I know what you’re thinking. BÖC, Mark Farner, AND The Fabulous Thunderbirds? That reads like a World Series of Rock lineup circa 1979. Indeed it does. The show was part of Orland Park’s (located 40 minutes south of Chicago) annual summer concert series. For the low, low price of $40, I and about 1,500 others were treated to full 90 minute sets from each of these legendary bands. You read that correctly. FULL sets. If we do the math, that’s roughly $13.33 per band. Not shabby at all considering any one of these acts alone can charge $40 or more at a casino or similar venue. Anyways, enough of the preamble. Let’s get to the meat and potatoes!
The Fabulous Thunderbirds
The day began with a scorching hot set from The Fabulous Thunderbirds, figuratively and literally. When they took the stage, it was 4:30 PM and the sun was absolutely merciless. Being decked out in jeans and battlejacket with no sunscreen, I was a sitting duck. Lucky for me, the brand of blues n’ boogie that the T-Birds specialize in just happened to be perfect for this ice cream melting weather. I must admit that prior to this show, I was only familiar with their two biggest hits, “Tuff Enuff” and “Wrap It Up”. What ensued was a 90 minutes lesson in Texas rock n’ roll. Their setlist was comprised of hits, traditional covers (their take on Larry Williams’ “Slow Down” was a highlight), and lengthy harmonica centric jams. However, the difference between they and the seemingly endless crop of jam bands in existence is that they know how to actually play their instruments. These dudes were locked in from beginning to end, serving as the perfect opener to this shindig.
Mark Farner
Mark Farner has long been a friend of this webzine. His set at the Arcada Theatre in January of last year was our very first concert review/photo assignment. Fast forward a year later and we got to sit down with him to discuss his latest release, From Chile with Love. If Farner’s set this past Saturday proved anything, it’s that he hasn’t changed much at all in the year and a half since we last saw him in the flesh. If anything, his appetite for rock n’ roll has only grown stronger. At 72 years old, Farner still struts across the stage like the 22 year old that sold out Shea Stadium faster than The Beatles. His voice remains untouched by time and he can still wail on that ol’ six string harder than ever, as evidenced by the set’s inclusion of proto-metal skull smashers “Paranoid” and “Sin’s a Good Man’s Brother”. When Farner isn’t bringing that primitive heaviness, he’s getting the crowd moving with his signature “Rock ‘N Roll Soul”. The crowd grooved to the likes of “Footstompin’ Music”, “Shinin’ On”, and “The Loco-Motion” before all joining together on the closing singalong, “I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home)”. For all purposes, Farner’s set could’ve been the grand finale to these festivities, but there was still more in store.
Setlist
- “Are You Ready”
- “Aimless Lady”
- “Rock ‘N Roll Soul”
- “We’re an American Band”
- “Footstompin’ Music”
- “Bad Time”
- “Shinin’ On”
- “Paranoid”
- “Mean Mistreater”
- “Sin’s a Good Man’s Brother”
- “The Loco-Motion” (Little Eva cover)
- “Ohio” (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cover)
- “Some Kind of Wonderful” (Soul Brothers Six cover)
- “I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home)”
Blue Öyster Cult
A half moon shone upon a pitch black sky. A crisp, ominous wind filled the air. The stage was lit dim blue. It was time for the band who nearly half a century ago was branded “the American Black Sabbath” to unleash arcane hellfire upon these unsuspecting suburbanites. And boy did they do so. Blue Öyster Cult’s headlining set was a clinic in why they are one of the greatest metal bands of all time. That’s right nerds: metal, not hard rock. When they want to, they can be as heavy and unrelenting as Sabbath or any of their peers (“Godzilla”, “The Red & the Black”, “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll”). But their secret ability is to counter that early metallic attack with pieces that are sublime and thought provoking (“Harvest Moon”, “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper”). It was the utilization of atmosphere before “atmospheric metal” was even a thing. Over the course of 90 minutes, BÖC touched on all these elements of their storied past, while forging into the future with “That Was Me” and “Box in My Head”, both taken off their critically acclaimed latest album, The Symbol Remains.
During “Buck’s Boogie”, the band paid tribute to fallen ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill with a rendition of “La Grange”. As the old saying goes, real recognizes real. Rock and metal music would not be where they are today if it weren’t for the advances these bands made in the 70s. The icing on the cake was an impressive stage production that included mood inducing lights, blinding strobes, and enough smoke to mask the scattered clouds of cannabis throughout the crowd (Good job boys!). I’m not saying at least one sorry soul was zapped by a strobe Stoned Age style during “Reaper”, but…at least one sorry soul was zapped by a strobe Stoned Age style during “Reaper”. What can I say man? That’s metal!
Setlist
- “The Red & the Black”
- “Before the Kiss, a Redcap”
- “That Was Me”
- “Golden Age of Leather”
- “Burnin’ for You”
- “Harvest Moon”
- “E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)”
- “Box in My Head”
- “Buck’s Boogie”
- “Then Came the Last Days of May”
- “ME 262”
- “Godzilla”
- “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper”
Encore
- “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll”