Blue Oyster Cult at Toughest Cowboy Nashville: 2/9/2008

I have loved this band ever since I saw them in Central Park, NYC way back in the early 70's. Ever since, I have thought they are one of the most underrated rock bands ever, and they're definitely one of my favorites. Yes, these are the guys behind the three big hits, "Burning for You", "Godzilla", and the definitive "Don't Fear the Reaper" (I need more cowbell). But I hadn't seen them live since the early 90's, and they were great back then. And let me tell you, they have so much more material that's far superior to these hits. But that's another story.

So I was thrilled when I found out they were playing a concert after the Toughest Cowboy rodeo competition at Nashville's Sommet Center. Of course, I had my reservations. I knew going in only 2 of the original members, lead singer Eric Bloom and guitarist supreme Buck Dharma, were still touring. I also had no idea how long a show it would be since the rodeo was the main attraction. And of course, they're now about 15 years older than when I last saw them, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But with an admission price of $20 who cares, it was worth a shot.

Well the rodeo ran a little short of two hours. I know nothing about rodeo so I'm not going to review that, but I will say I was most impressed with the monkey they had riding a dog around the arena floor. When that was all over, it was concert time. The stage was all set up so the wait was only about 15 minutes. Then, with little fan-fare, the group was announced. A lot of the rodeo audience was already gone.

That's when the disappointment quickly set in. The sound system was totally inadequate for the size of the arena. And that's really all there is to this story. From what I could hear, the instrumentals sounded great, but they were muddled. You just couldn't hear the vocals at times. Sound was echoing all around the half empty arena, which quickly emptied further. Eric in particular was very hard to pick up, and although I think he was singing well, the echoes made him sound off-key at times. And it really didn't help that the rodeo crew was breaking down all the corrals, etc. during the performance. The clanging sound of metal piping could be heard every so often during the show. I know that other artists are scheduled to perform at other shows in this series. If you're going more for the music than the horses, cowboys, and bulls you might want to rethink that.

So this concert experience was a big disappointment, but I guess you get what you pay for. I should have skipped this one. I am still wondering what the band was thinking when they signed up for this gig. It appeared there were a lot of people there who were not very familiar with BOC (it is, after all, the capital of country music). But that's no excuse. I've seen some great rock shows in Nashville, and there's more every year. I think they blew a chance to gain some new fans, all because of that sound system. Come on guys, I know you're so much better than that.

However, there were some positives. They opened with "Red and Black" off their first album from 1972. That was a good start. Of course, they played the obligatory three radio hits. Also included were "Cities on Flame", "E.T.I", and a few others. The other band members were solid, although the keyboard could have been used more (I always loved Alan Lanier's playing). So the flashes of greatness were there, buried under the poor sound system. I was particularly disappointed that they played nothing from their "Heaven Forbid" album. There's not a bad song on that one. But I suppose they had to be very selective since the whole set only lasted about an hour, confirming my suspicions that the promoters only care about the rodeo, not the music.

I'd like to invite the boys to come back to Nashville soon, but in a more suitable venue like the Wildhorse Saloon. And I, for one, need a full length concert. I saw them in a place in New Jersey with four bars last time around, and that sort of setting suits them well. What better place for their hard rocking, heavy metal style than the Wildhorse. Play there boys, and I'll wear the leather and knock a few down with you. Just bring your sound man please.