Tag: Blue Oyster Cult

Quiet Riot and Vixen at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, FL on 3/6/26 By Jesse Striewski/Photos By Brooke Striewski

Back in late 2006, I had been a new father for just over half a year when I ventured out to Ormond Beach, FL for Biketoberfest to catch Quiet Riot and Skid Row – two bands I loved while growing up that many of my middle/high school peers would surely give me flack for still rocking out to at the height of grunge and nu metal (Though I never cared much what anyone else thought). It ended up being one of the funniest shows I had ever been to up to that point, and I’ll forever be grateful to have seen the late legends Kevin DuBrow and Frankie Banali on stage together prior to their unfortunate, respective passings since.

Twenty years later, and a lot has certainly changed. But I knew when I saw Quiet Riot were coming to the Hard Rock Live in Orlando with Vixen in tow on Friday, March 6 (coincidentally one year to the day since I was also discharged from the hospital), it was time to finally catch the band live again, this time with my wife and Photographer Brooke beside me for the ride, too, who was ready to once again break out her SLR camera again for the occasion. (As crazy as the first week of March might have started out for us, too.) And after putting in a last-minute request, we got the “okay” from none other than Quiet Riot guitarist Alex Grossi himself (the only remaining member of the band left from said time I caught them back in ’06 who I also interviewed for Rewind It Magazine back in 2021), we were all set to go. (Thank you again, Alex.)

Almost immediately after entering the building it was clear that we had made the right decision to go. While preparing to start photographing the show from the side of the stage, Brooke ran into longtime (and legendary) Quiet Riot bassist Rudy Sarzo, whose initial time in the band stretches all the way back to the late ’70s, and recently returned to the lineup in 2021. Sarzo – who also served some time in both Ozzy Osbourne’s band and Whitesnake in the ’80s, and has also had stints with the likes of Dio and Blue Oyster Cult, among so many others – was no doubt one of the major selling points for us to go that night in the first place (Especially yours truly, having come from the school of bass players myself.)

Another group that we’ve caught live before who have also experienced some significant lineup changes since the last time we saw them back in 2019 (opening for Sebastian Bach, ironically at the very same venue), the always-lovely Vixen, who now featured new lead singer Rosa Laricchiuta, and temporary bassist Jennifer Jo Oberle filling in for Julia Lage. (Who is currently on tour oversees with Smith/Kotzen, and admittedly I was a bit disappointed to find out was not there, though Oberle no doubt did an admirable job in her place).

Vixen on stage at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, FL on Friday, March 6. (Photo by Brooke Striewski.)

The gals kicked off the night with plenty of energy though, opening with “Rev It Up” before launching into “Charmed Life,” “How Much Love,” “Crusin’,” “Hard 16,” and “Cryin’.” A medley featuring parts of “Runnin’ with the Devil,” “I Want You to Rock Me,’ “Perfect Strangers,” “What You’re Doing,” “War Pigs,” and “Still of the Night” kept the momentum going before a drum solo from Roxy Petrucci lead them back to “I Want You to Rock Me.”

Yet the girls were still far from finished, with “Streets in Paradise, “Love is a Killer,” “Not a Minute Too Soon,” “You Ought to Know By Now,” “Love Made Me,” and of course, “Edge of a Broken Heart” all finally wrapping up their whopping seventy-five minute long set.

By the time Quiet Riot hit the stage the excitement was undeniable. The previously mentioned Sarzo and Grossi were now joined by another former Rewind It interveiwee, Jizzy Pearl of Love/Hate (another band whose show we covered some years back in 2018), and drummer Johnny Kelly of Type O Negative and Danzig fame. (Who I was also lucky enough to catch on stage with both acts in the past in the ’90s and ’00s.)

Bass icon Rudy Sarzo commanded the stage with Quiet Riot at the Hard Rock Live this past Friday, March 6 (Photo by Brooke Striewski).

In an instant the entire audience was transported back in time with the likes of “Run For Cover,” “Slick Black Cadillac,” “Mama Weer All Crazee Now,” and “Love’s a Bitch,” all paving the way for what was still to come. The tender “Thunderbird” was then introduced and then dedicated not only to late guitarist Randy Rhodes (who the song was originally penned for after his tragic death in the early ’80s), but also DuBrow, Banali, and another former Sarzo bandmate, Mr. Ozzy Osbourne himself.

“Party All Night,” “Blackout in the Red Room,” and “The Wild and the Young” all kept the party going before the guys unleashed a medley of their own that featured “Let’s Get Crazy,” “Crazy Train,” a guitar solo from Grossi that segued into Van Halen’s “Eruption,” and a touch of Type O Negative’s “Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)” before coming full circle back into “Let’s Get Crazy” again.

By that point, there was not much more left to do other than the one-two punch of “Cum On Feel the Noize” and “Metal Health (Bang Your Head).” No doubt it was a night full of fun and classic anthems, but there’s more to it than just that; each time bands like Quiet Riot and Vixen hit the stage, they’re keeping not only the music itself alive, but also the memories of all those those who had a hand it helping to create it.

Album Review: Blue Oyster Cult – The Symbol Remains (Frontiers Music srl)

By: Jesse Striewski

After years of multiple reissues and live albums from Blue Oyster Cult, I was thrilled to finally be able to critique some actual new material from the band, who I’ve always considered extremely underrated. And I was even more glad to discover the band’s first new studio effort since 2001 wasn’t a total dud.

Album opener “That Was Me” is reminiscent of such heavier tracks in the band’s catalogue as “See You in Black.” Seeing former drummer Albert Bouchard make a welcomed appearance in the video (playing cowbell, of course!) for the song was a definite nice touch as well. Further singles like “Box in my Head” and “Tainted Blood” (the first number from the band to be sung by current guitarist Richie Castellano) are less effective.

But the real highlights here come in the form of the experimental; “Florida Man” and “Secret Road” are in a category all their own, while “Nightmare Epiphany” (my personal favorite) and “Edge of the World” are the strongest tracks overall. Even if you’ve never listened to a BOC album a day in your life, this isn’t a bad starting point.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Album Review – Blue Oyster Cult: Hard Rock Live Cleveland 2014 (Frontiers Music srl)

B.O.C.

By: Jesse Striewski

Blue Oyster Cult have always been terribly underrated in my book, and I tend to forget just how much I actually like them until I go back and give their music another listen. I was fortunate enough to catch the band live once a few years before this album was recorded, and I was reminded just how good they are live after listening to this.

Although somewhat puzzling why they chose to wait six years to release the audio for this live effort, the quality here is top notch. All of the expected hits are of course here, including “Burnin’ For You,” “Godzilla,” and “Don’t Fear the Reaper.” But aside from the usual suspects, the tracks that stick out most are the ones you’re not likely to hear on the radio anytime soon; “The Red and the Black,” “Shooting Shark,” and a 10-minute rendition of “Then Came the Last Days of May” are all stellar. But hands down the track that sticks out the most goes to the epic “I Love the Night.”

I would have liked to have seen a few more of my personal favorites make their way in here as well, including somewhat forgotten classic “Joan Crawford,” and the slightly more modern “See You in Black.” Still, there’s seventeen nearly flawless tracks found here, and very little to complain about.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars