. There were some sensational bits, which absolutely made the night for me, but there were also plenty of moments where I was left standing watching, thinking "ho-hum".

I'm sure a large part of that was the sound/equipment problems. BOC aren't, for the most part, an in-your-face powerchord-rock band, they're more sophisticated than that, and when the sound was poor they really suffered. Particularly, the opening song ("Burnin' For You") suffered terribly, both from a very poor mix and from being far too quiet! IMNSHO, a stronger, louder song would have worked much better as an opener,and the next two tracks, "Cities On Flame" and "ETI" were both much better. It was great to hear "Flaming Telepaths", one of my all-time fave BOC songs, but as you said, it was spoiled by the piss-poor sound.

I was also a little surprised at the choice of songs from the new album, which has grown a lot on me in the last few weeks. "Harvest Moon" was great, but I can't help thinking that there are much stronger tracks than SYIB and "Live For Me" that they could have played.

I know SYIB has been a part of the set for a long time (as far back as the last time they came to these shores), but it's one of their duller songs, IMHO. I'd have loved to hear "Power..", or maybe "Cold Grey Light Of Dawn". It was good to see a good response from the audience to the new stuff, though, and not just baying for the old classics.

Time to stop being negative - there were times when they absolutely stormed! "Buck's Boogie" was wonderful, "ETI" (another favourite of mine) was great to hear as always. And from the utterly superb "Last Days Of May" onwards, everything just seemed to suddenly come together...

I was also there last night (my third BOC concert) and really enjoyed the show, though I too had reservations about the sound, which I'll come to later.

General Impressions: Thoroughly enjoyable. Wouldn't have missed it for the world. My girlfriend who has never seen BOC before and only knows Don't Fear The Reaper also enjoyed it a lot.

Band members: I was interested to see Allen after the discussion about his health recently on the list. He actually looked quite energetic, was smiling and laughing a lot, and seemed to be enjoying it all. He didn't appear to touch the keyboard much during the first half of the show (Eric seemed to be playing the keyboard more).

I'm not sure how old Eric and Buck are (about 50?) but I thought they both still looked younger than their years, and look like they can continue touring for a while yet, so hopefully we'll see them back in the UK before too long. My girlfriend thought that Buck looked sweet.

Buck appears to be much more the 'leader' of the band than in the past (I've always considered Eric to be the main front man). Buck sang by far themajority of the songs last night, and Eric seemed very low-key in comparison to when I've seen him before.

Crowd: The crowd was a real mixture of people, though as you would expect, they were quite 'mature'. However, they looked like they were really into it, singing along to everything. I was in front of Buck about 10 yards from the stage. It was pretty packed around me, but I wouldn't have any idea how many people were there. After the show all the comments I heard from people around me were positive.

Sound: I haven't been to many concerts, but every time I've been I have been bemused by the lack of sound quality (not just BOC - every group I've seen). Why is it that the sound quality of vocals and lead guitar at rock concerts is always so bad? I would say that the sound on the opener, Burnin' For You, was pretty appalling. I could barely hear Buck, and he was completely drowned out by the sound of the crowd around me singing.

Likewise Cities On Flame. After that, though, things started to improve, and the sound became normal (i.e not good, but just about acceptable). Why can't we get sound as clean as that on Some Enchanted Evening? (BTW I think the sound on ETL has more of a 'raw concert' feel - i.e. worse).

Apart from the sound generally, the 'equipment problems' that Eric mentioned didn't spoil anything for me (I didn't notice anything in particular going wrong - though from the extra activity on the stage, it was clear that things were not hunky dory)...

I went to the show as well last night and loved it. Not as many people there as I would've expected, but at least those around me seemed to be enjoying it, even with the sound problems. Even my wife enjoyed it and she was only coming along cuz I was let down by a friend at the last minute.

The band were lively and enthusiastic and I thought it was nice when they made the effort to touch hands with people at the end. A good personal touch that I haven't seen before.

However, I was a bit disappointed by them only playing one song for an encore and overall it seemed to be over too quick. But that's probably just me wanting more as it's been so long since I last saw them play (15 years).

Hope the Oyster Boys play again in England soon.

I went to that Free BOC concert yesterday, and I was a bit pissed off, one of the opening bands played longer than BOC. government Mule played for like 2 hours. They added a long ass solo to EVERY SINGLE ONE of their songs. so, they get off, and half the croud leaves, obviously there for them.

BOC takes the stage, they put on a really good show and all, but only played for like an hour.

The encore was an old tune, "Slow Down", covered possibly most famously by the Beatles (Zebra, as well).

Gov't. Mule, the band that played before BOC, contains I believe two former members of the Allman Brothers Band. No, I didn't care for them, either, but just know that the reason they played for two hours was, believe it or not, they were the headliners.

When I spoke to WDHA two weeks ago, BOC was to be taking the stage second. On Thursday, I learned that they would be going on last. I assume the reason for this was the fact that the Oysters were flying in from North Dakota where they played a show on Saturday night!

I corresponded with Eric via email and he said they were gearing up to play yesterday's show without any sleep! While their voices were a bit scratchy (just like ours get when we don't sleep enough), musically, they sounded just fine to me.

Dude, get a grip...take it from an old-timer... anytime spent with BOC (especially freeOC) is time well spent. Saw my first show in 1974 I still get off the same each time.

Apparently, Gov't Mule "headlined" although they were the middle band in a three band set.

WDHA, the show's sponsor has been giving HF some good airplay (they even did a 3 song BOC set early Sunday PM).

However, the GM label was footing a portion of the $$ for the show, so GM got most of the promotion activity in the weeks b4 the show.

I think one of the reasons some of the crowd split was that during the show & after GM finished their set WDHA made no mention of Blue Oyster Cult coming on stage later. Those who split early missed a hot show...

