1994: This page contains all I know about Blue Oyster Cult for this year - and all I know is what you folks send me, so if you want to see more info on this page, there's an easy solution...
Have you got anything to contribute to this page? Reviews, missing info, ticket stubs, posters etc etc - if so, let me .
Did anything happen in January? If you know, please let me ...
Did anything happen in March? If you know, please let me ...
This gig was confirmed on the gig history page of the "kfmx.com" site (though they're hazy on the year):
This gig was in a Bowling Alley turned into a large country/western dance hall called The Wild, Wild West. It was located in a then-unincorporated area just north of Tucson (it has since been annexed into a town called Marana).
As I recall it was another great show by the BOC. I've seen them around ten times but this one was the smallest venue I ever saw them in. I doubt there was more than 500 people so everyone was close to the action and the boys played all the greats including a fantastic job on "Joan Crawford".
Gig conflict here - the official site has a gig at "Cowboy's, Hickory NC" for this date, whilst the following blog says it was at "Horse Park, Conyers Atlanta":
I emailed Chuck Padgett, the blogger, for more information but didn't get a reply, so if anyone out there can confirm one way or the other, please let me know.
Another gig conflict (see above) - the official site has a gig at "Rocky's, Charlotte NC" for this date, whilst the following blog says it was "Earth Jam '94, Stone Mountain Park, Atlanta":
As I mentioned above, I emailed the guy for more information but didn't get a reply, so - again - if anyone out there can confirm one way or the other, please let me know.
This was my first BOC show. They did 16 songs including Reaper, Godzilla and E.T.I., but the rest were pretty obscure.
They did a 2 song encore and played 2 hours in a small club. We were right up against the stage. My buddy Jason got his records signed by the band after the show.
An advert on eBay to buy a DVD of this gig provided the following setlist:
The Scoreboard was/is the name of the bar at the OTB (Off Track Betting) Teletheater just outside of Downtown Albany, New York.
It is a big room with many large screen televisions scattered everywhere you'd look. It's a place to go and make bets on horseraces and they'd broadcast the races and other sporting events on those TV's.
At that time somebody got the idea to start having some concerts in there and BOC was one of the first. I also saw Leslie West play there around the same time.
Don't know if advance tickets were sold. I think it was a show up and get in type of gig. It was a well attended show but I can only remember having a good time.
An advert on eBay for a poster from this gig provided the following band list:
There was - apparently - an unplugged accoustic version of DFTR done at this show, but I don't have any more details, unfortunately...
On this gig they headlined but also playing were Foghat, Starship and Steppenwolf.
This concert was a promotional disaster. When we arrived at the Eugene fairgrounds performance hall, tickets in hand, ready for the show, the parking lot was empty and the hall was still in use as an ice rink!
Dazed and confused we asked the ice rink ticket guy if he knew anything about the concert. "Oh yeah, they didn't sell enough tickets so at the last minute they moved it to the Red Lion." Say what?
Well, we headed over to the motel where we stood in a small line in the parking lot for about three hours until things finally got rolling. It was unbelievable; the "stage" was an area in a large conference room that was separated from the audience by some chairs and there were maybe 100 people in the audience. You were so close to the bands that it was like something in someone's basement.
Uriah Heep kicked off and rocked like they were playing to a stadium of crazed fans; very cool attitude. When BOC hit the stage, they were pissed! You could see the anger in their faces and for three quarters of their set they were like the song says, "Going through the motions."
They finally warmed up by the end, but it wasn't their finest hour. I figure that after the concert someone probably took the promoter out back and beat the crap out of him. It wasn't how we expected the evening to go but it was definitely a memorable show.
I had just arrived in Portland to start at Portland State University, when I saw the poster of the Roseland show at a local record store, and I was already glad I was there. Not only that, but Uriah Heep was also on the bill- being a fan of the David Byron-era Heep, I was jazzed for this show, no doubt.
