You’re asked to make some tough calls when you’re a musical icon. Though all musicians like to create new music, Eric Bloom of Blue Oyster Cult seems comfortable knowing that the fans of Blue Oyster Cult prefer to hear “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” and “Godzilla” than their newer work. That’s disappointing, in a way, but Bloom understands the fans’ points of view.
“I went to see the Who a few years ago and I took it as a learning experience,” Bloom said. “Every once in a while they would go off on a tangent with a deep cut of something that only hard-core fans would know. People want to hear the hits.”
| Onstage |
| Blue Oyster Cult |
| When: Doors 6 p.m. Sunday, show 8 p.m. |
| Where: State Theatre, 220 N. Washington St., Falls Church |
| Info: $30; 703-237-0300; thestatetheatre.com |
Don’t think that Blue Oyster Cult is a nostalgia band, though. In the almost 40 years since the band’s self-titled debut album was released, Bloom and his bandmates have built an international fan base that allows them to play an array for material. The band that was formed as an American version of Black Sabbath plays the hits at festivals and other shows that have a mix of fans. Yet hard-core fans have been known to organize private shows where they’ve asked the band to play almost everything except the hits.
“They had said, ‘Please don’t play “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll” [and other top hits].’ So when we started each song, the first few notes we’d play were from ‘City on Flames,’ ” said Bloom of a fan-organized show in New Jersey the band played a few years ago. “It was a lot of fun.”
Although the band has had various lineup changes throughout the years, the bandmates are comfortable enough to do most rehearsals at sound check under the direction of the band’s co-founder and lead guitarist, Don “Buck Dharma” Roeser. The set list changes almost every show and sometmes even during shows to satisfy various crowds.
“We are prepared to play two hours and we try to hit all the high points,” Bloom said. “Invariably, though, we always hear ‘Why didn’t you play a certain song?’ ”
