Blue Oyster Cult
The Coach House
3/31/2017
Whether you know them from their major hit “Don’t Fear the Reaper” or from the SNL skit featuring Christopher Walken who yearns for more cowbell, Blue Oyster Cult (or BOC) is a groovy rock band that left their mark on ‘70s rock. Hailing from Long Island, this New York band is still burnin’ for more stage time. And their fans are loving every minute of it during Friday’s sold out show at the The Coach House.
As America’s answer to Black Sabbath, BOC sang about darker and more psychedelic themes and provided poetic lyrics rather than the typical protest songs of the time. In fact, they toured with Alice Cooper who was a real renegade during this time. Although they weren’t biting the heads off of doves (or a bat which is also on Ozzy’s resume), BOC held their own on the ‘70s rock scene and still demand respect from the crowds today.
Starting promptly at 8 p.m., the show kicked the night off with fellow throwback rockers, Gunboat Kings, who played a captivating and clean 45-minute set. The crowd was intrigued and happy to hear some of their favorite classics re-mastered by them as well as their original tracks. The band then found their seats in the audience to watch some of heavy metal’s forefathers hit the stage.
Blue Oyster Cult emergeed to “The Song of Wind and Fire,” a.k.a. the Game of Thrones theme song, and the crowd went wild. Boasting members, Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser, Eric Bloom, and Kasim Sulton from their original line up and newcomers (and youngins) Richie Castellano and Jules Radino, the band proved to be presenting a mixed generational lineup. The music kicked off just after 9:30 p.m. Being possibly the only representation of the millennial generation in the crowd, I felt honored to be in the presence of these historical musicians.
Starting the set was “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll” and “Golden Age of Leather,” which started off as an olde tyme drinking song. After a couple rockin’ guitar solos, one of their great hits “I’m Burning for You” played in full force. Honestly, if you shut your eyes, it felt like you were living through the glory days of the late 1960s because it is played so pristinely. However, I must sadly say there wasn’t enough cowbell to go around as there was actually no cowbell whatsoever (lone tear).
The show then rattled off a bunch of classics such as “Shooting Shark,” “The Vigil,” “Before the Kiss, a Redcap,” and “Then Came the Last Days of May” which offered a very lengthy outro guitar solo.
The second half of the show consisted of “True Confessions,” Tattoo Vampire,” “Godzilla,” and the ever so famous “Don’t Fear the Reaper.” This song wasn’t simply glossed on by though, it boasted both intro and outro guitar solos that kept the crowd on their feet and jumping to the beat! The band then walked off-stage leaving the audience begging for an encore. “BOC!” “BOC!” was screamed throughout the venue in hopes of catching another tune.
Then it happened, a four song encore consisting of “Black Blade,” Perfect Water,” Hot Rails to Hell,” and a call back to “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll.” Blue Oyster Cult then gathered together and take a well-deserved bow. All in all, the show was pretty spectacular but felt a little lengthy due to their (very) numerous long guitar solos. But you’d rather have a little too much than not enough, right?
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