Moody Blues 2017 Reunion Tour

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Om, Oct 12, 2015.

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  1. Big Pasi

    Big Pasi Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vaasa, Finland
    From facebook:

    "The Moody Blues to Embark on Historic "Days of Future Passed - 50th Anniversary Tour"

    The Moody Blues will launch a special live tour celebrating the 50th Anniversary of their iconic, landmark album, DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED, which was originally released in 1967. The band will reflect back on five decades of some of the most well beloved music in pop culture history this summer, when they perform live onstage, for the first-time ever, their epic album that marked the first time a rock band had fused their sound with a symphony orchestra. The tour, titled DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED – 50TH ANNIVERSARY, will bring the live excitement of seeing the band perform their greatest hits in the first half, and then finish with DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED performed in the second half. Two tour dates have been announced with more to follow.

    VIP Packages on sale today, February 14th at 10am local time for the following shows:

    06/20/17 - Fiddler's Green in Englewood, CO
    06/27/17 - Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, MN

    More dates to be announced soon!"
     
  2. AppleCorp3

    AppleCorp3 Forum Resident

    No mention of additional members for this tour :(
     
  3. marblesmike

    marblesmike Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    I wonder who will be in the lineup?
     
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  4. thebeatles67

    thebeatles67 Forum Resident In Memoriam

    I saw mentioned this morning of a "special" show in LA in 2017--wonder if this is when Mike and Ray will perform? No more info was given.
     
  5. Dylancat

    Dylancat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cincinnati, OH
    The announcement seems to indicate that "Days" will be played in its entirety.
    Curious to see how the Pinder and Thomas tracks are rendered.
    If Pinder/Thomas do not participate, it appears likely Hayward will tackle these songs, or perhaps split duty with Lodge.
    Or perhaps their songs are skipped? Not likely as it advertised as the entire album is to be performed.
    Hayward on "Dawn"and "twilight time", Lodge on "Sunset"and "Another Morning"?
    I do not think "Dawn" or "Evening Time to Get Away" have ever been performed live before.
     
  6. zen

    zen Senior Member

    I predict no Pinder or Thomas...and they'll finish the show with "Ride My See-Saw."
     
  7. Dylancat

    Dylancat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cincinnati, OH
    Yes, don't think they will participate.
    Or
    (Imagine a remote feed direct from Thomas or Pinder's living room for them to sing their songs as audience watches them on a big screen.....naw, I don't think so.)
     
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  8. thebeatles67

    thebeatles67 Forum Resident In Memoriam

    "Stay tuned for more dates to be announced soon including a special concert in Los Angeles!"
     
  9. Billo

    Billo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern England
    The most likely scenario IF they want to do a 'proper' live concert performance of DOFP would be (Ray Thomas' health permitting of course) for Mike and Ray to be their 'special guests' at the big show

    - Ray could sit, play flute (backed up by Norda Mullen on flute) wave a cheery tambourine and hopefully sing his songs (in harmony with Justin, John, and Mike if neccessary)

    Mike needs only to sing the bridge lines on 'Dawn' plus 'Sun Set' and maybe 'A Simple Game', 'Melancholy Man' and/or 'Have You Heard' if they do some classic hits too and play keyboards along with Alan Hewitt, Mike featuring some classic 'Pinder mellotron' playing...

    they would probably do a two part show - part one is the current Moodies doing latter era fav songs and hits etc - then for part two Ray and Mike join them for a 'one off' performance of DOFP plus 'classic' fav core seven songs

    this show filmed for blu ray/DVD/CD release

    then Ray and Mike's song performances of their DOFP songs could be shown on backdrop film for subsequent tour shows by the current band so neither Ray or Mike need to tour (Ray's health would not be up to it anyway, and Mike left in 1978 as touring was not anything he was up for doing anymore)

    If say The Bee Gees could have their late brother Andy 'guest' with them for a song in the 'One Night Only' show and Elvis do 'virtual' concerts then with today's technology Ray and Mike could make just a one off guest appearance which was recorded and they could then be included in the DOFP tour for others to see without either having to actually go on any tour with the band

    seems the best solution to me if possible and all are agreeable - just having Justin and John singing the Pinder and Thomas songs would NOT be a true 'live' DOFP performance - and Graeme Edge has said that doing DOFP without them wasn't feasible anyway...
     
  10. Pennywise

    Pennywise Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Sewers
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  11. BadJack

    BadJack doorman who always high-fives children of divorce

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    Bump for the question mark, with maybe an added, "No."
     
  12. Om

    Om Make Your Own Kind Of Music Thread Starter

    Location:
    Boston, USA
    Good idea, I concur and can't change it.
     
  13. Dylancat

    Dylancat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cincinnati, OH
    That's the best scenario. But I think they would have announced by now if they will appear (ticket sales), and that there are several venues, it's unlikely they would commit to other shows.
     
