Rock Legends Blue Öyster Cult to Perform at Chevy Court at The Great New York State Fair

Heavy metal masters Blue Öyster Cult will rock the Chevy Court stage at The Great New York State Fair on Tuesday, August 27 at 6:00 pm. This will be the band’s fourth appearance at The Fair and the first since 2017.

For five decades, Blue Öyster Cult has been thrilling fans of intelligent hard rock worldwide with powerful albums loaded with classic songs. The band continues to be revered within the hard rock and heavy metal scene for its pioneering work as 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, and 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 songs that no doubt go down in history as stone-cold classics: the haunting "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" from 1976's Agents of Fortune, the pummeling "Godzilla" from 1977's Spectres and the hypnotic  "Burnin' for You" from 1981'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." BÖC's next studio album GHOST STORIES will be released on April 12, 2024.

The intense 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.

BÖC has always maintained a relentless touring schedule and an album of new material THE SYMBOL REMAINS was released October 9, 2020, to rave reviews.

“We’re so excited to have Blue Öyster Cult back at The Great New York State Fair,” said Interim Director Julie LaFave. “These rockers are true legends in heavy metal music and, as native New Yorkers themselves, are a perfect addition to our diverse Fair concert lineup, which truly captures all that our state is about.”

The Fair starts Wednesday, August 21, and runs through Labor Day, Monday, September 2. All concerts are included in the price of admission, which will go on sale later this summer. The Great New York State Fair is the most affordable state fair in the country.

In total, The Fair’s Chevrolet Music Series will feature 39 national recording acts. There will be a daily 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. concert at Chevy Court (located near Gate 1), and a daily 8 p.m. concert at Suburban Park (located on the western end of the Fairgrounds, beyond the Midway).

All concerts announced thus far are provided in the charts below. Fair staff will continue to update schedules on the Fair’s website at pages dedicated to Chevy Court and Suburban Park.

Chevy Court:

Suburban Park:

Founded in 1841, the Great New York State Fair showcases the best of New York agriculture, provides top-quality entertainment, and is a key piece of the state’s CNY Rising strategy of growing the Central New York economy through tourism. It is the oldest fair in the United States and is consistently recognized as being among the top five state fairs in the nation.

The New York State Fairgrounds is a 375-acre exhibit and entertainment complex that operates all year. Audiences are encouraged to learn more about the Great New York State Fair online, browse photos on Flickr, and follow the fun on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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