The Moody Blues kicked off their U.S. tour on Thursday night with a sold out performance at Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall. Remaining original members Justin Hayward, John Lodge and Graeme Edge anchored the stage, with an extremely talented backing band there to fill in the missing parts. Included in the current touring band are keyboardist Paul Bliss, Julie Ragins on keyboards, guitar and backing vocals, second drummer Gordon Marshall and the energetic Norda Mullen on guitar, flute, harmonica, tambourine and backing vocals. As a band, they offered an entertaining performance, faithfully presenting the legendary Moody Blues sound for an appreciative audience.
As with nearly any band, the first night of a new tour can be a bit bumpy. Although the first few songs seemed to get off to a slow, tentative start, by the time they launched into "I Know You’re Out There Somewhere" the cobwebs were gone and the gears were starting to turn. Following with "The Story in Your Eyes", the audience was on its feet and really starting to get into the concert when, without a word, the band walked off stage and a 20-minute intermission was announced. This seemed a bit strange as it had only been approximately 50 minutes since the concert began.
The second set began with "Your Wildest Dreams", "Isn’t Life Strange" and "The Other Side of Life". Drummer Graeme Edge then took center stage to talk about the inspiration for his song "Higher and Higher", as well as to announce that he would soon be turning 69 years old. He remarked that it really didn’t bother him because 69 has always been his favorite number, which drew a round of applause from the audience. Continuing, he held up two fingers in the shape of a peace sign and said “In the sixties this meant peace, now it stands for Viagra. It doesn’t really matter that the drug of choice has changed because it’s still sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll.” The audience responded with a standing ovation. Rounding out the set with "I’m Just a Singer in a Rock ‘n Roll Band" and "Are You Sitting Comfortably", it was the bands signature tune, "Nights in White Satin", which drew the biggest reaction from the crowd, who offered a nearly 10 minute ovation.
While the intermission was a bit of a disappointment, overall The Moody Blues gave their audience exactly what they’d paid to experience and everyone I encountered enjoyed the show. Classic rock bands are often locked into playing only the hits which made them famous, unable to convince their fans that new music is a good thing. Although this might also be the case with The Moody Blues, their extensive catalog of hit songs seems to be enough to keep the band and their fans happy.
If you missed last night’s show, you might be in luck. The band's website lists a number of Florida dates scheduled for the coming weeks, including shows in Ft. Meyers, Orlando, Miami, Sarasota, Melbourne, St. Augustine and Jacksonville. It seems as though The Moody Blues might be working towards the title of “snowbird band”.
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All images (c) Jeff O'Kelley | 1 Image, 1000 Words
This article appears in Mar 3-9, 2010.
