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"The nexus of the crisis the origin of storms"
Since original drummer Al Bouchard left the band in the early 1980's, the original lineup of Blue í–yster Cult has never assembled on a stage together. On Monday night, that changed and Hell froze over.
The show kicked off with the current lineup and a sinister "This Ain't The Summer Of Love" from the Agents Of Fortune LP. The 2 lynchpins of BOC, guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser and the inimitable vocalist/guitarist Eric Bloom were both in fine form. Their regular touring band are also a powerful force. Recent addition bassist Kasim Sulton is of special note as he brings both a great singing voice to the mix as well as his instrumental skill. The show was spread into 2 sections with the current lineup first and the special guests after an intermission.
The whole evening was a fantastic night for the BOC faithful since this show was a celebration of both 40 years of the CULT and the release of their new Columbia Records career-spanning box set. Buck and Bloom both cut striking figures on stage. In his sharp dark suit, sunglasses and with his cool demeanor, Dharma is a fun counterpoint to Bloom's more "metal" biker image. Highlights of the initial set were the beer hall classic "Golden Age Of Leather" with the audience singing along and the smoothly seductive "Shooting Shark".
After a 30 minute intermission, the band returned with a fascinating acoustic portion. Hearing the heavy "Harvester Of Eyes" done in this style was fascinating but it was "Astronomy" where they hit it out of the park. Both a showcase for Dharma's stunning guitar playing and his haunting vocal it was a real treat. After rarity "Gil Blanco County" from band's STALK FORREST GROUP days, original drummer and vocalist Al Bouchard strolled out for what amounted to one of the most surreal moments in BOC history. After Bloom joked about finding him "on the street with the naked cowboy" the band broke into a twisted lounge lizard "Death Valley Nights" from the SPECTRES lp. Channeling some weird Joe Cocker vibe Al was utterly hilarious. He was also hamming it up with a vengeance and screwing up the lyrics at times but the audience was eating it up andhooting and hollering. This was followed by Allen Lanier coming out for a taut acoustic "In Thee." The next surprise was the new band playing rarity "Summa Cum Laude" - a song slated for a soundtrack in the 80's and never released.
After an excellent "Black Blade" the newer members left the stage and we got the full reunion of the original 5 man BLUE OYSTER CULT blasting through a 5 song cluster of "OD'd On Life Itself", "Career Of Evil", "The Red & The Black", and "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (with the newer members joining in). Al in particular was a revelation on the drum kit. As the audience sang along, the band that that gave us classics like "Tyranny And Mutation" thundered along recapturing that sinister vibe that made them one of the most beloved and unique bands of the classic 70's hard rock era. Everybody seemed to be having a blast and the sight of the frontline of Bloom, Dharma, Joe Bouchard and Lanier blasting through a boneshaking quasi-speed metal "Red And The Black" was a thing of beauty. Even the slightly shambolic "Reaper" with three people banging cowbell behind drummer Bouchard was fantastic.
A great night indeed.
Setlist:
Set 1
01. This Ain't The Summer Of Love
02. Golden Age Of Leather
03. Burnin' For You
04. Harvest Moon
05. Me 262
06. Then Came The Last Days Of May
07. Lips In The Hills
08. Shooting Shark (with Bruce Kapler - saxophone)
09. Godzilla
10. I Love The Night
Set 2
01. Harvester Of Eyes (acoustic)
02. Astronomy (acoustic)
03. Gil Blanco County (acoustic)
04. Death Valley Nights (with Albert Bouchard vocals, acoustic)
05. In Thee (with Allen Lanier guitar, acoustic)
06. Summa Cum Laude
07. Arthur Comics
08. Black Blade
09. OD'd On Life Itself (with Allen Lanier, Albert Bouchard, Joe Bouchard)
10. Career Of Evil (with Allen Lanier, Albert Bouchard, Joe Bouchard)
11. The Red & The Black (with Allen Lanier, Albert Bouchard, Joe Bouchard)
12. (Don't Fear) The Reaper (everyone)
Death Valley Nights:
The Red And The Black:
Don't Fear The Reaper
