1992: This page is a preliminary document - a placeholder if you like - for some text entries for the BOC history for this year.
I have some more images to add to this page when I get the chance - so if you've sent me stuff for this page and can't see it yet, please be patient - I'll get there in the end.
The reason I'm posting this page before it's even remotely ready to go online properly is that as soon as a new History page goes up, people start sending me stuff for it. So my logic is this - I'll put this up quick and maybe you kind folks will get typing and scanning and start sending me info for this year...
Have you got anything to contribute to this page? Reviews, missing info, ticket stubs, posters etc etc - if so, let me .
complete setlist for p.j.flahertys evergren park 1992:
cold as hell out. big puddle of puke in front of main door.
The opening band was Dracula Milk Toast.
I just found your site recently - unbelievable! And very gratefully received.
I was at the 3/14/92 show at Currigan Hall. The opener was Foghat.
My first BOC Gig was at the American Music Theatre in Carmichael California March 16th 1992, and it felt like forever finally getting to see BOC.
I had been a fan since the late 70's and I heard the classic "Don't fear the Reaper "and "Burnin' for you " on the radio. In the early 70's I had really good memories of High School because of BOC. All through High School I was a devoted Fan and hadn't even seen them in concert yet. Everyone knew I liked BOC, like it or not, and I was a hard core BOC Fan. I wore BOC shirts, hats and purchased everything with BOC on it. Records, posters, magazines,e.t.c. I even scratched or Magic Marker'd the BOC Kronos symbol everywhere. Door jams, lockers, chalkboards, hallway floors, bathroom showers, books, light fixtures, everything. Not very large but just big enough to see.
Years later I came back to visit my High School and the Janitor came running up to me. I thought he was going to tear my head off! "Mr.Twitchell", he exclaimed, "when I clean this school on a daily basis I notice on every door jam, desk, floor, chalkboard, light fixture, shower, locker and every concrete sidewalk I repaired I find that crazy BOC Kronos Logo" Everything I owned or came near had the Kronos Logo on it.
I wanted to go to a BOC show but at the time I was too young to drive, and by the time I could drive I was extremely poor. I lived in a small town and news about anything traveled slowly. We were 150 miles from Sacramento and about 80 miles from Reno, NV. I would always hear from some older student weeks later "The BOC concert was great, Giant Godzilla, Lasers..." That was the tour titled "Black and Blue" (Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult) then in 1989 I finally moved into the big city of Sacramento. Driving home from work I always looked at the flyers posted on the telephone poles placed along the city streets hoping I would see something about BOC or even Soft White Underbelly.
Then the day came when there it was, posted on a blue flyer with black lettering "BOC IN CONCERT, American Music Theatre March 16th 8pm". I slammed on my brakes ran across the street, during rush hour and gently grabbed the flyer jumped back into my truck and headed home. If I remember correctly I even telephoned the theatre just to make sure it was really true. I went home excited like a little kid "BOC IS COMING TO TOWN"
Of course I planned my life around the show for the next couple of weeks. March 16th 8 pm I stood in line, sat center stage and waited and waited. 9:45pm BOC came on stage dressed in black leather and played until about 12:30. As BOC left the stage everyone chanted... "B.O.C"
BOC gave 3 encore performances that night. I was really hooked now. I couldn't die and see just one show. So I wrote the Fan Club and Bolle gave me a list of Fans across the country. Some wrote back, some didn't. Those who wrote back told me to "Stop being Evil, give you to God "I had to find someone who really liked BOC. I started to write everyone in California and then History was made I meet Che'. I was going to discover Che' is the Ultimate BOC fan.
Che' and I talked on the phone one day and he invited me to see the band at the San Mateo County Fair. I arrived early and got orders from Che' to help set up equipment. Che' was testing me to see if I was someone he wanted around the band. We finished and walked around the Fairgrounds and found this dude walking around in a Giant Godzilla suit. We convinced him to show up for the Concert and walk on stage during the song " Godzilla " Buck and Eric had no idea what we had planned and when the first chords of Godzilla rang out, out stomped Godzilla. Buck and Eric were all smiles. That moment brought a lot of energy to the show.
I wrote about this show in one of Morning Finals that Bolle produced, very memorable show. Che' had me meet the band stand front stage, and I have never abused that privilege since. I have now been to most of the Northern California and Reno shows since that night back in 1992. If you ever come to a Northern California show you can spot me right behind the heals of Che' and standing guard over the band during and after the shows.
