Blue Öyster Cult – Still Burnin’ For You
Update: Blue Öyster Cult played at Slim's in San Francisco on Friday, May 22, 2015, with support from local surf-rock band The Deadlies. Slim's is now permanently closed.
With all their Godzilla glory and hard-rock and heavy-metal legends, Blue Öyster Cult kicked off the Memorial Day weekend with a jaw-dropping Friday night concert at Slim’s.
The group has come a long way since they opened for Jeff Beck as Soft White Underbelly in 1969. A critic from the Village Voice said their Fillmore East set was “sickening” and “didn’t deserve to be reviewed.” In a recent interview I conducted with guitarist Eric Bloom, he said that an unsuccessful performance had a negative impact on concert promoter Bill Graham, leading him not to book them here in the Bay Area when they evolved into Blue Öyster Cult.
Graham’s opinion eventually changed, and they became familiar faces at local rock clubs like The Old Waldorf and even played Day On The Green. BÖC’s career now spans over four decades, and while most of the original members are no longer with the hard-rock outfit, guitar wizards Eric Bloom and Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser now anchor the band with the help of drummer Jules Radino, bass guitarist Kasim Sulton, and rhythm guitarist Castellano.
BÖC hasn't released any new albums since the Curse of the Hidden Mirror, which came out in 2001. In 2012, all BÖC albums were re-released in a massive collector's edition box set that contained 16 CDs and one DVD.
Slim’s got fans revved up with clips from the original black-and-white version of Godzilla, shown on the huge screen that covers the stage while set changes are underway. Before the show, fans chattered about the long list of previous BÖC concerts they’d seen over the decades and were thrilled when the rock veterans ripped through favorites like "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," "Godzilla," and "Burnin' For You.”
Blue Oyster Cult at Slim’s. Photo Steve Roby
The Deadlies, billed as NorCal’s Most Dangerous Surf Band, opened the show. It was a bit of déjà vu for the power trio, which had the same honor last February at Slim’s. The group consists of James Patrick Regan (guitar), Bob St. Laurent (bass), and Tymber (drums).
The Deadlies are also the house band for Bay Area TV 20's Creepy KOFY Movietime, now in its 10th season. They’ll also be appearing at BottleRock in Napa Valley later this week.
Program Notes
Blue Oyster Cult w/ The Deadlies
Slim’s
San Francisco, California
The Deadlies
Set List: Mayhem | Pairs | Pig Farm | TripleJellYeah | Hippie Groove | Rave On | I Love Women & Pink Champagne | Toad | Less Is More | Guitar Hero | Roll Over Beethoven | Fast Cars | Rumble | Wild Thing | Surfin’ USA
BÖC
Set List: The Red & the Black | Burnin' for You | Career of Evil | ME 262 | Buck's Boogie | Black Blade | Dancin' in the Ruins | The Vigil | Then Came the Last Days of May | Godzilla | (Don't Fear) The Reaper
Encore: Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll
Photos: Steve Roby
