Dream Setlist: Blue Öyster Cult Edition

While I haven't had chances to write about them in my years with Dead Noise so far, Blue Öyster Cult is my all-time favorite band and I couldn't be more excited to finally geek out about their music for a writeup here. I've been listening to the legendary Long Island classic rock pioneers since my age was in the single digits, and their music has helped shape me into the person I am today. The I can count the number of bands that I can confidently say have changed my life on one hand, and BÖC is easily in that bunch. I've had the chance to see them live on two occasions, with the first time being on my 16th birthday at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood, NJ and the second (and most recent) being on February 24, 2018 in my hometown of Jacksonville, NC.

After seven and a half long years, I'm finally seeing my favorite band live again tonight, this time in North Charleston, SC. Although it's always a difficult task, writing up a dream setlist before a big show has become a tradition for me, and I couldn't pass up the chance to make one for Blue Öyster Cult — sticking to the 17-song no-encore rule was a challenge, but I'd like to think that I still managed to create a pretty solid list that's decently well-balanced throughout their discography, especially after a week of pondering and shuffling songs around.

1. This Ain't the Summer of Love (Agents of Fortune, 1976)

Both times I've seen Blue Öyster Cult live, their sets started with a song with Eric Bloom on lead vocals — my first BÖC show started with "The Red & the Black," and my last one started with "Transmaniacon MC." Over the last few years, there have even been times in which "Dr. Music" kicked their shows off, and while that's a fantastic choice (and a song I regret leaving off this list), there's something about "This Ain't the Summer of Love" that feels like a great opening track — it's a short and moderately-paced track with enough familiarity amongst their core audience, making it a great way to start their show.

2. Golden Age of Leather (Spectres, 1977)

Ideally, I would love nothing more than hearing the Spectres album live in its entirety, but there's so much other ground to cover that it almost wouldn't be fair to the rest of their material — that being said, the album's second track has become a live staple and setlist highlight over the past couple decades. After shows, I've heard people talking about how much they enjoyed that song despite having never heard it beforehand, and the beginning of the set is the perfect placement for a song with this kind of energy.

3. Burnin' For You (Fire of Unknown Origin, 1981)

Of course, the hits can't be overlooked, and while the crowd is still fresh, there's no better time to bring out one of the band's biggest and catchiest tracks. No matter how overplayed this may be to some hardcore fans, there's something about hearing it live that's such a cool experience — I was in the front row and right in front of lead guitarist/vocalist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, and I struggled to hear him over how loud the crowd was singing along. While I'll always advocate for deep cuts and cult classics (no pun intended), it's impossible to deny the vibe that comes from hearing a building full of people jamming out to a song like this.

4. That Was Me (The Symbol Remains, 2020)

Blue Öyster Cult's last full-length album, 2020's The Symbol Remains, was their strongest album from front-to-back in several years and one of the most solid additions to their discography. If this is the last collection of new material that the band ever releases (2024's Ghost Stories consisted of old demos and B-sides from the 70s and 80s), then they truly ended their full-length recording career on a high note and left their fans wanting even more. That being said, expect to see a few of the singles appear later on this list, starting with the album's Bloom-led opening track.

5. Flaming Telepaths (Secret Treaties, 1974)

When it comes to fan favorites, there are several old-school fans that strongly advocate for the band's third album, with its epic finale "Astronomy" being the highlight of the record. However, the preceding track, "Flaming Telepaths," is another solid song, and also one of my first favorite songs from the band — before I owned any of their studio albums, I was gifted their Don't Fear the Reaper greatest hits compilation, and "Flaming Telepaths" appeared early in the tracklisting, so let's just say it may have taken me a while to get through the rest of the album because of how much I replayed this song. While it's not played live very often these days, I would love to make it to a show that has it appear on the setlist.

6. Dancin' in the Ruins (Club Ninja, 1985)

Club Ninja is an underrated release, but it's thankfully been receiving some more love in recent years thanks to re-releases/reissues and old-school fans coming back around to albums they overlooked when they were first released. As a product of the 80s, this record contains some wildly catchy songs, including the lead single "Dancin' in the Ruins." While it's occasionally brought into the setlist every now and then, it's surprising that it hasn't become a live mainstay, and I would honestly feel wrong if I didn't include it in my dream setlist.

7. Searchin' For Celine (Spectres, 1977)

This may be the deepest cut on my setlist, but I simply can't leave it out. With Spectres being my favorite BÖC record, I had to include a deeper cut from the album, and this lively track is one that feels tailor-made for the stage. This is one of my favorite vocal performances from Eric Bloom, and the bassline gets stuck in your head in no time. "Searchin' for Celine" has only been played live once, at Allen Lanier's tribute show in NYC in 2016, but I'll always hold out hope that it'll make at least one live return and that I'll be there to see it.

8. Box in My Head (The Symbol Remains, 2020)

It makes perfect sense that "Box in My Head" was one of the lead singles for The Symbol Remains, because it may be one of the catchiest songs in their entire catalog — if it was released in the early 80s, I believe it easily would've been as big of a commercial success as "Burnin' For You." While I normally tend to get tired of singles once an album is released in its entirety, I still never miss a chance to replay this song, so it only makes sense to bring it to the stage and see the audience reaction in real time.

9. I Love the Night (Spectres, 1977)

The midpoint of the set would be a good time to slow things down and give the crowd a bit of a break to breathe, and while that time normally comes in the form of the old-school jam session "Then Came the Last Days of May," there's something about this slower track that feels like a great reset button. If it's any bit as hypnotic on stage as it is to listen to on the album, then it'll undoubtedly be a standout on the setlist.

10. Perfect Water (Club Ninja, 1985)

Coming out of the slow jam of "I Love the Night," "Perfect Water" would be a great way to gradually bring the pace back up for the second half of the show. The song starts out a little unassuming, but builds up into something really dynamic and exuberant, and having listened to the album version of it for years, I would love to see how that buildup plays out in a live setting.

11. Here Comes That Feeling (Curse of the Hidden Mirror, 2001)

There was a time in which it felt like Curse of the Hidden Mirror would end up being Blue Öyster Cult's final album — despite touring consistently, it would take almost two decades before they made their studio return in the form of The Symbol Remains. However, Curse of the Hidden Mirror still feels like a bit of a hidden gem, with none of those songs ever played on stage anymore, and fan discourse in regards to the record seems to be sparse, despite many comments acknowledging how underrated it is. I refuse to not include at least one song from this album, and it's a no-brainer for me to make it "Here Comes That Feeling" — this was one of the first songs I learned on bass (imagine my excitement when I heard that bassist Danny Miranda returned to the band in 2017 after 13 years away), and it's one of those songs that could quickly become a fan favorite if it was introduced to them.

12. See You in Black (Heaven Forbid, 1998)

Speaking of underrated Blue Öyster Cult albums, Heaven Forbid deserves some more recognition as well — thankfully, this album does get some time on stage pretty regularly with the song "Harvest Moon" being a bit of a mainstay on their setlist, but I would also love to hear one of Bloom's songs on that album. "See You in Black" is a heavy and fast-paced banger of a song, and it would be awesome just to see Bloom take the guitar off and let it rip on the mic with a song like this. In recent years, "Lips in the Hills" has been another song that gives Bloom a chance to do that, but I would also advocate for this song just to give Heaven Forbid a little more love.

13. Tainted Blood (The Symbol Remains, 2020)

Richie Castellano has been a phenomenal addition to the band's lineup since he joined in the early 2000s, starting out as a bassist. In his time with the band, he's become incredibly versatile on stage, playing guitar and keyboards for different songs, and even singing lead on songs like "Hot Rails to Hell." When it came time for him to bring his contributions to the studio on The Symbol Remains, it was no surprise that there were a few songs with him on lead vocals, with the highlight being "Tainted Blood." Instead of having him singing one of Joe Bouchard's songs live, I would love to hear him sing his own song like this one.

14. Astronomy (Secret Treaties, 1974)

Towards the end of the set, it's nothing but fan favorites and major hits for the last few songs, starting with the closing track of Secret Treaties. This is a song that's taken many different shapes over the years, and one that has a whole new life in a live setting, and while it isn't played live very often anymore, I think every BÖC fan will agree that it still deserves a spot somewhere on a dream setlist.

15. Godzilla (Spectres, 1977)

The song that turned me into a Blue Öyster Cult fan is another one that's a very different experience live, featuring an extended solo section during the bridge and less guitar ad-libbing during the verses. Musically, it matches the magnitude of the subject matter, and it's just as important in a live setting as it is in the studio.

16. (Don't Fear) The Reaper (Agents of Fortune, 1976)

Of course, no Blue Öyster Cult set is complete without the inclusion of their most successful song, featured in countless movie soundtracks and television commercials over the near-50 years since it was first released. Live, this also has an extended solo section at the end, giving a lot of time for improvisation and jamming out, and that section alone is so memorable that you almost forget that you just heard one of the most iconic rock songs of all time just a few minutes earlier.

17. Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll (Blue Öyster Cult, 1972)

It would be very easy to simply end with "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" and call it a day, but both times I've seen Blue Öyster Cult, they've actually ended with this single from their debut album. Once again featuring multiple solos and jam sessions in the second half of the song, including Bloom assisting drummer Jules Radino with hitting cymbals, it's a song that closes the set well for when the crowd is wanting more after "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." As a fan, this was the opening track of the compilation album I had as a kid, so getting to hear it last during a show always feels like a bit of a full-circle moment and a nice bookend in general.

I could easily make a second dream setlist just with songs that I couldn't fit on this one (I hate that I couldn't make room for songs like "Unknown Tongue," "In Thee," and "Harvest Moon" in particular), but as of now, if I made the rules and was only limited to 17 songs, I think this would make for a great and memorable Blue Öyster Cult show for both hardcore fans and casual listeners. While they'll be in a direct support position for Kansas when I see them in North Charleston, SC tonight, I'll never pass up a chance to see my favorite band live, no matter how short their set may be. This will be my third time seeing them, and hopefully not the last — while I never look at setlists before a show, even for bands like Blue Öyster Cult who change their sets a little bit with each show, I always have a lot of fun making my own hypothetical lists and can't wait to see what they play in Charleston tonight!

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