Review: Is Blue Oyster Cult (sans cowbell) worth seeing in 2022?
More than a half century after getting its start, Blue Oyster Cult is still out on the road and pedaling their classic rock tunes for fans.
Of course, the pride of Stony Brook, New York is no longer headlining arenas and stadiums like it did during the mid-’70s and well into the early ’80s. Instead, Blue Oyster Cult (BOC) is more likely to be found playing at a 500-capacity club or at a county fair.
Understandably, some might wonder if BOC — a band so far removed from its commercial heyday — is still worth seeing in 2022?
The band would answer that question with a resounding yes as it brought its 50th anniversary tour to the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton on Thursday (July 8).
And the main reason can be summarized in two words:
Buck Dharma.
Blue Oyster Cult’s sole remaining original member is still a force to be reckoned with on the concert stage. His vocal work remains at a high level, recalling what one hears on “Agents of Fortune,” “Spectres” and other primetime BOC albums. He’s also one of classic rock’s truly underrated guitar heroes, filling pretty much each and every song with memorable riffs/leads.
Dharma was definitely on top of his game in Pleasanton, delighting the near-capacity crowd that had turned out sing along with “Godzilla,” “Burnin’ for You” and other favorites during a 90-minute show at the intimate Lucky California Amphitheater. (Side note: This amphitheater — which holds some 3,000 fans — is a true hidden gem, ranking among the best places to enjoy live music in the entire Bay Area.)
BOC opened the 15-song show with the “Dr. Music,” a song from the 1979 album “Mirrors” that sounds so much like the KISS number “Dr. Love” that I kept hearing Gene Simmons’ voice in my head (which can be very unsettling).
From there, the band — which besides Dharma also currently includes longtime member Eric Bloom on vocals and guitar as well as bassist Danny Miranda, keyboardist Richie Castellano and drummer Jules Radino – ventured back to its very first album, 1972’s self-titled affair, for a solid take on “Before the Kiss, a Redcap.”
“Golden Age of Leather,” from 1977’s “Spectres,” kicked off with some truly impressive vocal harmonies and then came “Dancin’ in the Ruins,” one of the key tracks from 1986’s underrated “Club Ninja” outing.
The fans — many of whom were proudly wearing their BOC shirts — really came alive once the band hit upon the smash single “Burnin’ for You,” which briefly, and surprisingly, turned Dharma and company into MTV darlings in the early ’80s.
Dharma absolutely nailed the memorable guitar bridge in “Burnin’ for You,” then followed up with more fretboard fireworks on “Harvest Moon” from the overlooked ’98 outing “Heaven Forbid.”
Bloom stepped up to the microphone and did a nice job with “E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence),” from the 1976 landmark “Agents of Fortune,” before Dharma opened the book on the band’s latest album — 2020’s “The Symbol Remains” — with the country rambler “Train True (Lennie’s Song).”
Then came the nicest surprise of the evening (at least for this listener, who hadn’t seen BOC play live in decades) as Castellano — who joined the band in 2004 — stepped up to the plate and knocked “Tainted Blood” right out of the park. His voice was strong, clear and more classic metal-oriented, resulting in one of the heavier musical moments of the evening.
Castellano played guitar alongside Dharma while Bloom took over on keys for that number, which also hailed from the band’s latest album, and that same guitar duo would again reunite for some truly awe-inspiring work on the first album stunner “Then Came the Last Days of May.”
Up to this point, the show was really a feast for the longtime fans — the ones who actually own the albums on vinyl and CD (as well as maybe cassette and 8-track tape) — as opposed to those who know the band solely from radio play.
Yet, the latter group would get what it was looking for as the show approached the finish line.
“I think I hear some gigantic footsteps coming this way now,” Bloom announced as an intro to the monster mash “Godzilla,” which resulted in a massive crowd sing-along. (“Go, go Godzilla,” indeed.)
That left the legendary “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper as the main set closer.
“Just heard that the actor James Caan passed away,” Bloom said. “I want to dedicate this song to him.”
Fans greeted the song like their favorite sports team had just won the World Series/Super Bowl/NBA Finals, screaming out in approval as the number — which they’ve heard played countless times on classic rock radio — sent a collective chill down spines.
The only thing that was missing, Will Ferrell would tell you, was “more cowbell.”
Or, really, any at all.
Yes, the band performed “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” without the use of that instrument, which Ferrell and his “Saturday Night Live” pals would make legendary in a 2000 skit with the brilliant Christopher Walken (aka, “The Bruce Dickinson”) in one of the funniest moments in TV history.
Yet, even that didn’t seem to matter much on a night when the band was proving beyond a shadow of doubt that Blue Oyster Cult is still worth seeing in 2022.