Kansas, photo by Maria Younghans
As a native Californian, I have long been acquainted with the summer celebration that is the OC Fair. It has become a symbol of the season, with its deep fried delicacies and good old-fashioned carnival rides. In recent years, however, the fair has taken on a whole new meaning entirely: excellent music. The OC’s Pacific Amphitheatre has hosted some incredible musical acts, and last week was no exception as rock stars Blue Oyster Cult and Kansas played an unforgettable set under the full moon light.
Joe Benson from KLOS emceed the night’s festivities, thanking the crowd for “keeping rock and roll alive” and getting everyone amped up for the bands who, to be honest, needed no introduction.
Blue Oyster Cult took the stage first, with singer and guitarist Eric Bloom leading the charge. They played a collection of their greatest hits, such as “Burnin’ for You” and “Black Blade,” before taking a moment to thank the crowd for coming out. Bloom then settled down at the keys and introduced their next song, “Then Came The Last Days of May.”
“This song is about a bunch of guys,” he said nostalgically. “A bunch of guys heading out to get some… illegal substances – the kind you can get now with a certain prescription in California.”
The crowd laughed (and, evidently, took the opportunity to light up their own batches of “substance”) as the group began to play, but the laughter soon dissolved into awe as guitarists Richie Castellano and Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser took turns wowing the crowd with their musical prowess.
BOC seamlessly shifted into a performance of “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll.” This quickly became legendary bassist Rudy Sarzo’s opportunity to shine; while the rest of the band took a breather backstage, Sarzo paid tribute to his long and incredible career, playing songs by Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne, and more. Blue Oyster Cult finished off their set with a rousing performance of “Godzilla” and an encore of “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” which had JUST enough cowbell.
Kansas, photo by Maria Younghans
As night fully settled on the amphitheater, progressive rockers Kansas took the stage and greeted the crowd with incredible performances of “Magnum Opus” and “Point of Know Return” (my personal favorite Kansas track). Vocalist Steve Walsh, looking like Santa Claus cross-bread with a hippie, tackled the notorious high notes without any sign of struggle, and violinist David Ragsdale captured my attention with his incredible stage presence and unusual rock n roll instrument.
After those two incredible numbers, bassist Billy Greer greeted the crowd in the California way, with a loud “Cowabunga!” The band continued to play well into the evening (or as late as the city’s noise laws would allow), including hit songs such as “Hold On,” “Dust In The Wind,” “Icarus,” and many more. Nearly every song received a standing ovation, leaving me to wonder why anyone was sitting down at all.
As the night drew to a close, Kansas thanked the crowd for “coming out to support live music on a school night” (the latter part eliciting more than a few laughs), and finished their set with performances of “Fight Fire With Fire” and the infamous “Carry On Wayward Son.”
These two bands are rock n roll icons, and the evening’s concert proved beyond measure that rock n roll will never die.
