BOC! I had never seen them live before and wasn't quite sure what to expect. After all, they're old, and it was post-Covid, and who knows. I am still smarting from seeing Jethro Tull a few years back and being extremely disappointed that Ian Anderson had lost his voice. It just ruined all my Tull memories. And the show was not inexpensive, either, which, recognizing how much of a value guy I am, made it even harder on me. But it was the Cult! The show was at the Keswick, and before I get into the concert itself, I need to speak a little on the venue. I'm telling you, that theater needs a refresh badly. The seats move and either you are at a 90-degree angle or slumped at about 45 degrees. And the seat covers are dirty and soiled, making it a little squalid when wearing shorts. It could also use another bathroom or two. But it's in the charming town of Glenside, and parking is generally free even if you have to walk a few blocks. The Keswick didn't take the opportunity to refresh during the ill-fated lockdowns, and that was an opportunity missed. I won't go out of my way to see a show there in the future, but if it's a band I care about, I'll still hazard the venue deficiencies in order to see the band. So what about BOC? One thing that surprised me is that they are a lot more "jam band" than I thought they would be. Each song had an extended jam by one of the players. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it was unexpected. There was one exception to this rule: Don't Fear The Reaper, a great Covid song, was played note for note like the single. I guess the band had taken grief in the past for messing around with it, and hey, it's their signature song and probably has payed for all of their bills as adults, so I guess you don't mess with success. But while I expected that the crowd would overreact to that tune, I was mistaken. It was warmly received, no doubt, but it wasn't over-the-top and people didn't leave after hearing it. BOC also did it justice by playing it near the end of the show, but not as the last song or the encore. Thus, it was given a place of honor, but it wasn't the focal point of the show. That video is pretty old - these guys have aged somewhat - probably because that song came out in the late 70s. I still remember a guy I worked with during a summer job saying it was the best tune of the summer, and I would tend to agree with that. In fact, it's one of those songs that I can hear over and over and never really get tired of. And that's a short list of songs, let me tell you. I didn't buy the tickets to the show, so we were further back than I would have liked. Sorry, no close-up pictures for this one. But we had good sight lines. The band mostly came out and played without too much stagecraft, but they had one campy tune allowing for some on-stage silliness - see the picture at left for proof. You get a band with three guitars (one guy shifted between keys and a third axe) and a catalog of strong songs, and you're going to end up with quite a good evening. Remember this one? I love that song. I don't love the low-budget video, but the song is really good. It was radio ready when released, and helped BOC to achieve commercial success outside of the Reaper. They played two of my other favorite BOC tracks, with the second one being their final song: Now, THAT'S a video, right? And if you grew up when I did, you remember all those lip-synced Japanese monster movies and TV shows (remember Ultraman?). And the final line is a classic: "History shows again and again/how nature points out the folly of man." Covid, anyone? Or climate change? Here's the other track: That guitar riff is an earworm, but of the good kind. You'll be humming it over and over for a few days, and it won't bother you one bit.
All told, it was a fine show. Oh, I forgot to add that they had no opening act, so we were out of there by 10:30 and home in time to drag our ragged butts to work the next day on time. Would I go see BOC again? Nope. Was I sorry to have seen this show? Nope. It was a solid concert played by a professional band who are good at their craft. Playing a strong set with all the classics made it fun for me. It wasn't the last show that I saw, either. I have a few more to write up in my long list of things I need to get off of my chest. Hey, tell your friends that BRP is back and that they should check in every now and again. I'm tanned, rested and ready for 2022 and thus ready to get the BRP machine cranking again. See you back here real soon....
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AuthorMy name is Bill, and I live in the greater Philadelphia area. I love music, and I have a lot of opinions. This site is primarily focused on music, but sometimes I get off track. I hope you enjoy. Archives
November 2020
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