  14. Big Pasi

    Big Pasi Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vaasa, Finland
  15. Fred68

    Fred68 Loves Music

    Location:
    USA
    The Moodies' web page says that their LA and two Toronto dates are with an orchestra. That gives them three shows from which to cull the best performances for the blu-ray and CD, I guess.

    If Mike guests at any of the shows, it will most likely be LA. Ray apparently cannot fly for longer than two hours, so any appearance by him would have to be via satellite, or taped.

    ticket info here: Ticket Presales Begin Tomorrow + Save 20% Through End of Today!
     
  16. Dylancat

    Dylancat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cincinnati, OH
    Yes, LA seems most likely for a Pinder appearance. He's offered to do appearances before. Here's hoping, but I still think unlikely.
     
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  17. melstapler

    melstapler Reissue Activist

    This will be incredible. The Moody Blues are such a sophisticated band. I've seen the usual touring lineup perform at the casino and was very impressed. Can't wait!
     
  18. Tim Wilson

    Tim Wilson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kaneohe, Oahu, HI
    Okay, so last night (June 3) was the kickoff of their Days of Future Passed tour, and I was there at Agua Caliente Resort & Casino in Rancho Mirage, CA. I'm by no means a Moodies expert, but I've enjoyed their music since the late 60s, and I have the first 7 records, the BBC sessions, This Is The Moody Blues, War of the Worlds, Blue Jays...but this was somehow my first time to get around to seeing them. Here's the setlist: The Moody Blues Setlist at The Show at Agua Caliente Casino, Rancho Mirage

    I should note that I'm in my late 50s, and here's by how far I was the youngest guy there: when I got to my seat there was a dude with a cane, maybe in his 80s, who'd stopped to take a breather on the way to his seat 10 rows in front of mine, while his companion went to get him something to drink. I was happy to wait....but srsly, even by desert community standards, this crowd was old.

    On one hand, I was blown away by their energy. They opened with "I'm Just A Singer in A Rock and Roll Band", with the ferocity of a closing number. I mean, they were hittin' it hard. As you can see from the photo below, it's the same band they've had on the road with them the last couple of years, some of whom have been with them for over a decade. They were well-rehearsed, and razor sharp. From some of the kvetching here and on other threads, I was prepared for the worst, but hey, it was what it was, and it was fun.

    My casual observation is that even for the folks in their 50s and 60s, this crowd was heavily weighted toward 80s fans. I'm guessing that this has been the case for a while? I've always assumed that they were like Genesis that way -- lots of critical acclaim and attachment by geezers in the 70s, but blew up commercially with a poppier sound in the 80s with some folks not feeling particular attachment to earlier material, glued together by a healthy smattering of folks who like both...

    ...but by far far FAR the biggest reaction was for "I Know You're Out There Somewhere" (1988), with "Say It With Love" not far behind, and that one's from the 90s! I go to concerts for the tribal aspect as much as anything else, and I have to say that the crowd easily carried me along. They were totally into these tracks, singing every word. And not that they weren't into the older stuff too! Huge reaction to "Isn't Life Strange" and the Days of Future Passed stuff was incredibly warmly received.

    The photo of the set below isn't the most dramatic or anything, but it happens to be one of the few I got with my phone that's worthwhile (they search you for cameras in this place, so phones was it), and it illustrates the source of my discomfort with that part of the proceedings. The orchestral stuff was just played off tape, and most of what showed on the screen was generic stock media -- nature timelapse, city aerials, stuff like that. Very, very disappointing.


    [​IMG]


    What was downright weird, though, was the actor Jeremy Irons appearing floating in space to perform the poetry. I say "perform" because he was coming off like a cross between Boris Karloff reading The Grinch and John Lithgow as Master Thespian. That's just wrong. The performance on the record is canonical as far as I'm concerned.

    But it was just weird. Here is saying "Cold hearted orb...." in front of, you guessed it, the cold-hearted orb...except that the moon is so big and literal that it doesn't look AT ALL like a cold hearted orb. In fact, in the room, it looked kind of like The Death Star from Star Wars, which gave his Master Thespian reading a weirdly sinister flavor.

    [​IMG]

    And his head kept bouncing around the frame! It would start in one part of the frame for a few lines, then POP! to the other side of the frame, then POP! to the middle, for no reason at all -- and the chroma key around his hair was poorly done. In a way, this has nothing to do with anything, but in another way, this was clearly supposed to be the climax of this part of the show, and it was just....weird.

    Look! There he is again! POP! In a different part of the frame, AGAIN, at a different size, for NO REASON.


    [​IMG]

    Sigh.

