In 1978, I bought a ticket to a Blue Oyster Cult concert at the Farm Show Arena in Harrisburg. Unfortunately, the band discovered the arena's stage was insufficient to hold its life-sized Godzilla prop, and the show was rescheduled in York on a night I had to work. And I never did see the BOC.
Twenty-eight years later, I get a second chance when they come to the Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse in Burgettstown, in a double bill with Eddie Money on Aug. 5.
Now, I know what you're thinking about these kinds of tours. Are there even any original members in the band? Well, the Blue Oyster Cult still boasts 60 percent of the lineup that started as the Soft White Underbelly back in the '60s: singer Eric Bloom, multi-instrumentalist Allen Lanier and lead guitarist Don "Buck Dharma" Roeser. And if their DVD from two years ago, "A Long Day's Night," is any indicator, they're still putting on a tremendous show, even without the life-sized Godzilla.
Probably my favorite BOC album is one that generally is dismissed in the band's catalog: "On Your Feet or On Your Knees," from the '75 tour, just before the massive commercial breakthrough of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." This live set smokes, from the ominous, lurching opener "Subhuman" - which features some fabulous playing by Buck - to rousing covers of the Yardbirds' "I Ain't Got You" (known here as "Maserati GT") and Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild." Also of particular note is the extended version of Buck's magnum opus (IMHO), "Then Came the Last Days of May," with Buck's melodic solo over a spooky organ riff perfectly complementing this chilling tale of a deal gone bad.
And if you ever get a chance, Rhino Handmade issued a limited-edition CD of an album the band made for Elektra Records in 1970, but it wasn't released for three decades. Credited to the Stalk-Forrest Group, it's called "St. Cecilia," after one of the songs. Extended workouts on the title track and a tune called "A Fact About Sneakers" highlight the psychedelic modal jamming the band apparently specialized in during its Underbelly days around New York City. Right up my alley ...
Anyway, if you missed the Blue Oyster Cult circa '78, here's your chance to make up for lost time.
Twenty-eight years later, I get a second chance when they come to the Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse in Burgettstown, in a double bill with Eddie Money on Aug. 5.
Now, I know what you're thinking about these kinds of tours. Are there even any original members in the band? Well, the Blue Oyster Cult still boasts 60 percent of the lineup that started as the Soft White Underbelly back in the '60s: singer Eric Bloom, multi-instrumentalist Allen Lanier and lead guitarist Don "Buck Dharma" Roeser. And if their DVD from two years ago, "A Long Day's Night," is any indicator, they're still putting on a tremendous show, even without the life-sized Godzilla.
Probably my favorite BOC album is one that generally is dismissed in the band's catalog: "On Your Feet or On Your Knees," from the '75 tour, just before the massive commercial breakthrough of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." This live set smokes, from the ominous, lurching opener "Subhuman" - which features some fabulous playing by Buck - to rousing covers of the Yardbirds' "I Ain't Got You" (known here as "Maserati GT") and Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild." Also of particular note is the extended version of Buck's magnum opus (IMHO), "Then Came the Last Days of May," with Buck's melodic solo over a spooky organ riff perfectly complementing this chilling tale of a deal gone bad.
And if you ever get a chance, Rhino Handmade issued a limited-edition CD of an album the band made for Elektra Records in 1970, but it wasn't released for three decades. Credited to the Stalk-Forrest Group, it's called "St. Cecilia," after one of the songs. Extended workouts on the title track and a tune called "A Fact About Sneakers" highlight the psychedelic modal jamming the band apparently specialized in during its Underbelly days around New York City. Right up my alley ...
Anyway, if you missed the Blue Oyster Cult circa '78, here's your chance to make up for lost time.
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