12/28 B.O.C. Concert Review
12/28 B.O.C. Concert Review
Brian Halligan recently stopped by my site telling me that he would be
going to the 12/28 BOC Concert in NY and asked if I would be interested
in putting up a review of the concert. I graciously accepted. So
here's his review. If you have any comments about this review for Brian,
you can email him at halligan@earthlink.net
Like the killer disease "Captain Tripps" in Steven King's "The Stand",
Blue Oyster Cult came to Utica and infected everyone in the house. People
of all ages (over 21) packed the Rainforest Preserve to the maximum,
sharing memories of BOC shows past and waiting to be blown away once again.
The BOC didn't let them down. "Stairway to the Stars" opened the set as
usual, with Eric Bloom back on vocals since the completion of their new
album, Ezekiel's Wheel. This continued uninterupted into a guitar
crunching, skull hammering version of "O.D.'s On Life Itself." After a
short delay due to Alan Lanier blowing out his amp, the band picked up
where they left off with the crowd favorite "Extraterrestrial
Intelligence".
After Buck Dharma whipped the crowd into a frenzy with "Before The
Kiss", he introduced a song from their new album called "Harvest Moon".
This song is reason enough to buy the new album! It's right up there with
"Astronomy" and "The Reaper" as one of BOC's best. Call up your local
Classic Rock station and tell them to play this when it comes out in March!
"Buck's Boogie" was spectacular as usual. John Micelli filled in
for Chuck Burgi on drums, as he has in the past, and sounded like he's been
touring with the band for ages. He kicked the boogie into overdrive and
was firing on all cylinders for the rest of the show. "Cities On Flame"
was slower and more menacing than I remember it. The crowd sensed this and
growled along with Eric to "Rock aaaaaand... ROLL!". Buck's and his
evil-looking Steinberger screamed out the lightning fast run, and everyone
in the place went wild.
After leaving the crowd raving with "COF", the Oyster Boys decided
to slow things down before bringing the house back up with the big three.
Alan Lanier showcased his acoustic guitar work with Buck on a short blues
jam that Eric called alternately, "The Upstate New York Blues" and, "We
Drove 6 Hrs. From York, PA Blues". Alan then stayed on the classical
guitar for a acoustic/electric version of "In Thee", a song Alan wrote for
the Mirrors album.
The pop stylings of "In Thee" were a perfect introduction to
another new song from BOC, "Live For Me". This tune has an extremely
catchy guitar hook and is in the same vein as other Buck Dharma power-pop
songs. This is a song that would have fit in well with Buck's early '90s
band, The Red & The Black. Yet another reason to check out the new album.
Now it was time to see what "extended solo" song BOC would play
before the big three. Someone in the crowd called for "Veteran of the
Psychic Wars", but Buck began introducing the true story of three
desperados, "The Last Days of May". It was an excellent choice. Buck's
solo in the song gradually gained speed, bolstered by Micelli's driving
percussion until all the amps seemed ready to beg for mercy. Then
everything dropped back in a moment, with the rush of the crowd escaping in
one mighty gasp from gaping mouths, and Buck went right on playing the rest
of the song.
This set up the big three, "Burnin' For You", "Godzilla" and "Don't
Fear the Reaper". Of the three, "Godzilla" was the most impressive.
Bassist Danny "The Law" Miranda went gonzo during this song, especially
during his incredible bass solo. Micelli followed with a well-structured,
fun drum solo with a little help from the screaming fans. Also of note,
Miranda sang the "ooh ooh oooo" part of the song (which to my knowledge is
rarely done live). Unfortunately, (fortunately?) his mic wasn't tuned up
loud enough to really hear him. This was a problem for all of BOC, as
their guitars were turned up much louder than their vocals throughout the
show.
After the entire crowd chanted "BOC...BOC" in unison for a few
minutes, the Oyster Boys returned to play "This Ain't the Summer of Love",
and a supersonic version of "The Red & The Black", driven by Micelli, who
by this time had the energy and insanity of ten ordinary men.
If you only get to see one show in '97, see BOC. Where other
Classic Rock bands are resting on their laurels, these guys are playing
with the intensity of 20-year-olds and drawing on the experience of almost
30 years in the business.
Captain Trip's Rainforest Preserve
Utica, NY
December 28, 1996
SETLIST:
Stairway To The Stars
O.D.'d On Life Itself
E.T.I.
Before The Kiss (A Redcap)
Harvest Moon *
Buck's Boogie
Cities On Flame
Upstate New York (We Drove 6 hrs. From York, PA) Blues
In Thee
Live For Me *
The Last Days Of May
Burnin' For You
Godzilla
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
ENCORE:
This Ain't The Summer Of Love
The Red & The Black
* = Songs on upcoming album
TIME:
Approx. 2 hours
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