Blue Öyster Cult
- Bleeding Priest
- Sep 21, 2025
- 6 min read
Plaza de Cesar Chavez
San Jose, CA
September 19, 2025
You know how The Grateful Dead have “Deadheads”? Well, I guess I could be considered an “Oysterhead” or “Bluehead”. I wouldn’t say I’m a “Culthead” because that could easily be misinterpreted. Whatever the correct term is I LOVE B.O.C. and try to catch them whenever they play in a 200 mile radius to SF. This time it’s in a park in downtown San Jose. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen them but it’s around 20 give or take.
The event was called Music In The Park. I’m not sure how often San Jose puts this on but I got the impression that this used to happen often years ago and is now happening again. It was a pretty cool setup with vendors of all sorts and a good sized stage smack dab in the middle of the park with general admission and reserved seating.
What was coolest about the setup was the fact that it’s in the heart of downtown San Jose with plenty of options for drinks and food all around. If you had reserved seating (which I did) you had in and out privileges. Something my better half and I took full advantage of being that I had zero interest in seeing any of the opening acts.
Original Joes was a minute walk away and if you like a good stiff cocktail then I highly recommend any of the Joe’s locations. The one in San Jose is always jumping and it’s a great environment. I was also pleasantly surprised to see Andre’ from Deathgrave working there. It was so out of context seeing him in his “business” mode as opposed to the wild man I usually see at shows.
There was a second, smaller stage as well that had the kids from School Of Rock performing. I commend these youngsters for pursuing music and setting their sights high, which they did with some of the song choices but go big or go home right?
There was also some indie band performing on that stage as well. I heard about 30 seconds of them and don’t recall their name but they had shirts for sale that said “Be Gay, Do Drugs and Worship Satan”. Wow, how edgy! Kinda similar to stickers my band Old Grandad used to have minus the sexual preference part. I was actually surprised the event allowed a shirt like that to be sold, what with all the kids in attendance but hey, if they don’t see it I don’t see it.
On the main stage the band prior to Blue Oyster Cult was The Eagles Of Death Metal who claim to be “the biggest BOC fans in the world”. Seriously, the singer must have said that 5 times throughout their set. It was pretty shameless and transparent that he was doing whatever he could to win the BOC die-hards over…which really didn’t work. They had their fair share of fans though and they put on a catchy, energetic show. But honestly after about a half an hour I had enough of their hipster desert/garage Pop Rock and was ready for the men from Long Island.
Blue Oyster Cult hit the stage with opener “Before The Kiss, A Redcap” which is kind of a tepid opener but I fully understand why they started off with this one. At this point in their career they are not starting the show off all guns blazing anymore. The setlist over all was pretty standard with the only curveball being the not often played “Cagey Cretins” from their magnum opus from 1974 Secret Treaties. This was only my second time hearing that tune live.
The one major detail I noticed was the fact that Eric Bloom, my favorite member, didn't sing lead on a single song. And when they did play a song he normally sings, guitarist Richie Castallano took the lead. Which is ok being that Richie is a fantastic singer and guitarist in his own right and can without question handle the job but still, Eric is one of my all time favorite vocalists.
I know over the years they’ve been scaling back how many songs he sings. His voice isn’t as powerful as it used to be but this was the first time I’ve ever seen BOC exclude his lead vocals completely. I’m hoping this was due to him being under the weather possibly and not a reoccurring trend. Wait, that sounds bad. I’m not hoping that Eric Bloom is under the weather….you know what I mean.
So what we had was a set full of Buck Dharma songs. It’s funny, he sings all of BOC’s most famous songs but in all honesty his voice is my least favorite in the band. Blue Oyster Cult were originally a band of 5 vocalists. On their biggest selling album, Agents of Fortune, all 5 members sing lead on at least one song each.
So in a band of 5 singers I always put Buck at #5. His voice is a tad too smooth, almost too “nice” for my tastes so hearing an almost entire set of his songs does tend to make my mind wander at times. To be clear I love every member of BOC’s vocals but someone has to be at the bottom. But what the fuck do I know? Buck’s voice helped BOC reach superstardom. I’d be a terrible major label executive.
It might be coming across that I didn’t enjoy the show which couldn’t be the furthest thing from the truth. BOC always put on a top notch show and this was no exception. They were great! The crowd loved them and there were smiles as far as the eye could see.
But the real magic of the evening was yet to happen. When they ended I was standing by the side of the stage behind a barricade right by where they walk off. Me and a number of fans caught Eric Bloom’s attention and he was gracious enough to come over and greet us. I’ve met plenty of “Rock stars” in my day but this was certainly one of the most star struck moments I’ve ever experienced. I was pretty much speaking in an “Unknown Tongue”….see what I did there?
But seriously I was barely able to get the words out to ask for a photo with him. That was a bucket list moment for sure. Then to make things even more surreal I met Buck Dharma while waiting for our car outside of the hotel across the street. This was another dream come true being that I got a chance to tell him something very personal and important, at least to me.
You see, after I awoke from my 12 day Covid coma back in 2020 (look it up, there's plenty of content on that out there) I had his solo album Flat Out song “Born To Rock” running through my head. It was the strangest thing. I was always a fan of the song but to have it on a constant loop in my head was bizarre and a little haunting. It went even further. When the nurses eventually gave me my iPad I watched the video for said song continuously for hours on end. I’m pretty sure the hospital staff thought I had not fully returned from the abyss. It was abnormal for sure.
Since then that song has become one of the most important pieces of music in my life. It may have saved it. I told Buck an abbreviated version of this story and he seemed taken aback by it slightly. I mean, he probably thought I was a nut. But he was very gracious and said thank you and “That means a lot to me”. Oddly enough I felt unburdened at that moment. Like an incredible weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I’ve never told this part of my coma story to anyone (outside of my partner) ever before. Now you all know.
And if all of this wasn’t enough there were actually bible thumpers protesting the show just outside of the park and in front of the hotel. I completely blew it by not getting a photo. I love seeing the Jesus freaks outside of a show.
It takes me back to a simpler, more magical time when Metal/Rock was truly feared by society at large. When there were people in the world who truly thought that by going to a Rock concert (usually at The Cow Palace) you were gift wrapping your soul to the almighty Lord Satan. When only people in Metal flashed “the horns”. Let’s get the fear back into the norms and make Metal dangerous once again.
–Bleeding Priest
