2020: BOC still on tour forever - pandemics permitting!! The year started off promisingly enough, with a decent amount of gigs booked, some European dates and a UK tour with Deep Purple in prospect...
And then COVID-19 shut the world down...
Have you got anything to contribute to this page? Reviews, missing gig support band/venue information, ticket stubs, posters, handbills etc etc - if so, let me .
BOC Rockin' the Central California coast! San Luis Obispo is a lovely little college town on the coast between Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara. Half an hour south of El Paso de Robles, where they play the mid-state fair.
The California Polytechnic University is known as the Harvard of the West. Go Mustangs!
First up was a local group calling themselves Rusted Stone. Well executed 80's cheese rock. They did a good job.
BOC hit the stage around 9:30. Once again they killed it! They performed so flawlessly, I thought for a moment that they must be miming! Great performance, nice audience, neat old theatre=ROCK!
They were shutting down anyone who tried to film, so there won't be any videos from this one. Boo! There may be an audio recording, but I don't know who would do such a thing!
Set:
This year NAMM ran from Thursday 16 - Sunday 19 January, and - according to their FB posts - Eric, Buck and Richie attended as interested spectators on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th.
I'm not currently aware of any performances by them at the event, impromptu or otherwise, but if you know different, please let me know...
Shame about the clunky, ham-fisted artwork on the cover...
Here's the setlist from the Palace Theater last night:
When I called the box office earlier in the day, they told me the band was slated to play two sets, but got nixed.
The obvious somewhat surprises: Hot Rails mid set, and Flaming encore.
Hot Rails was played instead of Tattoo according to Woody's setlist.
Reaper was dedicated to Woody's father who recently passed away... send him well wishes, he seemed a bit down.
Weird moment of the night... I swear Jules was beginning the night playing the drum into to Dr. Music... and then a false start, and into Trans MC...
The venue was far from sold out... capacity 880, with a few hundred seat unsold.
Nice old theater; friendly staff... good food/ drink across the street.
There was no opener.
Setlist:
08 February 2020 - American Music Theatre, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
* Dedicated to Orson Bean, Robert Conrad
No big surprises in the setlist last night but another great night with some of my best BOC friends: Ed, Paul, Ryan, Steve and Dale, with a very enjoyable dinner together before the show at Lancaster Brewing Co.
Feeling very lucky that I have seen them 3 times in less than a year and that at age 58, I still get to see them at all, 40 years after my first BOC show.
Fingers crossed they will return again to Valley Forge Casino in the fall, by then they will regularly be playing some new songs.
Here's the setlist:
Set list tonight:
This was a great show, just outside of Washington, DC. My 12th BOC concert since 1978 and they never fail to please.
In all, a great set list, well executed with perhaps a couple exceptions. Hearing the great Teen Archer live for the first time ever was epic, even if it sounded a little rusty.
The highlight of the night may have been Shooting Shark, with Buck's gloriously-toned notes showering down all around. ETI was TIGHT!
The Vigil and Last Days of May were excellent as always - breathless displays of awesome guitar prowess from Buck and Richie. Tatoo Vampire just smoked, and the 3-song encore of Dominance, Hot Rails and Cities was simply smashmouth.
It would be great to see a vid of Dominance, as Buck put down a couple lightning quick lines in the solo.
The only real dull moment for me was Buck and Danny doing kind of an extended duet during Buck's Boogie. The crowd seemed to really like it though.
Notable was Buck's ear to ear grin for the whole show. He is still having fun and that is so awesome to see. 1:45 in all. For someone who likes at least 75 BOC tunes, they can never play long enough, but it was fantastic nonetheless.
Set list for Golden Nugget Casino, Las Vegas, 14.2.20.
Notes: Buck messed up the first verse of Burnin' (!), first time we've seen Teen Archer in over ten years.
Great show, the sound was good. 6 song Encore after Don't Fear. The band was having fun!
Great show - quite an enthusiastic crowd. Kells Irish pub for a burger before the show.
Setlist:
Here is a review of the Portland show (with pictures):
I was at the BOC show on February 21st at the Tarrytown Music Hall, and I saw no one had sent the setlist as of yet.
Great show in a restored old-time theater, which made for an interesting vibe and good sound for my first BOC show. Opener was a solo acoustic blues guy. The band all sounded great, Buck and Eric were just fantastic and having fun. A blast from beginning to end.
It was an awesome surprise to hear Joan Crawford in the encore, Richie played the piano intro/ending.
Setlist:
A well timed business trip had me in Atlanta tonight for the UFO/BÖC show.
The venue announced, however, that UFO had to cancel due to illness and that instead BÖC would play two sets for an extended show. Well all righty then!
The venue was packed with a high energy crowd and the show was fantastic. The set list:
...and thus ended set 1 with a rabid crowd. After a 20 minute break:
Yep. Great night. And it was my birthday. Best birthday party ever!
The whole point of this performance was to play the full AOF album in the correct track order... the only problem is that they're not including the first track on the DVD!!
Missing off that first track, "Summer of Love", they've effectively negated the whole raison d'etre for the existence of the record... What a mess... :-(
Amazing show tonight in Kansas City! They really rocked the house!
Here is the set list:
BOC fan from Kentucky. Went with a couple of friends to Belterra Casino, it was my first time seeing BOC live.
There was no opening act, they just came out to The Mandalorian theme on tape like they apparently have the last couple months.
We recorded the setlist during the show, but when we came down close to the stage for the encore, one of my friends got the printed setlist from a stagehand or somebody like that.
** this was marked as Shark/Harvest on the setlist. After 262 ended, Eric asked the crowd to vote via cheer whether we wanted to hear Shooting Shark or Harvest Moon; Shark won the vote pretty clearly
It was a great show, but the audience wasn't very hot until the last few songs.
Setlist 3 - 8 -20 - Warren Ohio
114 minutes
Buck gave the following update on his forum:
We're all laying low seeing how the contagion of the Wuhan SARS rolls out. BOC members are continuing to work on the new record at home, and communicating over the internet. Our April tour dates have been cancelled and future appearances are uncertain at the moment.
I understand the importance of protecting the most vulnerable of our population from infection, and cooperating with efforts to slow the spread of the disease. In the near future, I hope we'll have some idea if this flu is managable and normal life can resume.
In the mean time, our energies will be directed toward completeing the new recordings to be released later this year. I know Richie is doing some live streaming. We might consider something as time goes by.
"Wuhan SARS"...? Erm... OK...
The "BOC family" grew a little smaller today:
I want to mark the passing of former lighting designer/friend John O. Watkins.
Looking back on our private messages, he told me in '16 that he was battling throat cancer and later conversations that he had beaten it.
John worked for us in the '70s when we were all a bunch of "wild and crazy guys". We had a large crew of 20+ back then and a lot of comraderie.
He worked for many bands over the years, big and small, did a great job.
You can read some of his accomplishments on his FB page. A great guy who will be missed.
I looked over John's FB page and here's a brief precis of his career:
Jan 1969 Stage Crew, Concessions - The Fillmore East Jun 1971 Left Job at The Fillmore East 1971 Moved to "New York City - The City that Never Sleeps" 01 Jan 1973 Lighting Designer - See Factor Industry 25 Jun 1973 Tony's Asst. - Ziggy Stardust Tours 24 Oct 1973 Lighting Designer - Joe Walsh tours 04 Nov 1973 Lighting Designer - Mott the Hoople 20 Mar 1974 Lighting Designer - Bee Gee's 1974 Lighting Designer - Blue Oyster Cult 1975 Left Job at Blue Oyster Cult 1975 Stagehand - IATSE 1977 Left Job at IATSE 01 May 1977 Lighting Designer - On Tour with Ted Nugent Feb 1979 Lighting Designer - TFA Electrosound 27 Mar 1979 Lighting Designer - The Knack Jan 1981 Left Job at On Tour with Ted Nugent 5 Mar 1981 Lighting Designer, Road Manager Alvin Lee Tour Dec 1981 Left Job at TFA Electrosound 31 Dec 1982 Left Job at See Factor Industry
BTW: there are a couple of pics of John over on Glenn Cotita's photo gallery page here:
The Fiesta Oyster Bake 2020 has been cancelled - presumably as a Coronavirus (COVID-19) preventative measure, although their website gives no information - just a cheery "See you in April 2021!"...
However, BOC are down to headline the 2021 festival so San Antonio residents will have to practice delayed gratification...
This gig has been postponed to a future date as yet to be determined as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020 Pompano Beach Seafood Festival has been cancelled - here's what it said on their site:
The Pompano Beach Seafood Festival has been cancelled for 2020 in light of on-going health concerns related to Covid-19. The City of Pompano Beach has cancelled all larger gatherings in city facilities until further notice. This is in keeping with guidelines issued by the CDC and many other Regulatory Agencies.
"We are disappointed, but with everything happening there is no other option," commented Festival Manager John Good. "It is a great event for the City of Pompano Beach and we hate seeing the loss in revenue for so many of our local charities and civic organizations, not to mention the vendors who count on sales from the festival each year.
"We considered postponing to another date, but with so much uncertainty, the better financial decision is to move ahead with planning for next year. All sponsors and vendors will receive full refunds and fortunately our on-line ticket sales had not yet begun. I want to sincerely thank city officials and staff for keeping us up to date as we moved through this process"
2021 Festival dates are Friday, April 23rd through Sunday, April 25th.
This gig has been postponed to 24 Apr 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic...
This gig has been postponed to 19 May 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic...
This gig has been postponed with a "new date TBA" as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic...
Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Blue Oyster Cult to perform at benefit concert saluting Long Island, NY, front-line workers
Music stars who hail from, or have lived on, New York's Long Island are holding a special virtual concert benefiting United Together for Health Care Heroes, an initiative of United Way of Long Island's Response Fund for COVID-19, Newsday reports.
Pat Benatar, Joan Jett and Blue Oyster Cult are among the acts who'll perform on the event -- called the Supporting Health Care Heroes Concert -- which will air Sunday, May 31 at 8 p.m. ET on the local News 12 Plus channel and FIOS Channel 530.
The event is being presented by the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, and will feature more than a dozen musicians who have been inducted into the institution. It will celebrate those who work on the front lines of coronavirus pandemic.
Other artists on the bill include Gary U.S. Bonds, hip-hop pioneer Kurtis Blow, ex-Billy Joel sax player Richie Cannata and members of Stray Cats, Vanilla Fudge, Dream Theater and The Tokens.
The Hall of Fame's chairman, Ernie Canadeo, tells Newsday, "We reached out to our inductees and received a terrific response. The artists were excited and appreciative for the opportunity. They really went all out."
United Together for Health Care Heroes initiative focuses on delivering meals to front-line responders at Long Island hospitals. People can donate to the campaign at UnitedWayLI.org.
If anybody knows what BOC played, please let me know. I'm guessing Dizbusters wasn't on the menu...
Paris postponed to 20 May 2021. From the promoter:
Blue Oyster Cult's Paris show originally scheduled on June 2nd at Le Trianon won't take place due to the ongoing pandemic of Covid-19 worldwide and the current measures taken by the French government. However, we come with a good news ! We're thrilled to announce the show is postponed to May 20th, 2021 at the same venue !
As the original show was sold-out, keep your tickets if you can as they'll remain valid for the new date. It is the best way to support us, concert producers, artists and all the sporadic workers of the live music industry.
If you'd like a refund, the policy varies depending on which ticket retailer you bought your ticket from, please go to their website for further information.
We hope to see you again very soon but in the meantime, take care and be safe.
This gig has been cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic...
This gig has been cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig has been postponed to 31 Oct 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rescheduled for 8 Aug as a precautionary measure.
With the Orland Park gig having been postponed, that left this date open for a slot in a new online initiative by Rock Fantasy Camp:
Blue Oyster Cult members, Marky Ramone conducting Rock Fantasy Camp's online "Masterclass" events
This week, Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp launched a series of "Masterclass" tutorials presented live by a roster of classic rock artists, and now a new run of interactive online classes have been scheduled from June 13 through June 20.
Among the musicians participating artists in the newly announced "Masterclass" events are Blue Öyster Cult members "Buck Dharma" Roeser and Eric Bloom on the 20th, Winger frontman Kip Winger on June 13, Ramones drummer Marky Ramone on June 16, former Billy Joel drummer Liberty DeVitto on June 18, and current Whitesnake guitarist Joel Hoekstra on June 19.
