The Concert
Captured from their Navy Pier performance in Chicago on June 21, 2002, this American band is still rocking after more than 30 years. "A Long Day's Night", a title inspired by the summer solstice, is their first live release in more than 20 years.

Formed in 1967 with Eric Bloom (vocals, guitar, synthesizer); Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (vocals, guitar); Joe Bouchard (vocals, keyboards, bass); Albert Bouchard (vocals, drums) and Alan Lanier (guitar, keyboards), this Long Island-based band debuted on Columbia A&R in 1972 and released their first hit in 1973. "The Red and the Black" off their "Tyranny & Mutation" album of that year, showcased a mix of psychedelic and heavy metal sound, streamlined by the efforts of the production team of Murray Krugman and Sandy Pearlman, the root of things to come. Assisted with lyrics from R. Meltzer and Patti Smith, they went on to influence other heavy hitters such as Metallica, Megadeth and Guns N' Roses.

On this DVD, they are showing little sign of what years of vocal torture can bring as they clip off classics such as "Burning for You," "Last Days of May," "Godzilla," and "Don't Fear the Reaper. Even though the vocals are weak in parts, largely do to poor mixing in many of the sections, the instrumentation is excellent with Buck's and Lanier's fingers working their magic as in days of old.

Songs performed are: Stairway to the Stars, Burning for You, OD'd on Life Itself, E.T.I., Dance on Stilts, Harvester of Eyes, Buck's Boogie, Quicklime Girl, Flaming Telepaths, Harvest Moon, Last Days of May, Cities on Flame, M.E. 262, Perfect Water, Lips in the Hills, Godzilla, Don't Fear the Reaper, Dominance and Submission, The Red and the Black.

DVD
Anamorphic 1.85:1, Region 1, 120 minutes.

Video
Clear and sharp on the close-ups, the wide shots are often in low light and grainy on the edges, something the gaffer may want to revisit in future projects. The dolly operation by the key-grip was a bit shaky too. Overall, the presentation was acceptable.

Audio
English (DTS).
English (Dolby Digital 5.1) default.
English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo).

Whoever did the mix should be shot. Large portions of the performance have Alan and Buck's voices and keyboard so far in the background you can barely pull them out, while Eric's is way too high. Too bad, as the good sections really have you wishing the whole DVD was that way. At times, when the mix is correct,, you will be amazed by the instrumentation mastery these guys possess.

Menus
Static.
Nothing special here other than the same progression of tinny notes after each selection which can soon become annoying.

Extras
Band Interviews - about 15 minutes of interviews with the band members which is only slightly interesting.

Fan interviews - less that 10 minutes of mostly fried fans strumming the air in their own performances that was slightly amusing at times.

Behind-the-scenes footage - about 10 minutes including rehearsal of "The Vigil" which is again quite tinny and of limited value.

Final Thoughts
Not great, but overall a good performance and representation of their entire career. The performance is where it's at and not the extras. For die-hard Blue Oyster Cult fans that enjoy the raw energy of the group rather than the top-40 80's stuff they did as well, then this is it.. get it. If you have never experienced this group who have carved their spot in history, I suggest you see them live to hear all that they are capable of.