    The first two orchestral selections, ie, the beginning of the album, weren't too too distracting, since nobody was on stage. We were just watching the stock video and listening to a tape, until Jeremy Irons showed up to creep us out during Morning Glory. But the musicians just kind of stood around on stage during orchestral breaks later in the show. This will of course make a little more sense when there's an orchestra, but this part of the proceedings seemed truly half baked -- and it was supposedly what we were there to celebrate!

    When they played the actual songs, though, it was amazing. I know that they've played "Peak Hour" a lot over the years, and they slayed it, but I also adored "(Evening) Time To Get Away". One of my favorite 2 or 3 songs of the night, and from what I understand, its live debut. Definitely a highlight in any case.

    And frankly, they stuck the landings they really needed to. Yeah, they ended with "Question" and "Ride My See-Saw", and both were terrific. Folks looking for the hits and only the hits would have been happy enough....but I was left with the feeling that I'd traded off them dropping "Gypsy" (I understand that some of you were long ready for it to be dropped from the set, but it's still a favorite of mine) in exchange for hearing some tapes and watching some stock video clips.

    I'm glad I went, but I don't know how strongly I'd recommend it, or to whom. An orchestra show (ie, Hollywood Bowl), sure, that's a no-brainer. Who knows? Pinder might show up, but I'd bet against it. I just don't get the feeling that they feel that there's anything missing from their presentation. Certainly if you've seen them recently-ish and enjoyed them, go for it. Justin's voice in particular is wonderful, and the whole band sounds great. (Plus whatever Graeme is doing, god bless him.)

    I certainly don't mean to sound condescending to them or their fans. The FANS there were clearly satisfied, and I as someone who really only knows their pre-74 stuff plus 3 or 4 80s hits had a good time for a show that was easy to get to. Not sure how far out of your way I'd recommend anyone going otherwise, though.

    I guess you can look at this last shot (from "Ride My See Saw") and decide. If you think "Hey, that looks fun!" you'll have fun. If you think, "Oh god, please no" then, uhm, no. :laugh:

    [​IMG]
     
  19. Glenn Christense

    Glenn Christense Foremost Beatles expert... on my block

    Thanks for the review .
    Is Graeme mainly cheerleading these days or is he actually playing drums in a committed way most of the songs ?
     
  20. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Nice description, thanks...

    Doesn't sound like a must-see sort of thing, sadly--unless you consider all Moody Blues concerts must-see, of course. Sort of the standard Moody Blues of the past many years, with the bonus of DoFP played in its entirety. But same band. Oh, and with added video weirdness.
     
  21. MikeVielhaber

    MikeVielhaber Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    Who sang the Mike and Ray songs?
     
  22. tonyc

    tonyc Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    I think the answer to that is pretty obvious.
     
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  23. Glenn Christense

    Glenn Christense Foremost Beatles expert... on my block

    Obvious or not, I'd like to get more input from Tim, who actually attended a show literally just a day ago. For instance, I'd like to know if Graeme is actually behind the drum kit most of the time even though there is a second drummer, or if he's down to standing up front shaking a tambourine or something?
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2017
  24. Tim Wilson

    Tim Wilson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kaneohe, Oahu, HI
    Oops! Sorry about that, fellas! Life intervened. :laugh: AND I embedded pics in my previous post from my Dropbox, forgetting that they won't show to anyone not logged in...so here we go again.

    Nights In White Satin....in front of stock footage of stars.

    [​IMG]

    Jeremy Irons in front of the "cold-hearted orb" Death Star:

    [​IMG]

    And popping to another part of the screen for no apparent reason:

    [​IMG]

    And then this final one during "Ride My See-Saw". It struck me as kind of a Rorschach test in that the people around me were 10000% into it, and the whole room was jumping...but I live in an area with a LOT of casinos, so I see a lot of casino shows...and this was the first time I thought, wow, I'm in a casino. :laugh: Again, I had a great time, but your mileage may vary.

    [​IMG]

    NOW THEN, on to the questions:

    Graeme spent the whole night behind the kit. I've heard other folks referring to him air-drumming? I dunno. I was close enough that I THOUGHT I heard his drums unamplified, which was likely not the case for the drums in the plastic booth, right? (And in typical casino style, there were a couple of small Marshalls on stage, but most of the speakers were overhead. It's a short in length but high room, with 4 balconies, and I thought I heard Graeme's drums coming from straight in front of me, unlike, say, the keyboards, which were clearly coming from above me.) Like I said, I'm not an expert on these guys by any means, and I'm happily corrected, but that's how it looked and sounded to me.

    btw, very few words spoken during the night, including no acknowledgements of the whole Days of Future Passed thing, no band intros, etc. Just a couple of song intros, and Justin asking us to sing the line, "I'm looking for a miracle in my life", which I loved. :laugh:

    Well, given the caveat that anything orchestral was on tape. That included not only the two opening pieces, but the opening sections of songs like "Evening", where they just stood around. Is that typical of Moodies shows? Overall, I was really struck by how little difference it made to the setlist from last fall.