Actual setlist

1. Burnin' for You
2. Cities on Flame
3. ETI
4. Harvest Moon
5. Buck's Boogie
6. This Ain't the Summer of Love
7. The Vigil
8. Live 4 me
9. See You in Black
10. Last Days of May
11. Godzilla
12. Don't Fear the Reaper
13. Encore: Slow Down (I think an old 50's/60's tune played by many bands over time) with some dude from Anthrax

While two or three songs more would have just capped the day, for the price how can one complain. I stood two deep away from Buck's mike. Buck absolutely cooked and genuinely seem to be enjoying himself.

Eric was lively, his voice sounded fine, and continues to wear his "sick of it all" tee shirt. Fragile Allen smiled alot, moved around quite abit and played some real decent backup guitar (no bad for a guy frequently mistaken for dead).

Danny's bass guitar seems to get better all the time and Bobby R. was solid (as usual) on drums.

While the memories of the five guitar onslaught and T&M days gone by fade but are not forgotten, the BOC still put on an incredible rockin show.

I was at the show - here's the set list:

1. Burnin' For You
2. Cities on Flame
3. ETI
4. Harvest Moon
5. Buck's Boogie
6. This Ain't the Summer of Love
7. The Vigil
8. Live For Me
9. Flaming Telepaths
10. See You In Black
11. Last Days of May
12. In Thee
13. Lips In the Hills
14. Godzilla
15. The Reaper
16. Encores: Dominance & Submission
17. The Red & The Black

The place was tiny inside. Couldn't have been more than a couple of hundred people, if that many.

The crowd was a good mix of young and old but light on the female side. It looked like a hardcore crowd with at least one Underbelly shirt and a lot of older tour shirts. I didn't hear anyone shouting for any of the big three which was nice for a change but there was a lot of begging for Astronomy.

They had technical difficulties with the equipment which delayed their arrival until a little after 10:00. They played until 1:00. I was glad to see them open with Burnin' instead of Dr. Music for a change. I hope they retire that one for good. They mixed it up pretty good with at least 2 songs from BOC through Mirrors and 3 from Heaven Forbid.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I just can't get charged up about that album. The stuff is listenable and grows on you slowly but it doesn't reach out and grab you like Secret Treaties or Tyranny & Mutation. I prefer some of the more obscure tunes off of either of those albums, such as Baby Ice Dog, Quicklime Girl and Cagey Cretins, to any track on the new album.

Still, it's good to hear something new from them and I don't mind lining the Oyster Boys pockets either. What I would really like to hear is the canned album with St. Cecilia on it remastered and released on CD. THAT I would pay good money to hear.

Short Review: Awesome!

Slightly Longer Review: Damn! They were REALLY Awesome.

Indepth Review: Well here it is. I have to apologize for being late with my review - no excuse, just got lazy I guess.

Anyway, I was told over the phone that the opening act was supposed to go on at 9:00pm and BOC would be on at 10. Well, Controled Intensity (the opening act) went on at 9:45, so much for schedules :)

As I said, they were pretty good and (IMHO) an excellent prelude to the heavier things to come. One item to note: The bass player was blind. More interestingly though, if you put a pair of sunglasses on him, he wouldv'e been a dead ringer for Jack Nicholson.

Sports Rock USA was part of a bowling alley. When I heard this I groaned. But, once I got there, I was relieved since the two were separate with one adjoining door.

The stage was a bit larger than Baltic's (read postage stamp) and was raised waist high. Therefore, everyone got a good view (except the people directly behind me since I was bopping with the tuneage, sorry). The band had enough room to roam about. Danny surprised me a couple of times appearing behind Al. The place was also surrounded by about half a dozen TV's and one HUGE screen TV that were all hooked to a camera trained on the stage. Hmmm, surrounded by BOC - cool.

I do not know the attendance, but the place held about 400 and it was pretty well packed.

Anywho, BOC took to the stage at 11:07 and began their final tuning. At 11:10, they began to rock the place. I bet alot of pins were falling next door.

The set list was as follows:

1. Burning for You
2. Cities on Flame
3. E.T.I.
4. Harvest Moon (I love this more live then on the CD)
5. Buck's Boogie (Rules!)
6. O.D'd on Life
7. The Vigil (So cool live)
8. Live for Me
9. Flaming Telepaths (Awesome strobe effects made EB look even more spooky - no manical laughing though)
10. See You in Black (As with HM, I love this live)
11. Last Days of May (Can't get enough of this song - Live or not)
12. In Thee
13. Lips in the Hills (First time hearing this live - Loved It Live - see a pattern :)
14. Godzilla
15. Reaper
16. Encores: Golden Age of Leather
17. Dominance and Submission

They ended at 12:51

The big treats for me were Lips and Golden Age. I would have killed to hear GAoL live, luckily I did not have to resort to violence. We all knew were were in for something special when EB said, "O.K. this one's a beer drinking song and we need some help from you all" We got a quick run through the lyrics (like we needed them) and we were off. "Sing like you all have jobs in construction!" EB said, and we did. TCFW! (Too Cool For Words)

Seems every one has new shirts.
Al : New York Mets
Eric : Cipher
Buck : Precious
Danny: "Member of the Alcatraz Swimming Team" (love this shirt!)
Bobby: Plain black.
Yes, I notice these things.

During Godzilla, Buck decided he was thirsty. So, he hopped off the stage, waded through the crowd (off to the side) to the bar. Two minutes later (Corona in hand) he was back. Oh, and Buck's new guitar (The Cheeseburger, he calls it) looks like a big hunk of swiss cheese. Different!

What was really cool was that the boys stayed a while to talk and sign autographs. Got one of my BOC Newsletters signed (woo hoo). Al and Buck took one look at the cover (A pic of Soft White Underbelly with Les) and said "Good God"

Well, all in all, probably my favorite concert to date.

Blue Oyster Cult fans are obsessive by nature, predictable and loyal by habit, and gutter-literate by necessity. A BOC fan will flip through the 'B ' section at a music store, knowing they own everything the band ever recorded, expecting to find that one CD that might have slipped through the cracks. Of course they won't find it and, of course, they'll look again next week.

I used to think this obsession was my particular cross to bear, but I've learned different during the last few years.

Here's an example of the almost-mystical patterns of chance and obsession that haunts BOC groupies. I met a Pennsylvania fan on the Internet who mailed me a copy of an album that's not supposed to exist. Before the band called themselves Blue Oyster Cult they went by several different names, one of them being The Stalk Forest Group. In the late 1960s they recorded an album for Elektra Records under this name, which was never released. The band doesn't know what happened to the original master tapes and believes they were destroyed.

A copy of this album was given to me by a man I've never met, dubbed by a stranger whose name was forgotten before I was born. Technology being what it was in 1968, whoever made the first copy of this ghostly album had to go to a lot of trouble, transferring and mixing the songs from master tapes to a vinyl record. This is the pathological nature of Blue Oyster Cult fans.

When I picked up my first Blue Oyster Cult album as a withdrawn teenager, I would never have guessed that, come July 25, 1998, I'd be walking backstage to interview them.

Almost two thousand people were jammed into Myrtle Beach's House of Blues that night. If you asked a fan at random they might have told you the night club was built for the sole purpose of welcoming Blue Oyster Cult back to the Carolinas on it's comeback tour. When you consider that these same people probably believe Stonehenge was built to attract UFOs, the origin of this theory makes a little more sense.

I was escorted backstage by someone from the club staff, who were militia-like in their protection of the band. The mythic symbolism of my trip wasn't lost on me: into a pitch-black hallway, through a locked door, into an elevator and up one level, the building was designed like a church to give visitors the feeling of ascension. I briefly wondered if churches and nightclubs used the same architects when the elevator doors opened, hitting me with light for the first time that night since the sun set.

I was led to the lounge area, where I was abandoned at the door to meet Blue Oyster Cult. guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser paced the room, an acoustic guitar strapped on, performing Del Shannon's "Runaway" for those who cared to listen. I didn't think about the fact that the man whose music persuaded my to learn to play guitar, and whose lyrics convinced me the goal was within my reach, stood before me. I was here to do a job and put on my professional face.

Which was fortunate. When singer Eric Bloom learned who I was he was less than enthusiastic about doing another interview. The last three reporters who spoke with them all asked the same rote questions, he said, making it very clear he'd be happier if I talked to someone else.

I talked with Art Ring, the tour manager, for a few minutes while waiting for Roeser to finish his warm-ups. Ring, it turns out, wasn't Ring at all, but Steve Shenck, the band's manager (Ring was somewhere else in the club). Shenck told me the warm-ups shouldn't last too long unless Roeser started playing Beatles songs. If that happened I could probably forget an interview.

I didn't mind listening, and part of me hoped some Lennon-McCartney songs made it into our private concert.

BOC's keyboardist Allen Lanier, Georgia native and UNC Charlotte graduate, sat on the couch watching Peter Sellers in "The Pink Panther" when I spoke to Roeser. I try to learn something new everyday and, during the interview, I discover I have a little Barbara Walters in me.

Roeser has been involved with doing benefit concerts in Atlanta for a boy named Ricky Browning, who was fighting a brain stem tumor. Ricky thought Godzilla was battling his illness and liked the song BOC wrote about the movie monster in 1978. Roeser did a series of solo shows, giving the proceeds to Ricky's parents to cover their child's medical expenses; after a long struggle the tumor had gone into remission.

I asked Roeser what the latest news was on Ricky and he told me the tumor had come back. Ricky had lost control of all his bodily functions and only had a few weeks to live.

"It's a real heartbreaker," he said, his eyes getting distant. "He's lived longer that any other person with his particular type of brain stem tumor."

I've seen pictures of Roeser and Ricky Browning together, so I decide to move on. I didn't want to cast a dark shadow over the rest of the evening.

We talk about Blue Oyster Cult's new album, Roeser's growth as a songwriter and musician, and eventually Shenck herds the oyster boys out of the room and toward the stage. This leaves me with the run of the joint and I briefly consider snitching one of their beers (Lanier and I apparently have the same taste for Corona).

Instead I head outside onto the second-story landing to take some pictures before mixing myself back into the crowd to watch the band I had come so far to see.

Set List

1. Burning For You
2. Cities On Flame
3. E.T.I.
4. Harvest Moon
5. Buck's Boogie
6. Od'd On Life Itself
7. The Vigil
8. Live For Me
9. Flaming Telepaths
10. See You In Black
11. The Last Days Of May
12. In Thee
13. Lips In The Hills
14. Godzilla
15. Don't Fear The Reaper
16. Encore: Dominance and Submission

Technically, my first BOC concert experience was when I was 7 years old, and an uncle of mine took me to see them during the Club Ninja tour (I believe it was in Kansas City, but I can't remember). Needless to say, I don't have much to relate about this experience... however, last August, I was lucky enough to see them for the first time (while being able to appreciate it, that is) at the Brooktown Brewery in Oklahoma City.

The opening act was April Wine, and they did a FANTASTIC job. They were really enjoying themselves, and they did great live versions of All Over Town and Sign of the Gypsy Queen, which are the only two songs I could name off of the top of my head that they've ever recorded (the latter wasn't even penned by them). VERY cool group of guys, and it really got me in the mood for BOC...

Then, Nazareth came on, and they seemed to harbor some sort of personal contempt that they had to be bothered to play that night.... they went on stage, they kinda fooled around for an hour to an hour and a half, they did "Now Your Messin' with a Son of a Bitch" (with little assistance from the crowd, despite their efforts) and came off the stage.... they were NOT impressive. "Goin' Through the Motions" probably describes their lousy attempt at a live concert....

Now, we get about an hour break between Nazareth and the boys, and got treated to various studio cuts of AC/DC, while the Nazareth crew took their sweet time getting their gear off stage..... then, the sound guys managed to completely screw up, and it looked like Steve or some other member of the BOC crew gave 'em a good talking to, and tried to fix their sorry excuse for a sound mix... Bobby spent a pretty good time testing his drums during this, and hopefully heard "Bobby Rondinelli kicks A$$!!!!!!" a couple of times while he was doing so ;-) Allen tuned up his guitar some, and eventually they got out on stage.

Of course, they opened with BFY, and then followed a pretty typical setlist for the summer of '98, with such gems as The Vigil and Last Days of May, and an encore of The Red and The Black. All the while, their vocals were pretty much washed out, but the rhythm section was comin' out loud and clear (most of the non-BOC fans were surprised at how easily they could head-bang to this stuff, especially given the sound mix). Bobby's drum solo came out GREAT, with a little jazz rhythm going... and Danny's bass solo in the Red and the Black was pretty popular too. All in all, I was probably of maybe a half dozen true believin' fans out there, but it was a great show nonetheless... the boys _wanted_ to add another encore or two, but they had to be in Texas the following night =(

Oh yeah, for some reason, Eric gave the intro to Last Days of May, and it went something like "this next song is about a deal gone bad for some.... errrr.... controlled substances" (with a big wink of the eye). The crowd went wild, and Danny took another drag of what had to be a doobie and held it up for the crowd to see ;-)

Greetings to all BOC fans. The following is a review of the BOC show at House of Blues in Downtown Disney, Orlando, Florida, on August 22, 1998 by hellboy.

I tried to get some other people to go to the show, including my best friend in Tampa who introduced me to the Cult back in 1981 or so, but unfortunately he couldn't make it! (Sorry, Randy) My wife and I and another couple went to the show, not knowing what to expect from House of Blues since we had never been there before, but the concert turned out to be excellent for the most part. If any of the members of the band read this, please know that we love you guys in the Orlando area and really wish you would play House of Blues again.

We arrived at House of Blues at 6:30 p.m. and the concert was scheduled to begin at 7:39 p.m. (!) House of Blues is a relatively small venue that probably seats about 1200 people; a balcony area on the second floor provides tables that look directly down onto the stage, and several tables on the first floor also allow for an excellent view of the stage.

If you get there early enough (my guess would be an hour-1 1/2 hours before the scheduled show time), you can obtain one of the better tables. My party got a table on the first floor with an ok view of the stage, but just before BOC played, I decided to go down to the pit area so that I could have a bird's eye view of what transpired, and this was the right decision to make after all.

The opening band was Kid Ridlyn from Orlando. I had never heard them before--apparently, they are somehow affiliated with the late local group Stranger. Kid Ridlyn played mostly cover songs, ranging from a ten minute John Cougar medley to Rod Stewart and Stranger.

Their originals smacked of Hootie and the Blowfish and other sundry MOR fare, but they seemed an affable enough lot. They were certainly a crowd motivating band and obviously enjoyed what they were doing, so I'll give them an A for enthusiasm, if not originality. After Kid Ridlyn's hour-long set ended, the excruciating wait for BOC began.

BOC took the stage at the unofficially scheduled time of 10:00 p.m. to a completely packed house. I was in the right side of the pit about 10-12 feet from the speaker stack and had an excellent view of the stage. When the curtain was raised, the band launched into Burnin' for You.

I'm not sure if my hearing was a little off because of where I was standing in relation to the speakers, but it seemed to me that the bass and midrange were predominant, vocals and treble were too low, and the mix was off somehow. This situation persisted through the night, but did not prevent me from enjoying the performance.

The set list was as follows:

1. Burnin' for You
2. Cities on Flame
3. E.T.I.
4. Harvest Moon
5. Buck's Boogie
6. Joan Crawford
7. Live for Me
8. Flaming Telepaths
9. See You in Black
10. And Then Came the Last Days of May
11. In Thee
12. Lips in the Hills
13. Godzilla
14. Don't Fear the Reaper
15. Encores: Dominance and Submission
16. The Red and the Black

Eric got some good call and response vocals during Cities on Flame.

All of the guys in the band appeared to be in a good mood and the crowd was really into the show. I got to watch a lot of drunk kids hoist themselves up onto the stage (usually just to the left of Buck) and amble in a stupor to the spot immediately in front of Bobby's drum kit, smile stupidly at the crowd for a second, and then get dragged off to the side by the remarkably adept House of Blues security staff.

I have to hand it to the House of Blues bouncers--you guys are precision itself! One drunk managed to totter around behind Buck and then fall off the stage back into the pit, causing Buck and Danny to look around for a few seconds. He was quickly removed from the premises. I counted a total of four stagedivers who were escorted away.

The band were in fine form all night--especially Bobby, whose drum solo during Godzilla was earthshattering. At the end of Bobby's solo, Eric introduced Bobby, following his introduction with the telling remark, "Bobby....not ALBERT." Allen's keyboard pyrotechnics on Joan Crawford were another memorable highlight, although it is not my intention to detract from the playing by the other members of the band, which was uniformly excellent.

My favorite aspect of each concert would have to be watching Buck, as his playing is truly remarkable. He alternated between his white,black, and red and black Steinbergers, using the white one for most of the show. The solos were incredible and always pierced the general maelstrom of sound, even during the very intense musical cauldron at the end of DFTR.

BOC's ability to place a slightly different cast on songs you've heard a hundred times before, illuminating them in a new way and making them somehow more vibrant, is one facet of their unique talent that astounds me, and this quality is always most evident in the way Buck weaves new harmonic threads into these old tapestries.

Well, I am going to have to wrap up this review. Can't wait until the next show--please let it be soon!

