Blue Oyster Cult rocks boomers, families at Bangor Auditorium

Who says there’s nothing for families to do together anymore?

It was a real family affair Thursday night as fathers and mothers, sons and daughters all gathered at the Bangor Auditorium for a little ’70s hard rock, as Blue Oyster Cult came to town. And if you can’t bond over an extended version of “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” what can strengthen family unity?

As expected, much of the audience of 1,500 were boomers hoping to step out of their minivans and back into the dazed and confused days of their youth, when they listened to the Cult blasting from their tinny stereos. Many brought their offspring along. The elders may not understand Tool or OutKast, but everyone appreciates a powerful Buck Dharma solo, right?

There was also a surprising number of teens and young adults there as well, perhaps trying to discover what inspires many of today’s bands.

The evening had that mid-’70s basement feel to it. There was the wall of sound, not always clearly distinguishable, from the band. There was the sweet smell of nostalgia. There was even the pungent odor of a little reefer being toked.

The five-member band played selections from throughout BOC’s 30-plus-year career in its one-hour, 40-minute set, from “Then Came the Last Days of May” off its 1972 debut album to “Showtime” off last year’s “The Cult of the Hidden Mirrors.” They kept most of the audience members from the floor seats on their feet throughout the concert, clapping and dancing.

The evening was an air guitarist’s dream, with frequent and extended solos from the talented Buck Dharma, mostly notably on the instrumental “Buck’s Boogie” and as part of a guitar duel with Allen Lanier on “Then Came the Last Days of May.”

But everyone got their time in the spotlight. Dharma split vocal duties with Eric Bloom. Both drummer Bobby Rondinelli and bassist Danny Miranda got the crowd clapping and yelling during their extended solos in the middle of “Godzilla.”

Still it took “Reaper” to bring out the lighters, as the song most identified with the group closed the opening set (BOC came back for a brief encore). It was a tune that everyone knew by heart, based on the audience’s singing along that seeped through Dharma’s guitar.

Opening the evening was the Waterville-based sextet Between the Lines. The band offered up a mix of their own originals and familiar covers, powered by the vocals of Steve Luce and Tammy Andreares and the skillful guitar work by Luce.

Next up was the Blue Hill quartet The Reach. Guitarists-vocalists Schooner Rhodes and Geoff Neal, bassist Isaac Robbins and drummer Ted Yoder offered up an intriguing and spirited set, including such standouts as “Bubble Song,” “Plebula” and “Gracie’s Song.”