During the Masterclasses, the featured artists will share vocal, musical and songwriting tips, tell stories about their eventful careers, answer questions from attendees and more.
In addition, surprise guest artists may pop in unannounced to the classes.
Prices for the events range from $100 to $200. Each class will be limited to 20 attendees, and will run for an hour. Most of the events start at 8 p.m. ET.
The other artists hosting previously announced "Masterclass" meetings taking place this week include Rascals singer/keyboardist Felix Cavaliere, Bad Company and Free drummer Simon Kirke, Lita Ford, ex-Quiet Riot and Dio bassist Rudy Sarzo, and one-time Joe Walsh and Crosby, Stills & Nash drummer Joe Vitale.
Visit RockCamp.com for more details.
Here's the full list of upcoming Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp Masterclass events; start time is 8 p.m. ET unless otherwise noted:
6/02 -- Rudy Sarzo (sold out)
6/03 -- Lita Ford (sold out)
6/04 -- Felix Cavaliere
6/05 -- Simon Kirke
6/06 -- Joe Vitale (sold out)
6/07 -- Mike Clink
6/13 -- Kip Winger (start at 3 p.m. ET)
6/15 -- Teddy "Zig Zag" Andreadis
6/16 -- Marky Ramone
6/18 -- Liberty DeVitto
6/20 -- Erin Gardner (start at 3 p.m. ET)
6/20 -- Blue Oyster Cult's "Buck Dharma" Roeser and Eric Bloom
This just announced on their Twitter - yes, they have one of those - who knew? :-)
BLUE ÖYSTER CULT - "The Symbol Remains" - RELEASE DATE: Oct. 2020 - BÖC return with a mammoth new studio album. 14 new songs embody an extremely inspired album that shows a band looking back at their storied catalog, giving the fans everything they ever loved, yet continuing to evolve
11:54 PM · Jun 26, 2020
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk gig has been cancelled - presumably as a Coronavirus (COVID-19) preventative measure...
The 2020 Marin County Fair has been cancelled - here's what it said on their site:
The 2020 Marin County Fair that had been scheduled for July 1-5 has been canceled because the county has reserved the Marin Center campus and fairgrounds as a vital resource in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the county's Department of Cultural Services said.
The Marin Center facilities and offices have been closed since the March 13 shelter-in-place mandate, and county employees are deployed as disaster service workers to help with response and recovery activities under a state law.
"Since 1946, the Marin County Fair has been the premier family celebration in the county each summer. In our fair history, this is one of the most challenging times we have encountered," Department of Cultural Services director Gabriella Calicchio said.
Calicchio said the decision to cancel the fair came after multiple conversations with Marin County Public Health to support the efforts to flatten the curve of the coronavirus pandemic.
The fair's theme this year was "The Soaring 2020s" in a reference to the Roaring 1920s era of food, fun and merriment, and to all things that soar, according to the Department of Cultural Services.
"We hope to soar into the future with even more resilience," Calicchio said.
"We will come together again when our communities are healthy and safe," Calicchio said.
The Marin County Fair is known for the musical entertainment it presents. This year's scheduled headliners were Chaka Khan, Chris Isaak, Blue Oyster Cult, Sons of Champlin, Sheila E (Escovedo) and Mill Valley songwriter Matt Jaffe.
The 2021 Fair also is scheduled for July 1-5.
This gig has been postponed to Jul 10, 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig has been moved to 18 July due to inclement weather.
This gig has been cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig has been cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Pendleton Bike Week gig has been postponed to 16 Jul 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic...
This gig has been postponed to a future date as yet to be determined as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
First show in the post-Covid world for BOC!
I think "post-Covid" might be a little premature...
Setlist from last night:
Had a great time... Miller was there... met up with Mark and Lisa, and Pete and Alex afterwards.
We were up front with Miller and gang, and Eric and Billie. I danced the night away... and what a beautiful night; perfect weather!
This show was just what the doctor ordered... my first concert since March... hello.
This gig has been postponed to 6 Nov 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic...