I would appreciate it if someone could help me with two questions:

1. I've noticed that Buck wears his Twin Peaks Sheriff's Department shirt quite often. Where did he get the shirt? Does he wear this shirt because he, like me, is a huge Twin Peaks fan? Someone please let me know.
2. Have the first three BOC albums ever been remastered? I bought the Columbia 3-Pak in the nice black and white sleeve to replace my old, muddy-sounding vinyl, only to find out that the cds sound just as muddy! If anyone can tell me how to get remastered versions of the first three discs, I would greatly appreciate it.

I was somewhat to the left, up against the stage, in front of where Eric and Allen were most of the night... it was an extremely enjoyable show, the bouncers were very quick at getting those who climbed up on stage...

Right when the BFY opened, the lights were kinda bright so I pulled out my sunglasses for a couple seconds then put them away. I don't know if they reflected or something, but the House of Blues security staff thought I had a camera and hauled me out to go through my pockets, then let me go when I obviously didn't have one. Took me a bit of trouble to get back where I was (forutnately my friends had kept my spot clear)... (I was in my Buck Dharma 'Flat Out T-shirt and wearing a modified lab coat over it)...

Apart from that, my only other mishap was during Reaper when I got a bit too enthusiastic and my (regular) glasses flew off my face somewhere.

About 30 seconds of looking on my hands and knees on the floor failed to produce them (and missing enjoying the song as much), but someone noticed me looking and handed them too me, for which I am very grateful...

The show was generally excellent, I liked the venue a lot, the stage was high enough that people didn't block the view, etc. The sound equipment was definitely better than at the last place I saw them (Mr. Laff's, Ft. Lauderdale, couple years ago).

At one point Eric's wireless guitar hookup seemed to fail, and one of their staff ran out to work on it while everyone else kept playing (and Eric sang w/out his guitar for awhile).

Finally during Danny's bass solo they hooked up an extension to it, which wasn't quite as long as Eric would've liked, it caught on some stuff a couple times and he had it at the limit a number of times trying to be where he wanted to be on stage...

I was really happy to hear them do Joan Crawford, which I hadn't seen live before. The sound effects bit seemed a bit off, they started late and there were still a few when the song had already moved onto the next part.

Allen did a great job on keys at the beginning, though it seemed something he wanted to do after the keyboard intro (the Joe part) there wasn't that quick-paced keys part that accompanies the guitars on the version on FOUO, but it was a great song anyways.

The place was packed, and most seemed to be very into BOC. Several times the entire crowd was singing along, as in Cities, and especially (probably because it wasn't as loud and you could hear it better) In Thee, which came across surprisingly well (Buck started it alone singing and on guitar, then Allen came up and played along with him, clearly singing (but no mic), then eventually everyone else (but Bobby of course) joining in.

You could hear the entire crowd singing along in this one, a real nice moment (worked much better than in some of the past times I'd seen it)...

At one point Allen's guitar seemed to give out, he plucked questioningly at it and then Eric reached over, adjusted something and it was okay again...

Buck's solos were, as always, amazing. The one in Last Days of May was incredible. I agree, no two are the same...

Since the set-list has already been listed, lessee, what else:

outfits:
Allen - New York Yankees jersey, unbuttoned, over some "sun" festival t-shirt
Buck - black sleeveless Twin Peaks sheriff unit shirt...
Eric - shirt with artwork featuring a grotesque reaper
Danny - dressed like a... i dunno, looked like a gypsy or a pirate...
Bobby - couldn't tell

All the band members seemed to be in a good mood, even Eric didn't seem to get too upset at the problem with his guitar (the fact that the staff was on top of it immediately helped, I'm sure, I don't know how many times they've been left out to dry by some lesser place's equipment...

The sound mix I think was not as good directly in front as it probably was farther back. I was right in front of subwoofers, so, somewhat to be expected...

I drove up from West Palm Beach to see them, so it meant getting home real late, but it was worth it. They were playing the next day at Lauderdale, but part of a festival with several other bands, meaning a smaller set, so I wanted to catch them here. Thinking of going over to Ft. Myers tonite to see them again.

Summer Jam '98
With Blue Oyster Cult, Brian Howe (formerly of Bad Company), Starship with Mickey Thomas, Rugby America Blues Band, Fabulons. Plus rugby games. Gates open 11a.m. Sunday at Mills Pond Park, 2201 Powerline Road, Fort Lauderdale. Admission $12. Call Ticketmaster.

Just got back from Joe's Lounge in Greenport, New York which is about 40 miles Southeast of Albany. There were about 180 people in Joe's, which is bar on one side and a pizza place on the other. Got there around 7:00 and bought tickets ($27!), and figuring the show would start around 10:00, we went into town and had dinner at a diner, returned around 7:45, to find the above noted crowd, and hearing that we had missed the warm-up act. The BOC started at about 7:50.

Set list (I had to remember this until I got home, so a couple of the songs may be out of order, but I'm pretty sure it's a complete list.)

1. Burnin for you
2. Cities on Flame
3. ETI
4. Harvest Moon
5. Buck's Boogie
6. Live for Me
7. Joan Crawford
8. Flaming telepaths
9. In thee
10. See you in black
11. Last days of may
12. Lips in the Hills
13. Godzilla
14. Don't fear the reaper
15. Encore: Dominance and Submission

All told, about and hour and forty minute show. Buck was dressed in black, wearing a death head tank top, playing a white, swiss cheese looking, Steinburger. He would also play black and sunburst burgers in the show.

I thought the highlights were: Live for me, See you in black, Lips in the hills, and Flaming Telepaths. Was the first time I ever saw Lips performed live. Telepaths was especially cool, with Allen playing some very cheesy sounding 70's type synthisizer sounds, and buck wipping the whole band up with his solo. It ended much like in the 70's shows with high speed stobe lights at the end. D&S was good as an encore, but not great, but the crowd, IMO, which cheered new and old songs all night, didn't work hard enough after Reaper to deserve an encore.

Sound was pretty good, but not great, and it seemed to take the band a couple of songs to hit stride. The rythym section rocked hard all night, and their solos were very good.

