Combining muscle, malevolence, sarcasm and sophistication, Blue Öyster Cult became one of the hottest live attractions of the 1970s … and beyond. Nearly 54 years after releasing their self-titled debut, Blue Öyster Cult plays Music in the Park at Plaza de Cesar Chavez on Sept. 19.

The Long Island rock band’s earliest years found them trying on a succession of names (The Stalk-Forrest Group, Oaxaca, Soft White Underbelly) before settling on the distinctive name. And the signature ümlaut—subsequently copied by Mötley Crüe, Motörhead, Queensrÿche, Hüsker Dü and even Spın̈al Tap—telegraphed a vaguely sinister undercurrent.

Yet for the band launched by guitarist Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser and Eric Bloom, gimmickry has always been secondary to the music. The band’s brand of rock leverages pro

See Full Page