BLUE ÖYSTER CULT's ERIC BLOOM To Miss Shows After Undergoing 'Non-Life-Threatening' Surgery

BLUE ÖYSTER CULT singer Eric Bloom will miss some of the band's upcoming shows after undergoing an unspecified "non-life-threatening" surgery.

The 81-year-old musician broke the news of his absence in a social media post on Wednesday (May 13). He wrote: "During BÖC's time off I scheduled a non-life threatening surgical procedure. I am on the mend, but the recovery is taking a little longer than expected. Kasim Sulton will be standing in for me for a few shows and knock it out of the park!"

BLUE ÖYSTER CULT's most recent concert took place on February 26 aboard the Rock Legends Cruise.

The band is scheduled to play its next gig on May 16 in Oroville, California, with additional dates on the itinerary through the summer and fall.

Sulton, best known for his work with UTOPIA, previously served as BLUE ÖYSTER CULT's bassist and backing singer from 2012 to 2017.

In addition to BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, Sulton has worked with Meat Loaf, HALL & OATES, CHEAP TRICK, Patty Smyth, Akiko Yano, Richie Sambora, Todd Rundgren and others.

Sulton sang lead on 1980s "Set Me Free", UTOPIA's only top 40 hit in the United States. As a solo artist, Sulton hit the Canadian top 40 in 1982 with "Don't Break My Heart".

Sulton has been a frequent collaborator, bassist and singer on many of Rundgren's projects and solo tours and is expected to join Todd's band for his upcoming "Damned If I Do" tour, which is scheduled to kick off on June 11 in St. Charles, Illinois.

BÖC 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 contains three stone‐cold classic songs that will waft through the cosmos long after the sun has burned out: the truly haunting "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" from 1976's "Agents Of Fortune", the pummeling "Godzilla" from 1977's "Spectres" and the hypnotically melodic "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".