Set List
Tour Dates
08/29/13 Milwaukee, WI Harley Davidson 2013
09/07/13 Citrus Heights, CA Sunrise Marketplace 09/11/13 Central Point, OR Lithia Motors Amph 09/28/13 Hollister, CA Hollister Concerts 10/05/13 Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas BikeFest 10/12/13 Stateline, NV Harrah's Tahoe 11/01/13 Nashville, TN Wildhorse Saloon 11/02/13 Columbus, OH Hollywood Casino 12/07/13 Miami, FL Magic City Casino 12/13/13 Chicago, IL Copernicus Center 01/24/14 Agoura Hills, CA Canyon Club 01/25/14 Beverly Hills, CA Saban Theatre 01/31/14 Sycuan Casino Sycuan Casino 02/22/14 Newark, OH Midland Theatre Read More It's that time of the year again: the Minnesota State Fair! We went last year to see Wilson Phillips at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell inside the State Fair. As we mentioned, the MN State Fair is the
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40+ years on, Blue Oyster Cult still doesn’t fear the reaper. Or anything else. The band proved that on a recent two-night stand on the Lodge stage at the Minnesota State Fair.
The longtime group, still boasting original members, vocalist/guitarist Eric Bloom and lead guitarist Donald ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser, started in Long Island, NY in 1967 as Soft White Underbelly, with vocalist Bloom joining two years later. The current lineup is ably rounded out by Jules Radino on drums, Richie Castellano on keyboards/guitar/vocals, and the talented, well-seasoned Kasim Sulton on bass guitar/ vocals, and is continuing its 40th anniversary tour, which began last year.
The band entered for their 80 min. set, to the rumbling ‘Game of Thrones’ theme as intro music, and segued into their opener, ‘The Red & the Black’, which set the mood for the evening. Following was ‘The Golden Age of Leather’, from 1977’s “Spectres” and a testament to their growing biker fan base. One of their biggest hits was played early, ‘Burnin’ for You’ from 1981’s classic ‘Fire of Unknown Origin’, with Bloom still in good voice and Dharma shredding it centerstage on guitar.
The band changed the setlist slightly on the second night, keeping the performance fresh and playing a variety of non-hits, to please the faithful and to stretch their musical chops. ‘Black Blade’ featured an intro that mentioned the influence of Michael Moorcock’s sword-wielding hero, Elric, and ‘Last Days of May’ led into an extended Dharma guitar solo that allowed him to freeform. Castellano proved a versatile utility man, deftly moving between guitar solos and keyboard riffs, having stepped into the shoes of original member Alan Lanier, who hadn’t toured since 2006, and who passed away just two weeks ago.
‘Godzilla’ was prefaced by Bloom’s pitchman-like intro about ‘dinosaurs walking the earth, all wiped out by meteor…except one…!’ prompting the crowd to chant the song’s title, before the band revved it up. The song featured not only a Radino drum solo, but also a career-spanning bass solo from Sulton, featuring riffs from his previous incarnations as bass player for Joan Jett, Utopia, and Meat Loaf.
Their biggest hit culminated the set, ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper’, which the band no doubt has a love/hate relationship with, being their best-known song and subject of a classic SNL skit. Several in the crowd predictably brought their own cowbells and were striking them in rhythm as Bloom himself even played along on ‘air cowbell’.
The set had ended just before the 10pm curfew, but Bloom then called an ‘audible’, off the setlist, and the band returned for a finale of ‘Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll’ - an apt ending song (given the extreme heat outside) from their 1972 self-titled album. Thankfully, no cowbell needed.
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Buck Dharma
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Set list photo
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The band changed the setlist slightly on the second night, keeping the performance fresh and playing a variety of non-hits, to please the faithful and to stretch their musical chops. ‘Black Blade’ featured an intro that mentioned the influence of Michael Moorcock’s sword-wielding hero, Elric, and ‘Last Days of May’ led into an extended Dharma guitar solo that allowed him to freeform. Castellano proved a versatile utility man, deftly moving between guitar solos and keyboard riffs, having stepped into the shoes of original member Alan Lanier, who hadn’t toured since 2006, and who passed away just two weeks ago.
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Eric Bloom
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Their biggest hit culminated the set, ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper’, which the band no doubt has a love/hate relationship with, being their best-known song and subject of a classic SNL skit. Several in the crowd predictably brought their own cowbells and were striking them in rhythm as Bloom himself even played along on ‘air cowbell’.
The set had ended just before the 10pm curfew, but Bloom then called an ‘audible’, off the setlist, and the band returned for a finale of ‘Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll’ - an apt ending song (given the extreme heat outside) from their 1972 self-titled album. Thankfully, no cowbell needed.
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Blue Oyster Cult at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell, Minnesota State Fair (8/25/13) |
