Blue Öyster Cult to perform at Riviera Theatre

The Riviera Theatre announced Blue Öyster Cult will perform live at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25.

Tickets go on sale at noon Friday, May 21, and cost $49. The event link is https://rivieratheatre.org/event/boc/.

A press release noted that, for more than four decades, Blue Öyster Cult has been thrilling fans of intelligent hard rock worldwide with powerful albums loaded with classic songs. Indeed, the Long Island-based band is revered within the hard rock and heavy metal scene for its pioneering work. Blue Öyster Cult occupies a unique place in rock history, because it's one of very few hard rock/heavy metal bands to earn both genuine mainstream critical acclaim as well as commercial success.

The band is often cited as a major influence by other acts such as Metallica. BÖC was listed in VH1's countdown of the greatest hard rock bands of all time.

Upon the release of BÖC's self-titled debut album in 1972, the band was praised for its catchy-­yet-­heavy music and lyrics that could be provocative, terrifying, funny or ambiguous, often all in the same song. BÖC's canon includes three stone-cold classic songs: The truly haunting "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" from 1976's “Agents of Fortune”: the pummeling "Godzilla" from 1977's “Spectres”: and the hypnotically melodic "Burnin' for You" from1981's “Fire of Unknown Origin.” Other notable BÖC songs include "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll," "Then Came the Last Days of May," "I Love the Night," "In Thee," "Veteran of the Psychic Wars," "Dominance and Submission," "Astronomy," "Black Blade" and "Shooting Shark."

The creative vision of BÖC's original core duo of vocalist/lead guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser and vocalist/rhythm guitarist Eric Bloom are complemented by Richie Castellano on guitar and keyboards, and the longtime rhythm section of bass guitarist Danny Miranda and drummer Jules Radino.

North Tonawanda’s Riviera Theatre is located at 67 Webster St. For more information, call 716-692-2413 or visit www.RivieraTheatre.org.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, show dates are subject to change.