Concert Review: The Moody Blues at the Centennial Concert Hall

There's a certain feeling at a Moody Blues concert that can't quite be experienced with any other band. Some might say it's a hippie peace & love vibe, or perhaps a 60's psychedelic trip, or simply a laidback groove, but any of those descriptions would be inadequate. The Moody Blues music is far more than mere nostalgia or laid back head music. The songs, and the arrangements have a vitality and emotional significance that seem to transcend period, place or time.

A big part of that atmosphere resides in what the fans bring; the other is what the band brings. It was like the meeting of old friends in happier times.

The Centennial Concert was the perfect venue for the band. It provided excellent acoustics, with an intimacy and ambience important to the Moodies' performance that was lacking in their last appearance back in July 2007.

The fans certainly brought a lot of love and enthusiasm; the capacity crowd was on their feet giving the band a standing ovation from the moment they walked onstage. That pretty much became the pattern for almost every song.

The Moody Blues opened with their 2^nd single off of 1981's Long Distance Voyage, the Justin Hayward penned, The Voice.

"The Voice" in this case belongs to principal lead singer/songwriter/lead guitarist Justin Hayward. Hayward's vocals have an ethereal quality and rank among the most distinctive in the genre. His remarkable contributions to the band along with fellow Moody, bassist/songwriter/vocalist John Lodge, have become the hallmark of the Moodies' sound since their arrival in 1966.

The core of the band since flutist Ray Thomas departed in 2002 remains the trio of Justin Hayward lead vocals/lead guitar, John Lodge vocals/bass guitar and founding member Graeme Edge on drums.

But the band has found an excellent replacement for Thomas in Norda Mullen on flute/acoustic guitar/harmony vocals/harmonica and percussion. She's a superb classically trained musician and a wonderful visual performer as well - a delight to watch!

Gordon Marshall adds extra sock on drums and percussion while Paul Bliss and Julie Ragins provide intricate layering on keyboards, acoustic guitar, harmony vocals and synth.

The band interspersed popular tracks such as 1967's Days of Future Past hit Tuesday Afternoon, superbly sung by Justin Hayward, to lesser known tracks such as John Lodge's 1991 Keys of the Kingdom track Lean on Me.

The Moody Blues pack a suitcase full of interesting visuals, including fog, wild lighting effects, and a large visual screen which displays psychedelic images and period era collages of the band.

Putting together a Moody Blues set is not a simple task. Though they've scored many hit singles from the mid-sixties into the late eighties (selling in excess of 50 million albums worldwide and awarded 14 platinum and gold discs) they were primarily known for their concept albums , most notably 1967's seminal Days of Future Passed.

Some fans (myself included), would be overjoyed to listen to the band perform any of their classic albums in their entirety. But though there was a lot of grey hair in the audience, the Moodies have a wide fanbase. Many who came onboard during the late eighties, listening to songs such as their 1988 Sur La Mer hit I Know You're Out There Somewhere, weren't even born when the Moody Blues recorded Days of Future Passed let alone 1965's Magnificent Moodies.

The band wisely mixes it up. Although they slid in the occasional lesser known songs such as Hayward's Driftwood, and fine album cuts such as 1972's Seventh Sojourn's " Isn't Life Strange" they relied primarily on tried and true classics.

Crowd favourites were Lodge's 1978 hit Steppin' in a Slide Zone, Graeme Edge's entertaining spin at the mike on the opening track from 1969's To Our Children's Children " Higher and Higher", as well as 2 of Hayward's hits from 1986's The Other Side of Life - Wildest Dreams and the title track.

But the band saved the best for the home stretch, beginning with Lodge's Seventh Sojourn hit I'm Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band followed by Hayward's exquisite Days of Future Passed hit ballad Nights in White Satin.

Justin Hayward then exchanged his electric Gibson ES 335 for his 12 string acoustic and ended the initial set with the dynamic 1970 Question of Balance hit - Question.

After an extended well deserved encore, the Moodies returned. John Lodge thanked the fans for "keeping the faith," and the group launched into their final number - the 1968 In Search of a Lost Chord hit Ride My See Saw.

What a ride it was! Magnificent!

R L Rheubottom