Blue Oyster Cult and Vanilla Fudge, two of the most well-established rock bands over the last half century, will be performing at Collingswood, New Jersey’s Scottish Rite Auditorium on Friday, November 6 at 8 pm.
Best known for their hits “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” “Godzilla” and “Burnin’ for You,” originated out of Long Island New York in the late 1960s under the name Soft White Underbelly. After settling on the name Blue Oyster Cult in 1971, the band’s self-titled album was released in 1972. The band reached platinum status with their fourth studio album ‘Agents of Fortune’ in 1976, which included “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.” The band and the song, which has become a classic rock staple, was famously parodied on Saturday Night Live’s “More cowbell” skit. To this day, Blue Oyster Cult has influenced many bands spanning several musical genres.
There’s not many bands Led Zeppelin opened up for, but Vanilla Fudge is one of them. When the rock legends were starting out in late 1968, they attracted the attention of the members of Vanilla Fudge, who lobbied for the band to replace the Jeff Beck Group, who pulled out of the tour. Vanilla Fudge believed in the band so strongly that they agreed to pay half of the fee for Led Zeppelin’s first show. In fact, drummer Carmine Appice has often mentioned how Led Zeppelin’s late drummer, John Bonham, asked Appice to contact Ludwig drums in hopes of him getting a drum endorsement.
As for the band itself, Vanilla Fudge has been performing together in various incarnations for the better part of the last 50 years. The band is perhaps best known for their rendition of “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” The band currently has three of the four original members: Appice, Mark Stein and Vince Martell (bassist Tom Bogert has retired from touring). Vanilla Fudge was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006. Other notable inductees include Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Billy Joel and Joan Jett.
Tickets for Blue Oyster Cult with special guests Vanilla Fudge go on sale Thursday, June 18 at 10 am.
You can purchase tickets here.
By Joe Vallee
