It was a rainy Saturday night and what a better way to spend it than going to a concert? Heading down to Gagarin205 Club to see BLUE OYSTER CULT - they came to Greece for two concerts - time was 21:45 (bloody traffic) when I stepped inside the venue and - for my big surprise, since retaining the schedule is something not used here in Greece - the legendary band was already on stage, fortunately playing only the first song for the night. Finding a good spot in order to watch what was going on - and near the bar for easy refills - first thing I could see was that most of the guys in the audience (with the exception of some beautiful ladies) were not early youths, but I didn't expect something different.
Not much to say: the night rolled as we were waiting for. With a crystal clear sound, not that loud (for a band like BLUE OYSTER CULT you don't expect high decibels), the American rockers created a journey back in time. If there was anyone at Gagarin 205 Club that night who wanted to headbang and start a moshpit he was obviously in the wrong place. Eric, Buck and the other guys were in top form, as always, and it seems that they really enjoyed that night like we did, in a fully professional concert. The QUEEN medley in the middle of Gozilla was followed by a drum solo, not something that I like in a gig but I think it was inevitable for the rest of members to take a breath, before going back to their songlist. The gig wrapped up letting us with a big smile on our face with See You In Black and Hot Rails to Hell.
No good things last for long: the concert was over after one hour and 45 minutes. Most of as really enjoyed it. Some of the fans may have had some objections about the setlist, but you can't keep everyone happy when you are in the music industry for more than 40 years. Still, I think a small surprise would have been more than welcome next time. Ah, and 35 euros for a single band is quite a big amount nowadays, even if we are talking about an act like BLUE OYSTER CULT.
BLUE OYSTER CULT setlist:
01. The Red And The Black
02. Before The Kiss
03. Burnin' For You
04. Cities On Flames (With Rock 'n' Roll)
05. The Vigil
06. Shooting Shark
07. Buck's Boogie
08. Black Blade
09. Then Came The Last Days Of May
10. Godzilla_Another One Bites The Dust_We Will Rock You_Bohemian Rhapsody_Godzilla (medley)
11. (Don't Fear) The Reaper
Encore:
12. See You In Black
13. Hot Rails To Hell
