Former Blue Öyster Cult musician rocks Iraq

KENT — As a founding member of the rock band Blue Öyster Cult, bass player Joe Bouchard toured the world, filling auditoriums with the sound of hit songs like “Don’t Fear The Reaper� and “Burning for You.�

But he never played in a war zone — at least not until this summer.

Blue Öyster Cult formed in 1967, and had its heyday in the late 1970s — after the end of the Vietnam War.

So it wasn’t until late June of this year that Bouchard (who now lives in Kent) flew overseas to entertain American troops stationed abroad.

“I got an e-mail in late March from Larry Hoppen [lead singer of the band Orleans],� Bouchard said. “He asked me if I would like to entertain the troops overseas in Iraq.

“I jumped at the chance. I’d never done anything like that.�

The all-star tour band included singers Alex Ligerwood of Santana, Skip Martin of Kool and the Gang and Jimi Jamison of Survivor.

“I had no idea what I was getting into,� Bouchard says of the trip. “I knew we would be playing in designated war zones. I also knew it was going to be hot, but I didn’t know how hot.�

On every day of the eight-day tour, temperatures were in the 120-degree range.

“Sometimes it would get kind of cool, around 110 degrees,â€� he said. “But the other thing was, I had to wear 40 pounds  of body armor when I was onstage.â€�

“Onstage� was a loose concept at many stops on the tour.

“Some military bases would have a stage for us,�Bouchard said. “At other times, we would play on a flatbed truck.�

The band played at several  bases including Camp Delta in Southern Iraq and Camp Liberty in Baghdad. They also performed in Kuwait.

“For security reasons no one announced where we were going until the day before,� he said. “The promoter told us that, no matter how uncomfortable it was for us, and no matter how bad it seemed, the soldiers have to live in this place for at least a year, which put things in perspective for us.�

The response made the effort worth the struggle. “They were all so thrilled to have a little diversion.�

Many of the songs the band played became hits when these soldiers were just children — or even before they were born. But quite a few of them are classics,  as popular today as they were back then.

“We played ‘Black Magic Woman,’ ‘Celebration,’ ‘Eye of the Tiger’ among others,�Bouchard said. “When I played ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper,’ there is a tradition where we have someone play cowbell onstage. We had a different soldier every single night play the cowbell on stage, which really got the audience going.�

Bouchard said it was gratifying and enjoyable to make the soldiers happy and to bring some normalcy into their lives, even if it was just for a couple of hours.

“One soldier came up to me after a show and told me that the concert made such a change in his attitude,� he said. “He told me that he didn’t think he could finish his deployment. But after we performed he told me that he could. That is such a huge compliment.�

Bouchard said he would love to perform for the troops in Iraq again, despite the danger and the rigors of the tour.

However, don’t expect him to rejoin Blue Öyster Cult anytime soon, or ever.

“I think we missed our time for that,� he said. “I think the guys who own the franchise are all about to retire. There was an opportunity in 2008 that never materialized.

“I’m having a great time being out on my own, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.�

Bouchard has been playing local concerts lately, including many with his new band, TreeTop. Upcoming is a benefit for the Salisbury Winter Sports Association at the Wake Robin Inn in Lakeville on Saturday, Aug. 7, at 8 p.m.

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