Every summer the township of Oyster Bay on Long Island, New York treats its residences to a great concert series titled Music Under The Stars. Through years past many great musicians have come through and graced the stage within John Burns Park in Massapequa Village and on Saturday August 16th one of Long Island’s own, Blue Öyster Cult, came home to a massive turnout of fans. Together now since 1967, the Heavy Rock band has left quite a mark in the history of music with series of chart topping albums between 1974 and 1981 and tracks that define Classic Rock radio all these years later. In fact, the band has been cited by many second generation Heavy Metal bands as a main influence with their unique blend of melody, heavy guitars, and atmospheric undertones. Standing the test of time with regular touring, they are currently comprised of long-time alumni Donald Brian “Buck Dharma” Roeser (guitar/vocals) and Eric Bloom (vocals/guitar), along with core established musicians Richie Castellano (keyboards/guitar), Jules Radino (drums), and Kasim Sulton (bass). Making it a habit to perform in the very place they started, this crowd of all ages gathered early to get a prime spot on the lawn to sit back and relax with the local legends.
Making a grand entrance as the theme song to popular HBO series Game of Thrones played, each member came onto the stage to a warm greeting as they kicked off with the lead track from their 1973 album Tyranny and Mutation titled “The Red & The Black.” With Roeser singing powerfully, they went into “Golden Age of Leather” followed by hit “Burnin’ for You” where many in the audience could be spotted wailing on an air guitar. As each member got lost in the sea of instrumentation of each track, the emotion on their faces bled a thousand words as each music note played made it easy to see they love what they are doing. Engaging the audience with conversation and expressing their happiness to be present to such a great turnout, the set moved on with a bunch of noteworthy songs tapping in the vast history of Blue Öyster Cult. With Roser and Bloom sharing vocals and providing an intense guitar attack with complements of Castellano as well, the sound was full and took over the grounds of John Burns Park. Breaking out other fan favorites from their catalogue including “This Ain’t the Summer of Love,” “Shooting Shark,” and “Then Came the Last Days of May,” the audience swayed back and forth to the music; reminiscing on the tunes which still sound fresh all these years. Wrapping up the set with “Godzilla” and the signature “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” everyone was on their feet cheering for more. Graciously granting the wishes of their fans, they closed out with a jamming encore of “Hot Rails to Hell” and “Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll.”
Blue Öyster Cult put on the perfect show for a late summer Saturday night. Their set was balanced, heavy, and full of passion. With many in the audience having seen the band multiple times over the course of their lifetimes, this was just another great Blue Öyster Cult show filled with musical energy which draws them back for more each time. For those which missed this performance, do not fear as the band will be back on Long Island October 18th at The Space at Westbury.
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