The Roseland Theater is one of the best night club venues in Portland to see a band like BOC, a very cool place that holds about 500-600 people, a good little balcony area, great sound system, and close to downtown, right off Burnside on NW 6th ave. Portland is an excellent city for music and the arts-if you're a music fan, chances are you will see many concerts there.
This was to be my sixth time seeing BOC in three years (all SF/Nor Cal area), and still... I was ready to rock! I got to the Roseland a few hours early just to check out the venue from the outside and maybe catch band members from either Heep or BOC, met some good fans outside waiting in line, and before that, caught up briefly with BOC bassist, Jon Rogers while he was leaving the parking lot, and got to chat a bit with him.
Jon is a class act, heck of a nice guy, and great bass player. We talked a bit about the "Cult Classic" cd, which had just been released (awesome cd, btw) and an update on the new album, which was still a few years off. Anyway, also caught Mick Box from Uriah Heep exiting as well, he waved to his fans, said hello, etc... that was kinda cool.
The place was packed, and oddly enough, there was a warmup act before Heep started, a local folk singer guy, who played a short 30 minute set. Don't remember his name. I got right up front. Finally, Uriah Heep came on, and they were excellent. Mick Box of course was still there, on lead guitar, and "classic lineup" era drummer Lee Kerslake was on the drums.
They played a couple newer tunes, and a few gems from "The Magician's Birthday", and "Demons & Wizards" records, which I was more familiar with. After about a 45 minute (or more?) set, the Heep exited, and the tension was mounting...another great BOC show was just minutes away.
To my surprise, BOC opened up their set with "Dr. Music", I had seen the band play this as the 2nd number a few times, but never opening with it. It was great, a fun song that rocks, and sets the mood for a rock and roll party.
Also new were Buck and Eric's haircuts, way shorter and new looking, since the previous year. The band proceeded to deliver one of the tightest, most rocking performances I've seen them do, and the setlist did also feature songs like "Flaming Telepaths", which I had never seen them do until this night, and the usual classics "ETI", "Take Me Away", "Astronomy", new songs "Harvest Moon"and "Still Burning" (or was it "Demon's Kiss"?), "Cities On Flame", and if I remember correctly, "I Love The Night" or maybe either "Before The Kiss, A Redcap" or"Buck's Boogie". If someone has the exact setlist, I'd love to see it (not to mention a live tape!).
Of course "the Big 3" brought down the house. The band and crowd were one that night, and BOC put on a killer show. Jon Rogers got on the mic between encores, and said something to the effect that "BOC loves Portland- a real music fan's town!", etc. That was a great compliment.
This was also to be the last time I would catch a BOC gig until 1999. But man, what a great night it was-the band was tight, great setlist, and the crowd was loving it.
I remember after the house lights came up, walking from the front of the stage to leave, wading through a sea of glass beer bottles. That was a fitting ending to a very Rock And Roll night with BOC. For me, the early 90's lineup of the band was extra special: Eric, Buck, Allen, Jon and Chuck were a killer live band, one of the best lineups in the Cult's long and storied history.
Harley's pass above mentions Uriah Heep - yet the Heep site says Uriah were playing the "Red Lion Ballroom, Pasco, Wash" on this date...
Now the info I have for this gig is that apparently the show was switched from the original venue of Benton County Fairgrounds in Kennewick as the promoter had a liquor license dispute with the fairgrounds. I've not seen any previous mention of uriah Heep anywhere.
Can anyone provide any info on this?
BOC played the Shiloh Inn on 17 Sep 1994 with Uriah Heep opening. The Heep website has it wrong...
Blind Melon's 1994 - My younger brother wasn't really into them but figured he ought to see them while they were still around. Apparently he didn't believe my "On Tour Forever" t-shirt ;-)
Partway through the show he commented on how much better these older classic-rock touring bands were than any of the newer stuff because they knew how to interact, play the crowd and really put on a show. No s***!
This is down on the official site but cannot have occurred because:
All in all, this must be a phantom listing...