Over all it was a very good show, in a different kind of venue. When Allen Lanier put on the acoustic guitar to play IN Thee with buck, I asked (shouted) for "Damaged, Unplugged!," but all we got was a smile.

I think was show 36 for me.

Hey kids, you like rock'n'roll? How about Cheap Trick, Buddy Guy, Little Feat, Wilco and the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band? How about Tripping Daisy, Off Broadway, Blue Oyster Cult and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band?

These bands and 142 more will play this weekend at Rockford's annual On the Waterfront festival.

CHEAP TRICK: 7 p.m. Sept. 6: On the Waterfront Festival, West State and Main Streets, Rockford. $15 advance, $18 door. 815 963-4386.

What: On the Waterfront
Where: Downtown Rockford, along the east and west banks of the Rock River. Take 1-90 to Route 20 west, into the downtown area
When: 5 p.m. Midnight - Friday;
11:30 a.m. to midnight - Saturday;
11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. - Sunday
Cost: A required festival button, good for admission the three days, is $8 for adults, $6 for children ages 6-12, free for children under 5. Additional fees apply for the Great Lawn concerts
Phone: (815) 968-5222 for reserved-seating concert tickets

On the Waterfront isn't just a Brando film. It's Rockford's annual block party - a misnomer of sorts, since this party encompasses 30 blocks and hosts nearly 400,000 per year.

This year's fest starts today and continues through Sunday in downtown Rockford, along the east and west banks of the Rock River. Take 1-90 to Route 20 west into the downtown area. Satisfy all musical tastes at one of 10 outdoor stages, with everything from rock to world music, plus the Children's and Teen Club.

In addition there are larger concerts at the Great Lawn, featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Wilco today, Little Feat, Buddy Guy and A.J. Croce on Saturday and Rockford's own Cheap Trick on Sunday, with Choice and Dada. Ticket prices vary, $6-$15.

Wilco
Runa Pacha
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Blue Oyster Cult
Felix Cavaliere's Rascals
Gary Lewis & The Playboys
Jeff Lorber
Booker T. Jones
Son Seals Blues Band
Tripping Daisy
Mr. Clutch
Ricochet
Roots Rock Society
Brother Ballet
Folklorico Mexico
Marlena Shaw
The Dave Weckl Band
Rick Braun
Shane Stockton
Atomic Fireballs...

The Steve Miller Band
Thurs. Sept. 3

Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Fri. Sept. 4

Buddy Guy
Sat. Sept. 5

Little Feat
Sat. Sept. 5

Cheap Trick
Sun. Sept. 6

Well, it looks like my review is a bit late in arriving, but here it is anyway.

After a mere 90 minute jaunt down 395/95, I arrived in New Haven at 7:30. 30 minutes to go. Good thing too, because the parking there (in a word) sucks. I did not realize that Toads was right in the middle of Yale University. Well, the fates were shining on me and I found a space only a block away. After about 5 minutes honing my parallel parking skills, I park and hustled to Toads.

Hmm. Doors open at 8pm, not 7:30. Oh well, I'll stop in at the pizza place next door. As I am waiting for a slice of pizza and a soda, I here a familiar voice over the din of the college crowd. Its Joel and his significant other. Woo Hoo! We chat, I eat. At 8pm, we head up to the front door. 2 minutes later then open up. Party time!!!

I hand the guy at the dooor my freshly printed pix of Godzilla (Yes, I checked Error! Bookmark not defined. ) and made my way to center stage. Big stage - but very crowded. That's about the time I heard that there was to be three (3) openeing acts. Jeez! This is going to be a long night. Guess I better stop by the bathroom.

The bathroom at Toads is an experience. Shudder. Reminded me of a Turkish prison I was once in - but I won't go into that. Actually, if any of you remember the movie "This is Spinal Tap," it resembles the scene where Tap is stuck below the concert venue trying to find the way out.

Anyway, on the way back upstairs I stopped to look a wall that was painted with the names of bands that have played there and Blue Oyster Cult was proudly emblazoned. I took a moment to reflect. Then I ran - afraid of being mugged by some rabid vermin.

Showtime! The first act was a band called Z-Plan. I (and Joel) were quite impressed with them. They played their own stuff - which rocked. They said that they were really a studio band and didn't get out much; but, it didn't show. Very Matt Sweet-ish.

Six band members - 2 guitar, one base, one keyboard/acoustic guitar, drummer, lead singer - I haven't seen many bands with more than five people lately. I picked up their album and I am listening to it as I type. Still pretty good.

Showtime 2!! The next act was Cruicble. This is an appropriate name. After they left, I felt that I had been in a crucible!! For those of you that remember your chemistry or read the play, you'll know what I mean. I do not want to say they were bad. They were quite proficient, and were not offensive - just, well, boring.

I kept thinking of them as what Rush would be like without a good lead singer. They like to change the tempo a hell of a lot within a song. We cheered when they were told that their time was up. I believe that we were in the minority, because they seemed have a good number of fans in the crowd. Oh well. Oh, by the way, the lead singer was Phil Espizito - I think I liked him better with the Bruins

Showtime 3!!! Only one more to go! This band - The Eclectic Nobodies was a bit of a surprise. The bass player had bright orange hair sticking up in knots, the drummer look like he stopped by Starbucks once too offen (read caffine), the lead looked like a Kurt Cobain (sp?) wanna be, and the other guitarist resembled Jim Morrison. They were loud, but good. I also picked up their CD. 3 songs, $3. It is also pretty good.

FINALLY!!!! At 12:04, the boys arrived. Hallelujiah! The set list had four big surprises as you have heard. My favorite BOC songs from 1 - 4. Astronomy, Joan Crawford, Take Me Away, adn ME262.

This has been the finest setlist (in my humble opinion) that I have heard.