This gig has been postponed to 24 Jul 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig has been postponed to 25 Jul 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The California State Fair gig has been cancelled as a Coronavirus (COVID-19) preventative measure...
This gig has been cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig has been cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But blimey - what bloody awful artwork they've chosen for the cover... where's Greg Scott when you need him...?
This gig has been cancelled - presumably as a Coronavirus (COVID-19) preventative measure...
This already rescheduled gig from Sat 20 June has had be postponed yet again until 12 Sep 2020.
This gig has been postponed to Aug 20-22 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig has been cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig has been postponed to 23 Jul 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There was originally a gig listed on this date, but the location details were given as "TBA". Now, there is no gig listed so clearly it's been cancelled... erm... wherever it was...
This gig has been postponed to 21 Aug 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig has been postponed to 28 Aug 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The New York State Fair gig has been cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There was originally a Virginia gig listed on this date, but the actual location details were given as "TBA". Now, however, that gig is no longer listed so clearly it's been cancelled.
This gig has been postponed until 4 Sep 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig has been postponed until 5 Sep 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig has now been postponed for a third time. Wisely, they have announced that the fourth rescheduled date is to "TBA"...
This gig has been postponed to 2 Oct 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig has been postponed to 7 Oct 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please note that strict social distancing protocols will be in operation at this show as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic - specific details are available here:
This gig has been postponed to 5 Oct 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig has been postponed to 3 Oct 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig has been postponed to 8 Oct 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oh dear... the recent, subtle trend in big logo covers continuums... generally, artists start off with a blank canvas and proceed from there ... this guy's canvasses seem to come with a massive bloody kronos already sketched in place, front and centre...
I bet this had him scratching his head for maybe thirty seconds until he found his inspiration... "I know, I'll bang a few hieroglyphics on this one... and wow, this is blowing my mind man, I just looked it up and that symbol's got something to do with Saturn... Ka-ching !! I can stick a saturn on it - I know, subtle, right? ... but first, what's the weakest font effect I can find for the lettering...?
Anyway, cover art aside, here's the confirmed tracklist:
The song that stands out here for me is "The Return Of St. Cecilia" and upon being quizzed about that very track, an official spokeman for the band - OK, it was Buck on his forum - said this:
That song is a Richard Meltzer lyric, think of it as the flip side of Sandy Pearlman's "St. Cecilia" in tone and intent. It's sung by Richie, and he wrote the music as well. Wait'll you hear it. : )
And here's what he said after being asked was it just an old Meltzer lyric he just had lying around...?
No, it's recent.
Yay!! BOC and Meltzer... back in the saddle again!!... now all we need are the rumours of Albert's involvement on one of the tracks to be true... BTW: I've not heard anything about any possible participation by Joe on this record, so maybe that'd be too much to hope for...
This gig has been postponed to 1 Oct 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, plus the venue has changed to Newcastle's O2 City Hall...
This gig has been postponed to 30 Sep 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig has been postponed to 13 Feb 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig has been postponed to a future date as yet to be determined as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig, wherever the hell it was supposed to have occurred, has been postponed to a future date as yet to be determined as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rescheduled from Sat 13 June, this gig, has been postponed to a future date as yet to be determined as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rescheduled from Sat 24 Jul, this gig with Jefferson Starship has been postponed to a future date as yet to be determined as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This gig has been postponed to a future date as yet to be determined as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This wasn't advertised - I thought it had been cancelled, but I guess only the "players" club members were offered tickets because of limited seating.
Seats were sets of two, about eight feet between and six feet front to back. Socially distanced with masks required.
Danny Miranda wore a mask the whole time. The rest of the band socially distanced.
Vince Neil, who was on the original bill, didn't play this gig - it was just BOC.
The setlist was the same they had been using at other shows earlier this year. I was thinking they might do a couple songs off the new album, but they didn't.
Setlist: Dr. Music, Before the Kiss, Golden Age of Leather, OD'd on Life, Burnin' for You, Harvest Moon, The Vigil, E.T.I., Buck's Boogie, Last Days of May, ME 262, Godzilla, Reaper and encore was Cities on Flame.