BOC: 12/03/95 Show Review

[John A Swartz]

As previously mentioned, I got to see BOC in St. Petersburg Florida
a week ago.  Here is my review.

John Swartz


The technical details:

                 B L U E   O Y S T E R   C U L T
                 State Theatre
                 St. Petersburg, Florida
                 December 3rd, 1995

     The songs (in order performed):

          Stairway to the Stars
          Dr. Music
          O.D.'d On Life Itself
          E.T.I.
          Harvest Moon
          Before the Kiss (A Redcap)
          I'd Like To See You In Black
          Take Me Away
          Flaming Telepaths
          Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll
          Then Came The Last Days Of May
          In Thee
          Lips In The Hills
          Burnin' For You
          Godzilla
          (Don't Fear) The Reaper
               -- encores --
          Dominance And Submission
          Slow Down


BOC Line-Up:  Eric Bloom, Buck Dharma, Allen Lanier, Danny Miranda,
John O'Reilly


Now, for some more details from a completely biased fan . . .

While I would consider myself one of BOC's biggest fans, I don't make
it a habit of following them around the country (I live in
Massachusetts).  However, I had a business trip to St. Petersburg
Florida, and by coincidence, BOC was playing a string of shows in
Florida -- playing in St. Petersburg on December 3rd, the day I
arrived.  My plane landed just after 9 pm, and one hour later, I walked
into the St. Petersburg State Theatre just 15 minutes before BOC took
the stage.  Suffice to say, I missed the opening act, local band "Touch
The Sky".

Approximately 300-400 were in attendance - probably the smallest BOC
concert I've attended (this show was my 6th), but for a Sunday night in
Florida (with GWAR also playing in town that night), it wasn't a bad
turnout.  The venue, as the name implies, looked like a small theatre
(and probably seats about 500 maximum) - a stage at one end with seats
facing it, and a balcony in back.  I felt a little out of place in my
leather jacket, which I had needed when I left the frigid temperatures
of New England - it was a little warm for the 70 degree temperatures of
Florida though.  The crowd was mostly an older one, but there were a
few younger folks there as well, proving that BOC has something to
offer for everyone.

This may have been the best BOC show I've attended.  The sound quality
was excellent (which was a pleasant surprise as I complained about this
for a show they did in New Hampshire this past summer, and a few others
have also complained about a poor mix for some recent shows) - very
clear and not overpoweringly loud (i.e., my ears weren't ringing the
next morning when I woke up).  My only complaint would be that the
drums were mixed too loud during the bass solo.  The band was in
excellent form, playing with lots of energy.  It's obvious that the
recent line-up changes have not hurt the band's on-stage chemistry.
And, as can be seen from the setlist, there were some special treats
for the crowd.

It appears that the band has re-worked the new songs somewhat.  The
break before the last verse in *Harvest Moon* seems more complex, and
now very heavy.  Also, I'm not sure, but there may be some additional
lyrics to *I'd Like To See You In Black* -- maybe I've just grown more
accustomed to the song, but the title lyric doesn't seem as repetitive
as it used to.  Both songs were very well received by the crowd,
proving that BOC doesn't have to rely on the same classics every time
to get a good response (although the classics still get the biggest
response).  Latest word on the new album from Eric during the show was
"next summer".

Calling *In Thee* an "acoustic" number would be a misnomer.  The only
thing "acoustic" about it's performance was Allen sitting on a stool
playing an acoustic guitar.  I'm not criticizing the rendition though -
it was well-done, and well-received.

The "boogie" ending of *Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll* now sounds
more like speed metal.  BOC seems to be adding a more heavy element to
their music with this break, along with songs like *I'd Like To See You
In Black* and *Lips In The Hills*.

The instrumental break of *Take Me Away* now contains several drum
fills similar in nature to the breaks after the guitar solo on *Cities
On Flame With Rock And Roll*.

The vocal harmonies during the verses of *Before The Kiss (A Redcap)*
were absent (and somewhat missed, in my opinion) -- Jon Rogers and Greg
Smith used to provide these, and I'd grown accustomed to hearing them.

Solos include Allen on keys before *Take Me Away*, Buck on guitar
during *Then Came The Last Days Of May*, Danny on "monster bass" and
John on drums during *Godzilla*.  Buck's solo may have been the best
I've heard.  I don't think Buck tried to do the same solo during the
"solo song" each show, but rather he lets his fingers wander where they
may across the fretboard.  Whatever the reason, they were landing on
some very sweet spots that night.

John O'Reilly's drumming is solid, and seems similar to Chuck Burgi's,
although not as up-front and over-powering.  His drum solo was
sprinkled with elements that also reminded me just a bit of Albert
Bouchard.  John played a Tama double-bass drum set.

Danny "The Law" Miranda is definitely the best BOC bassplayer since Joe
Bouchard.  Bolle Gregmar's description of him to me prior to the show
was perfect - he reminds one a little of Gene Simmons of KISS (without
the make-up, of course), without the posing.  Visually he fits in well
with the band (as opposed to Greg Smith, who was great, but who's lions
mane of hair seemed out of place with the rest of the band).  He plays
solidly, almost nonchalantly, with alot of confidence and skill.  He
also wears his bass very low (half-way to his knees).  He played a
bright red bass who's brand I couldn't make out (but appeared to be
similar to what Greg Smith and Jon Rogers played).  During the encores,
he played a black Steinberger bass (so both he and Buck where
"headless" during the encores).

There are now 3 smokers in the group, as Allen is now joined by both
Danny and John on cigarettes.  During one song, Danny also did the
Allen bit of inserting his cigarette into the headstock of his bass.
How John can drum with a lit cigarette without burning something
important is beyond me.

*Slow Down* (written by Larry Williams, but better known for The
Beatles covering it) was a special treat.  As Bolle mentioned in
"Morning Final #11", it is a rare treat for the fans when the band
breaks out an old cover song like this.  This performance was extra-
special in that the band was joined on-stage by Al Pitrelli of Savatage
(who are local to the Tampa/St. Petersburg Florida area).  During the
song, Al played Eric's guitar - and gave it quite a workout during the
solo section (he was followed by solos from Allen on keys and Buck on
guitar).  While not a BOC song, it brought the show to a rousing
conclusion.

Finally, this show also brought back my faith and hope that BOC will
continue as a band for years to come.  While they may never play large
halls again, they still rock (and could show many bands of these times
how to really rock and roll), and it appears that a good time was had
by all - fans and band alike.  And as long as we're all still having
fun, let's keep the party going . . .


John Swartz