1. Burning For You
2. Cities On Flame
3. E.T.I
4. Harvest Moon
5. Take Me Away (Yeah!)
6. Bucks Boogie (6:16)
7. Joan Crawford (Oh, Yeah!) I believe that I said something like "Holy Shit, Yeah!" Cause Buck looked over at me and laughed.
8. Live For Me
9. Flaming Telepaths
10. See You In Black
11. Astronomy (Hell, Yeah!)
12. ME262 (Shit, Yeah!) FYI - if Eric points three fingers down, then three fingers left, ME262 is next)
13. In Thee - Buck and Al did a quick (60 second) blues jam that was quite good - if unexpected.
14. Godzilla
15. and finally Reaper

Right about this time I was flattened against the stage by a pair of overzelous, rather tipsy cretins in search of a pick. One managed to crawl on stage to get a pick. He was summerily thrown back into the crowd (read, on me). Oh well. Of course, he had to ask who the lead singer was - that kind of tic'd me off. O.K. I through whining.

The encore consisted of Lips in the Hills and The Red and the Black. The whole thing lasted 103 minutes - definitely one heluva cool evening. Can't wait till they come back. The only change would be to remove Buck's Boogie in favor of Then Came the Last Days of May.

1. Burning For You
2. Cities on Flame
3. ETI
4. Harvest Moon
5. Buck's Boogie
6. Joan Crawford
7. Take Me Away
8. Life For Me
9. See You In Black
10. Astronomy
11. Golden Age of Leather
12. Lips In The Hills
13. Godzilla
14. Reaper
15. Encores: Dominance and Submission
16. Jailbreak (by Thin Lizzy)
17. Red and Black

I hadn't managed to catch the Oyster Boys for the last few months, so a few things about this line-up were unexpected. Opening with 'Burning For You', instead of 'Stairway to the Stars', putting 'Lips in the Hills' back in, to name two.

The sound system was a little backwards -- I'm used to not being able to hear the vocals clearly, but last night the vocals came through loud and clear, and it was the rhythm guitar that sounded muted from where I stood.

It didn't seem to matter a whit to the audience though... and I was glad to see that quite a few people up front knew Heaven Forbid as well as the older albums. A few song really stuck out in my head:

Joan Crawford -- is this normally in their set now, or just a Halloween treat?

See You in Black -- Staccato! Slamming! Truly turning out to be a thrash-it-and-trash-it-song! The Boys had this really cute family-portrait style singing-together front stage on the chorus to this one.

Astronomy -- Somebody put the 'hey's back into it. Is this standard as of late, or did the crowd just fill it in and Eric decided to roll with it?

Jailbreak -- (Eric introduced it with a disclaimer of "and we've never rehearsed this one"..) Anyone else heard them do this one yet? The crowd at the Rose was -SO- getting down to this tune, a very unexpected and good guess on the part of the Boys!

Zilla -- I've never seen a crowd react so well to the extended drum solo

They were screaming louder for the solo than they later did for Reaper!

Eric also threw a plug in for the upcoming Metallica album with the cover of Astronomy on it.

Blue Oyster Cult with Molly Hatchet at the Cocoa Fair. The show was advertised as starting at 7:00 PM, with the gates opening at 6:30. I arrive at 6:00 or so.

7:00: Molly Hatchet starts sound check
7:45: Gates open
8:05: Molly Hatchet comes on stage and plays WAY TOO LOUD. Even with earplugs, I am forced to take cover.
9:15: After an hour set followed by a 3-song encore, MH leaves stage.

It took the crew an inordinate amount of time to clear the MH stuff. Whether that was an attempt to buy time or just bad work, I don't know. Once the stage was clear, the BOC guys set up pretty quickly, although it looked like the stage crew had some problems talking with the guy running the mixing board. The sound was pretty good, though, even with that.

10:30: BOC Comes on stage:

1. Burning For You
2. Cities on Flame
3. ETI
4. Harvest Moon
5. Buck's Boogie
6. Godzilla (w/ short bass and drum solos)
7. Don't Fear the Reaper

11:10 Eric says there is a sheriff's curfew, and they have to stop playing. Band leaves stage and house lights come on.

Althought I hardly blame the Oyster Boys for the truncated show (I figure it's the fault of the promoter and/or MH), it was a pretty disappointing experience for me and the people I had dragged along to the show.

Oddly enough, a local rock band playing nearby at the fair's beer garden did not appear to have a curfew, as they continued to play. This may have been a volume/crowd control issue.

I had hoped to turn a couple of new fans on to the Amazing BOC; I'm sorry that the results were somewhat the opposite.

FWIW I'm a long-time fan of Southern Rock, but I would avoid these impostors calling themselves Molly Hatchet like the plague. They play loud and long but not very well and are doing a disservice to the name of a formerly great band. Certainly any average bar band could do better.

Regarding the matter of Molly Hatchet being the openers and playing for over an hour and BOC - the headliners - only playing for 40 minutes...

I'm very careful to not place blame here. My area is full of good ole boys, and I suspect that much of the crowd was there to see MH. My big gripe is that if Molly Hatchet was unable to make their sound check on time, they should have played a shortened set.

MH had a big t-shirt booth, BOC did not (that I saw). MH had an announced autograph session; BOC did not. MH had a couple of spotlight operators during the show; BOC just had the stage lights. MH got an announcement from a local DJ; BOC just came on and played.

The MH front man spent a lot of time in crowd banter. In everything but order of appearance, MH was treated (and acted) like the headliners - much to my disgust. I admit I was (rather uncharitably) yelling at MH to get the &^#$off the $!#@ stage.

It is worth noting that MH was introduced as "CMC recording artists." Maybe they and BOC are doing some dates together, and have an agreement to alter setlengths based on perceived fan base in the show's area.

If MH's antics were not to the liking of BOC, at least the guys can have a word with the record company.

I was at said show as well, right in the very front, and I thought Molly Hatchet did a rather well performance and so did most of the audience around me. One guy next to me even went so far to say the BOC would have a hard time topping MH and that they did.

