BLUE ÖYSTER CULT

Live at Rock of Ages Festival – July 30th 2016 (Deluxe Edition CD + DVD)

Here is yet another Blue Öyster Cult live album for your listening pleasure, and this one, which was captured for posterity at the Rock of Ages festival back in 2016, is a solid and enjoyable output but offers no real surprises as such. Perhaps due to the fact that this was a festival appearance, the setlist is relatively short by B.Ö.C. standards and primarily consists of some of the great US outfit's most treasured and well-known songs, but then how could anyone ever tire of hearing their classics in a live setting?

The powerful riffs are all there, those timeless harmonies still give me the chills, and the whole show is concise, focused, and a joy to experience (regardless of whether one is listening to the CD/LP or watching the DVD). There is one thing that stands out in particular and that is the lengthy rendition of the beautifully melancholic "Then Came the Last Days of May", which is simply exceptionally well-performed here and full of atmosphere. You simply have to hear it to believe it!

With a nicely crunchy and heavy sound as well as a fine selection of exquisitely crafted tunes, this is a potent record and a satisfying listen, but arguably not essential as such unless you are a fan of the band. In terms of live offerings by Blue Öyster Cult, the most impressive one yet is "45^th Anniversary - Live in London" and that is the one that I would invest my time and money in if I were you, but do not get me wrong here as "Live at Rock of Ages Festival" is pretty damn cool too.

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