BOC: Jaxx Review

[BREVARD, Adrian R.]

"On Your Feet or on Your Knees!"  Only this time honored opening was
missing April 17, 1998 at Jaxx Nightclub in Springfield VA.   Fresh off
a rousing performance the night before in Richmond VA, Blue Oyster Cult
moved northward to continue their massive assault on the hard rock music
scene.   A near capacity crowd crammed the club anxiously awaiting the
legendary outfit; thank god they did not have to wait long.

At shortly before the midnight hour the band opened with Burnin' For
You, a mild surprise for everyone except those who witnessed the
destruction of Richmond the previous night.  As one of the big three
that has been a staple of the setlist for years, my initial reaction
bordered on a Homer Simpson "DOH"?  Burnin' at the top of the setlist?
This was a song I felt had run its course and should be retired or at
minimum take an extended vacation.  The song is better positioned here
as the opener than later in the set.  BOC seems to be following the
trend of mid tempo tunes to start rather than launching into full
throttle immediately.

Burnin was followed by long time face melting fan favorite Cities on
Flame.  Cities practically roared or conversely was pushed off the stage
by Danny Miranda's thumping bass.  ETI was next up; time has not
diminished this song in the least as the audience could be heard singing
along and swaying to its funky grooves.  The extended jam of the live
version was a real treat as the band was in high gear from the
beginning.  Finally Eric announced they would play a few tunes from the
new album.  To the universal delight of the crowd the band dove face
first into Harvest Moon.  This song lit the flame that would roar the
rest of the night; it also provided a brief bit of comic relief.  Buck
missed some lyrics midway through the song and took some good-natured
ribbings from his mates, the audience and even himself.  Smiling and
undaunted he plugged himself back into the vocals as soon as possible.
To make amends (as if he even needed to) this guitar solo carried even
more weight than the studio version.  I would also note that Alan's solo
on this song was impeccable.  Alan is so understated and unassuming on
stage it's easy to forget that he is an incredible musician in his own
right.

After cooling off a few degrees the band waltzed through Buck's Boogie
(with Eric careful to mention that this was the Cult Classic version)
and OD on Life Itself.  Both songs were very strong however they were
played with relative ease by the band.  It appeared that the band was
simply catching their collective breaths after the blistering opening
salvo. Eric coyly announced they wanted to go back a little and play a
little something from the Mirrors album.  It didn't take a rocket
scientist to know we would soon be treated to either In Thee or The
Vigil.  My fingers were crossed for the Vigil.  Hopefully someone was
making a recording of this show as this version was off the scale.  I
have never heard this song played with such passion or force, it was
magnificent!

After taking an extended bow it was back to another ramp up with Live
for Me and Flaming Telepaths.  Telepaths was very well received as you
could hear "the jokes on you" from the audience.  During the song the
lights went out with Eric under a strobe singing.  A great effect made
even better by Eric's generally liveliness throughout the show. In quick
succession the audience was treated to the current single See You in
Black followed by Buck's mind blowing Last Days of May.  It should be
noted here that some have wondered why BOC would play such a speed metal
song at this point in their careers.  I think the answer is simple, it's
a weapon and a deadly one at that.  The live version of this song would
make the most dedicated Michael Bolton fan want to crash his forehead
through cinder block.

Like the kindly assistant football coach they called an end to the wind
sprints and allowed us to relax just a touch with In Thee.  This song
gets better each time I hear them play it acoustically.  There were some
problems with the sound and it appears they had to correct some things
with Alan's guitar feeds. Whatever the problem was they fixed it and the
show went on.  Eric mercifully let us relax for a moment more while the
band prepped itself for the final salvo.  Of course we all knew what was
coming, you could hear the footsteps and the roar growing closer.  At
the appropriate time Eric screamed his warning and the final assault had
begun.  "Zilla was played with "monstrous" attitude; Danny bass in
particular could be felt all the way to the far side of the room.  The
bass and drum solos were both entertaining and timely, neither drawn out
to the point  you lose interest.   Wasting no further time and Eric not
wanting to grant us anymore time-outs, Reaper was executed flawlessly.
This song is such a strong closer that the band should never ever
consider ending the show any other way.  Buck as usual was brilliant
with his soloing; as many times as I have heard them play this song I
swear Buck never seems to so this solo the same way, its always
different.

After a quick thank you and goodnight I felt like a condemned man who
had just received an 11th hour pardon from the governor.  I could not
remove myself from the one spot I had occupied during the entire set.
Some force just would not allow me to escape.  They came back, my god
they were on stage again.  It was at this moment that the title to the
new album finally made sense to me "Heaven Forbid I have to put up with
anymore of this."  Oh but that damn Eric, all night he forced the
audience to keep up with the band; he made us soak up every erg of
energy they were tossing; forced us to swallow each and every note.  Was
he satisfied that no one had anything left that we were all running on
empty trying to digest this tidal wave of rock?  No, he's a cruel one
that Eric Bloom, we were still standing so Eric must have figured we
didn't remember.  We did not recall that this is the same band that
before they hit the stage demanded that you be on your feet or on your
knees.  Smiling behind shades as only he can he must have passed
judgment on Virginia; the verdict on your knees.

With dozens of weapons (songs) at his command Eric choose one of the
most dangerous weapons this world has ever seen, Dominance and
Submission. Thank god its over, I have just enough strength to warn
those of you who will be seeing them soon, be afraid, be very afraid,
but most importantly be in shape 'cause BOC is taking no prisoners,
granting no respites during this tour.


Ghost in the Ruins