Not only was BOC's set list shortened considerably because of the curfew, but Buck's guitar seemed to be out on tune as well. When he started playing it just sounded funny, the notes didn't sound as clean as usual.

One thing I did get out of the concert though was I got to meet Eric and he signed my copy of Extraterrestial Live, many thanks to Eric if he reads this.

Sound man George G. reported that rental equiptment was late arriving, causing a delay for BOC to begin and also confirmed the curfew cut their set short.

> I was at said show as well, right
> in the very front, and I thought Molly
> Hatchet did rather well

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

1. Not one of the band members was an original MH. I think the lead guitarist, who apparently now owns the name, was like maybe a 2nd or 3rd generation replacement. They are a bar band using the name MH, period. On the other hand, the real BOC was there, at least 3/5 of them.
2. Each and every song featured a repetitive guitar solo, and had a drawn out ending like the band thought they were playing "Freebird" on the last night of the tour. They could have shortened each song 50% with no loss.
3. The singer' "huh huh huh" laugh as he introduced each song got real old, real fast. Made me want to say "Shut up before I have to smack you, Beavis."
4. I didn't really think either guitarist was very good, certainly not good enough to play as many solos as they did. This may have been a problem with the mix; I was listening through the PA.

I'm not saying this 'cause I don't like southern rock - I was a teenager growing up in Florida in the 70's.

For many years, you would have been hard pressed to find anything on my turntable but Florida bands like Skynyrd, MH, the Outlaws, Blackfoot, Rossington-Collins, 38 Special, Donnie Van Zant,Henry Paul Band, Axe, etc.

I went to dozens of shows from those same bands. I love southern rock and Molly Hatchet. I just wish it had been them Friday night.

Allentown Set List:

1. Burnin 4 You
2. Cities On Flame
3. ETI
4. H Moon
5. Take Me Away
6. B Boogie
7. Joan Crawford
8. Flaming Telepaths
9. See You In Black
10. Astronomy
11. Lips In The Hills
12. Zilla
13. Reap
14. Encore: Dom/Submission

94 minutes.

My last show (and I was subbing for someone else) was in Texas in '98 and it was a one-off. I drove from Austin to Tyler for the show. Paul Rogers headlined and I stayed for his set while everyone else headed back to the hotel.

BOC "opened" for Paul Rodgers on 11-21-98 and just about blew everybody out of the building... they were tight, loud, clear and kicked major ass.

Just got back from the Clarksville show. There were a few technical problems & hardly anyone was there but the Boys still kicked butt! Harvester of Eyes, Flaming Telepaths, Golden Age of Leather, & Astronomy (especially) were major highlights.

A minor disappointment was not figuring out which person was "AgentOF" (Chuck) so I could get a BDB video. There's more to say but I'm awfully sleepy so if no one else posts the set list I'll do it after I get some sleep.

Ya shoulda been there guys...

Set list for 12/12/98:

1. BFY
2. Cities
3. Harvester of Eyes
4. ETI
5. Bucks Boogie
6. Harvest Moon
7. Joan C
8. Telepaths
9. SYIB
10. Golden Age
11. Astronomy
12. Godzilla
13. Reaper
14. Encore: Jailbreak as the encore.

Not sure if the order is exact, but pretty close.

Opening act was a group called Tod Copper, kind of a cross between Live/REM/ & Days of the New, not bad.

BOC didn't play Veterans, which they played friday night, but with the equipment problems they seemed to be having I couldn't blame them forcutting it a little short. I'd guess about 75 people there- the crowd for the friday show must have been bigger.

At one point, Eric noted it was more like a private party (which personally I thought was great, but I'm sure the band wished more people had been there). Eric noted that Metallica had covered Astronomy, and then they went on to do a scorching version of it themselves.

And the guy behind me started doing interpretive dance... it was almost as funny as the couple line-dancing. But hey, as long as a good time was had by all, eh? I'd say a night well spent (except for the long drive home).

Now I gotta start playing the lottery to win enough money to go see the boys in Tokyo!

Mike,
How could you miss me? I was the other guy there! (Small Crowd). Friday's show actually had LESS people at it, so you know the venue got killed.

Friday's show also had Veteran of the Psychic Wars in the encore.

The other changes to the set list were:

• Astronomy replaced by Last Days
• Golden Age of Leather replaced by Take Me Away

Buck played all different solos on Saturday night and it was a real treat hearing some of his stuff. He was definitely on!

Friday's show was all Eric, and hearing Veteran OTPW was an incredible treat.

BOC kicked ASS at Lake Boone again last night !!!!!!!!!!!

They started late, the opening act really sucked (unbelievably awful, we had to split until they quit), I don't think they ever got the mic over the keybards working, but... they rocked the hell out of that place!

The joints just a smokey little dive in a shopping center between a sandwhich shop and a video store. I don't know why they're playing there instead of one of the big colloseums, but it's works out great for us!

Last time they played here, I snuck my teenage son in to see them (he nearly passed out about three times); this time I brought my wife. She usually only listens to classical music, but she really dug BOC. I think she kind of fell for Buck! (Eric's the one with the sunglasses, right ?) She'd turn around and yell, "Hey that's 15/16ths time!" or something, and then after the concert she was asking questions like "Do you think they're doing okay?"

I don't think they did half the number of songs they did at the summer concert (because of the late start) and Allen seemed kind of out-of-it, at least at the beginning of the show, but the crowd was more enthusiastic this time and the band seemed to react accordingly. One guy in the crowd up front was about to knock down the barricades trying to reach out to the band.

The bass player finally came over and fived him a couple times, but Buck gave him (bass player) a look like "cut that shit out" and he went back to his side of the stage. That new drummer they've got is great!

After the show, we got a laugh watching this cop car slowly chase a pickup truck for SEVERAL laps around the parking lot. They were going slow, but the truck wouldn't stop - the cop kept giving short blasts on his siren...