ANNA MARIA – Best known for their classic rock radio staples “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” “Godzilla” and “Burnin’ For You,” Blue Öyster Cult is bringing their classic rock excellence and intelligence to The Center of Anna Maria Island on Wednesday, Dec. 10, joined by special guests BB Steal 80’s Live!.
General admission tickets for the outdoor concert are $75 and are still available at The Center website, www.centerami.org/concerts. General admission ticket holders are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs. VIP tickets are also available and include prime seating with a private bar.
The gates open Wednesday night at 6 p.m. and Blue Öyster Cult will hit the stage at 8 p.m., preceded by the BB Steal 80’s Live! musical experience at 7 p.m. The Center is located at 407 Magnolia Ave. in Anna Maria.
Blue Öyster Cult
Although their concerts no longer feature the legendary laser shows they featured in the mid-1970s, Blue Öyster Cult still features original vocalist and rhythm guitarist Eric Bloom and original vocalist and lead guitarist Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser. Roeser and Bloom have long been joined on stage by current bandmates Richie Castellano on guitar and keyboards, bass guitarist Danny Miranda and drummer Jules Radino.
Recent Blue Öyster Cult setlists span the band’s 50-plus-year recording history and their shows usually include “Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll” and the cautionary drug smuggling tale, “Then Came the Last Days of May,” from their 1972 debut album “Blue Öyster Cult.”
The slightly varied setlists sometimes feature a song or two from their 1979 release, “Mirrors,” or from their 2020 release, “The Symbol Remains” and always feature additional songs from their 1977 release, “Spectres,” and “Agents of Fortune.” Blue Öyster Cult used to frequently cover Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild,” but that song rarely shows up in the setlist these days.
The band’s name features an umlaut punctuation mark atop the “Ö.” Inspired by the alchemical symbol for lead (a heavy metal) and the astrological symbol for Saturn, the band’s iconic “hook and cross” logo is among the most instantly recognizable rock and roll band logos.
Sung by Roeser, the death-inspired “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” was the featured song in the classic Saturday Night Live “More Cowbell” skit that first aired in 2000. The skit parodied Blue Öyster Cult in the recording studio and featured actor Christopher Walken as the record producer who demands more cowbell. The studio version of the song that appeared on the band’s 1976 album, “Agents of Fortune,” features a steady cowbell beat throughout the song. Some of the song lyrics also appear at the beginning of Stephen King’s post-apocalyptic novel, “The Stand.”
Opening act
BB Steals 80’s LIVE! features Rick Peluso (vocals), Sharon Rosa (vocals), Bob Boreland (drums), Hank DiPasquale (bass), Jeff Peluso (electric drums), Larry Donovan (keyboards) and Dave Lewis (lead guitar) and they collectively and authentically recreate memorable and beloved songs from the 1980s.
