Blue Öyster Cult

Concert Recap: Kansas + Blue Öyster Cult in Charleston, SC (October 18, 2025)

Nothing beats a good classic rock show, especially when it's with one of your all-time favorite bands

Chris Cooney

21 Oct 2025 • 7 min read

I've always been told that I was born in the wrong generation due to my love for classic rock music — sometimes I believe it, but most of the time I'm just glad to live in a time where my favorite classic bands are still performing, along with being young and open-minded enough to have an equal appreciation for the more contemporary acts that are making waves today. That being said, there's nothing like getting to see a great classic rock band live. No matter what your familiarity may be with a certain band or artist, you're almost always in for a good time whenever you get to see these legends perform. I've been lucky enough to see my favorite artist, Alice Cooper, live 4 times, and even with how long his career has lasted, he still continues to get better each time I see him.

When it comes to my favorite band, Blue Öyster Cult (yes, I differentiate between my favorite band and my favorite artist, I quite literally love them both equally), I thought I would only get to see them live twice. After their show in Jacksonville, NC on February 24, 2018 and missing their show in Myrtle Beach, SC the following spring, along with rumors of their retirement over the last couple years, I was almost certain that their days of playing in this area were over. As a great example of why I sometimes enjoy being proved wrong, it was announced over the summer that the band would be returning to the Carolinas for a few shows supporting Kansas this fall, and I'm not ashamed to say I had never bought concert tickets so fast. I needed to see my favorite band a third time, and I had enough of an appreciation for Kansas' sound and musical legacy that I was excited to get to see them for the first time as well.

There weren't any openers or local support for this show, so Blue Öyster Cult was the first group to hit the stage, wasting no time to get the show started. Kicking their 10-song set off with "Transmaniacon MC," the opening track of their 1972 self-titled debut album, it was awesome to see that they hadn't slowed down at all since the last time I saw them over 7 years ago. If anything, I felt like this was the most energetic set out of the three that I've seen from them, which may be partly because of the fact that it was a shorter timeframe in a support slot as opposed to the two headliners I've seen from them.

I've always said that Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser is not only my favorite guitarist, but he's simply the greatest of all time when it comes to that instrument — the man's forgotten more licks than any other musician could even dream to learn, and it's an absolute honor and privilege to get to see him perform live. Even with such memorable riffs from hits like "Burnin' For You" and "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," there's still so much improvisation that's done in just about every song in the set, and it's beyond impressive to watch. The rest of the band is incredibly tight as well, with Richie Castellano going back and forth between guitar and synths while also providing backing vocals, lead vocalist Eric Bloom also providing rhythm guitar for most songs, and the rhythm section of Danny Miranda on bass and Jules Radino on drums making sure that everything runs smoothly timing-wise.

There wasn't a single weak moment of Blue Öyster Cult's set, but I would have to say my favorite moment was the performance of "Shooting Shark" — it's a more mellow tune compared to some of their other popular material, but it gives everyone in the band a chance to shine in some way. As someone who occasionally plays bass as a hobby, I couldn't stop watching Miranda's playing throughout the show, but especially while he was playing that bassline that runs throughout "Shooting Shark." Being such a big fan of the band as a whole, it's sometimes hard to figure out where to direct my attention, because there's always so many things going on musically and several different layers, but that's honestly such a great problem to have.

To keep it short, getting to see my favorite band one more time was such a treat, and I'm so glad that their "On Tour Forever" mantra still hasn't faded yet, despite recent rumors suggesting that the end would come at the end of 2023. I'll always keep my fingers crossed for another chance to see them, whether they return to this area or if I have to make a trip up north if the schedule allows, but it's nice to say I've been to three Blue Öyster Cult shows now.

Blue Öyster Cult Setlist:

Transmaniacon MC
Before the Kiss, a Redcap
Golden Age of Leather
Burnin' For You
Cagey Cretins
Shooting Shark
ME 262
Godzilla
(Don't Fear) The Reaper
Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll

Blue Öyster Cult, Live in Charleston, SC

Kansas got their show started on the right foot, with the one-two punch of "Point of Know Return" and "What's on My Mind" getting the audience on their feet. While I've always had an appreciation for the band's studio work, it's a completely different experience seeing them live, and I mean that in the best way possible. From the instrumentation to the arrangements to the actual performance, Kansas has everything locked down to a science, and if there were any mistakes made, it was impossible for this ex-amateur musician to notice.

It's hard to believe that the touring lineup doesn't feature any original members of Kansas, because the energy of everyone on stage is so high and lively that one would think they wrote the material. You can tell just how much they love and enjoy playing this music and being on stage together, and even though a lot of the audience was sitting down and much older in age, it was easy to tell that they were enjoying the show just as much as the band loved performing.

As I said earlier, I love the fact that bands like Kansas and Blue Öyster Cult are still performing today, over 50 years after their formation. It's so important, regardless of your familiarity level, to see these classic bands as many times as possible while you still can, because just this year alone, it feels like we're in a time where it feels like the great musical legends of our youth are retiring and even passing away at a more frequent pace than ever. Most of these artists are still putting on phenomenal shows and proving that their age doesn't slow them down, with this show and the recent co-headliner with Judas Priest and Alice Cooper being two great examples of that. As much as I love modern rock and metal music and have so many new artists on my radar, I'll always love getting to go to a classic rock show, and this one with Kansas and Blue Öyster Cult was certainly one to remember.

Kansas Setlist: