The story goes like this: “In September 2022, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT enthralled fans with a unique trilogy of sold-out shows, each dedicated to one of their first three albums.” At each show they dedicated the first set to one of the albums—the first night, their eponymous debut album; the second night, “Tyranny and Mutation”; the third, “Secret Treaties.” Following the initial set, they then treated audiences to “a mix of favorites, deep cuts, and classic hits” from across their storied career. As physics and temporal reality would have it not every BLUE ÖYSTER CULT fan on the planet was able to attend. Thankfully, faithful recordings of the events are now available through Frontiers Music.

Late 2023, Frontiers Music released “50^th Anniversary Live, First Night.” You can find my review for that album here in the archives of Metal Temple. On August 9, 2024 the second night of these historic concerts was released. “50^th Anniversary Live, Second Night.” includes 21 tracks and has a full run time of one hour and 42 minutes. New as well as long-time fans will not be disappointed with the faithful rendering of the classic 1973 “Tyranny and Mutation.”

As with the first night, the lineup is extremely tight. This is some of best recorded live footage of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT fans will ever hear. Kudos to the engineering crew. Highlights for me are “Hot Rails to Hell,” “Wings Wetted Down,” and “Teen Archer”—all of which became personal soundtracks to my high school years when I began to delve back into the band’s back catalogue. Keep in mind, when I started high school, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT only had five studio albums. 

Those who picked up the first night release will find new renditions of several classic standards like “Burning for You,” “Godzilla,” “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” and “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll.” There’s just no way an audience would forgive the band for not covering these and, as they certainly bear repeating, there’s no great sin in that. In addition to the full treatment of their sophomore album, plus the heavy standards, they also tap into fan favorites.

I was thrilled to hear “Lips in the Hills,” the enigmatic song about anything from Lovecraft to skin walker legends to breastfeeding to having sex in the outdoors. Take your pick, the song just rocks. The inclusion of “Unknown Tongue,” a song little less enigmatic about a vampiric young lady and sexual awakening and all the rest of it, was also a blast. They also performed “E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)” the 1976 classic about—what else?—aliens but also accented with a nod to the mystic Balthazer just as a wicked tease. For those faithfully waiting for “Astronomy,” it looks like we’ll have to wait for the release of the third night.

While nothing can ever beat seeing BÖC live in person, these recordings are fair second for millions of BÖC fans around the world. Hopefully, we’ll see the third night issued before the end of the year.