It's really funny now, my obsession with the band has spread to family and friends. Anytime I see an old classmate,or friend I always hear some remark about BOC "I heard Don't fear the Reaper on the Radio the other day and I thought about You " or "I saw the Krono's symbol etched on the wall, was that you?" That's cool to me. To be remembered like that. And when I die you will be able to spot my headstone right away it will read " ROCKIN RANDALL TWITCHELL BOC FAN FOREVER and right next to my name will be etched the Krono's symbol, not too large, just big enough to see !
The opening band was Dracula Milk Toast.
May 23, 1992 is the first time I saw them. I found out they were coming to this new festival that Loves Park had just started putting on (Young at Heart Festival) just days before they came.
I do not remember the setlist of course, but I do remember being in total shock and awe at seeing them for the first time and at their abilities on-stage. I was literally held in a trance which I realized after a bit and then went right back into. After The Reaper, Buck threw his pick out which was caught by one of the teens' in a group that was in front of me; while the pick was in the air I debated whether or not to knock the entire group down to get at the priceless pick which I would have kept and cherished forever... but discretion prevailed.
We were informed that they would not be able to take the stage for any encores because it was after 11 pm and someone from one of the nearby residences called the authorities and reminded them of the noise ordinance...
I was wondering if they would be playing anything off of Imaginos (they obviously did not); and I do not remember them playing anything off of the upcoming Heaven Forbid either; which I have noticed they were playing material at this time from other setlists around this time. All in all though an incredible experience!
The band running order was Eternal Daze, Catch 22 and then BOC.
Did this gig take place?
Great show, although there is something unholy about BOC performing while the sun is up.
Jon Rogers was 2 hours late - he was coming from Newark to Louisville and wound up in Lexington. Anyway, the rest of the band came out with a bass tech and opened with Astronomy.
They wound up playing an acoustic Reaper and then later in the show when Jon showed up, they played the plugged in version. That was a fun night.
This was the gig I did on a blind date. Alarm bells!
Nothing to do with Cilla Black, this was a date my wife had set up for me. She had mentioned to a friend that I was going to see BÖC and her friend says, 'Oh Gordon likes them', so they set it up - Gordon and Jack Forever...On Tour.
Gordon is 6ft 4in and sure likes his Cult back catalogue, but he likes a drink too. We were both new to fatherhood and were celebrating being let loose for a night. We were well in time for a pint when we got out of the tube, but were probably pushing our luck when we ordered our third Guiness.
Eric Bloom was already signing 'Good Health' on plaster casts by the time we got inside, so I haven't a clue it there was a support act. The only support I was worried about was for my legs. Thankfully, the T&C has a long bar down one side of the auditorium. It had been three long years (half my life) since I had seen the band and so the bar seemed a good place to re-acquaint.
I knew roughly what state we were in, but what about the band? Bad Channels had been an interesting filler, but they had no record deal at the time and personnel seemed to be a little fluid (in fact they were getting through drummers on a Spinal Tap kind of scale). As someone who had not seen them in a while, I feared that this one-off UK show might be a case of going through the proverbial motions to say goodbye.
It was soon quite clear that this was one tight band and they looked and sounded up for night of solid r 'n' r in London. And so it was, a long , hard set sprinkled with delicacies to suit most palettes.
I remember the the Bad Channels songs, neither of which I was a fan of before or after, but otherwise the show let rip. When did you last hear Before The Kiss, D&S, Telepaths, Black Blade, Harvester of Eyes, Take Me Away, Astronomy and Red and Black together? That's right...... in your dreams!
This wasn't a bunch of guys trading off old hits. This was the new BÖC and they were alive and kicking up a storm, and we were having a dandy time.
As the opening chimes of Astronomy dripped off Buck's guitar I lost sight of Gordon. For a big lad he was fleet of foot, and he had joined a final buffalo charge to the front of the stage. As ever the band fed off the energy and returned with interest.
By the time they concluded with the Red & the Black they had the place rocking and the 'other two' members had earned great respect for their contribution to an excellent show. But what next?
Heaven forbid, could references to a new album ('In the future, sometime') be for real? Certainly Harvest Moon and Still Burning suggested they were writing and arranging new material. The curtains had blown for a while, and even the candles had flickered alarmingly, but thankfully they were still burning.
The tube journey back to south London gave us time to reflect. It had been a strange evening. The fire had been re-ignited with a hot set at a time when you would have been forgiven for thinking the embers were cold enough to touch, and this was simply a humble farewell.
Whilst the band may have seemed a little unsure about the road ahead, Gordon and I could see a beacon on our own highway - the neon welcome of a late night kebab shop.
I can see us now as we wander home, Gordon's on the Shish, and I'm on the lamb.