    That said, I certainly encourage anyone who can get to one of the full orchestra shows to go for it, though! I bet that'll be a lot of fun. The Hollywood Bowl is also doing fireworks.

    And again not to cast any shade on the band or the folks who are happy to see them doing these songs. The band was all the way on top of their game, for sure.

    Also, the Palm Springs paper ran a very nice interview with John Lodge before the show, which talked about his fondness for the desert, stretching back to his first visit to the area on their first US tour, as well as the origins of the Mellotron....
     
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2017
  25. Billo

    Billo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern England
    Did they perform 'The Sun Set' and 'Twilight Time' in the DOFP performance...?

    The Moodies of course go back a very long way - they were on The Beatles final UK tour - hence Denny Laine knowing Paul etc while Mike Pinder apparently introduced John Lennon to the mellotron (Pinder was on Lennon's 'I Don't Want To Be A Soldier' on 'Imagine')

    The Moodies were a 'sixties' band in both 'original' 1964-66 incarnation then when Justin Hayward & John Lodge came in in the autumn of 1966 and the 'classic' Moodies were born

    after recording DOFP for Decca's budget stereo DSS series (Albums selling at under a UK pound originally !) in late 1967 their main heyday being from 1968-74 when they were really massive worldwide selling out Madison Square Garden doing the Fillmore and a world tour that ended in 1974 - while DOFP shot back up the album charts again in 1972

    BBC's 'Radio One' did a 'Moody Blues Story' radio programme - something only the very top bands such as Beatles, Stones, etc normally back then had the honor of...

    they had a surprise 're-birth' in 1978 slicing through punk effortlessly with the big selling 'Octave' and a UK hit compilation 'Out of This World' before Pinder retired and ex-Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz came in - then presented to the public very much as the 'Fifth Moodie' whatever they now try to claim !

    a USA chart topping album 'Long Distance Voyager' in 1981 and later the synth popppish sounding album 'The Other Side of Life' (1986) scored strongly worldwide while far more 'radio friendly' singles mostly wistful Hayward songs re lost love - 'Your Wildest Dream' / aka 'Once Upon A Time' and 'I Know Your Out There Somewhere' saw them build a new 80's audience which is no doubt the core audience today

    - hence Justin Hayward forever now claims the 80's were THE era for the band - tho' clearly it was the late sixties / early seventies (with Pinder and Thomas) when the 'core seven' albums all charted strongly, they were up with the elite TOP group of bands worldwide, formed their own Threshold record label and had record shops in the UK - and apparently got right up the nose of that unforgiving guy from 'Rolling Stone' magazine (!)

    - plus had a number of big selling international hits - the perennial 'Nights in White Satin' (three times charting in the UK) plus 'Question' (no.2 in the UK in 1970) and 'Melancholy Man' (1970 - chart topper in France) and even album tracks such as 'The Story in Your Eyes' charted as a USA single - while over 1967 to 1972 they were at the top of their game re prolific all original studio albums - they released TWO in 1969 - and Pinder's work on the mellotron and later chamberlain was very innovative

    much of their concert setlist in latter years consists of material from the 1967-72 period which tells you everything...they could do a concert minus anything after 1972, but if they didn't do 'Nights', 'Tuesday Afternoon', 'Question', 'I'm Just A Singer', 'New Horizons', 'See Saw', 'Isn't Life Strange', etc they would probably be lynched...even by those fans who came onboard during the 80's !! - yes ???

    in later years the 'core seven' albums have been remastered on CD a few times, had 'Deluxe' issues, while DVDs of their famous 'Isle of Wight 1970' concert, and a French show have been released - while a few of the 80's studio albums have become harder to find now....

    so ask yourself WHICH era really was The Moodies strongest ?

    they have FIRMLY traded on their own nostalgia for some years now - the concert backdrop has been pics of the 'classic' 1966-78 Moodies - the last tour was the 'Fly Me High' tour (their first single with Hayward and Lodge in 1967) now it's the DOFP tour....

    what next - the 'In Search of The Lost Chord' tour ??

    The Moodies have probably ended up their own tribute band which is o.k. and they DO still entertain concert goers which is great of course, but their 'golden era' is long gone, and the decent 80's era is too

    - it's so ironic how Hayward now over hypes the 80's when they have completely 'airbrushed out' the most distinctive band member responsible for their 80's signature keyboard sound - Patrick Moraz - from their own version of their group history !

    today, minus Ray Thomas baritone voice in the harmonies the once highly individual 'choral' surging four part male vocal harmonies - which was there even pre-Hayward & Lodge (i.e. 'From The Bottom of My Heart' in 1965) - they are vocally far lighter and less textured, while Graeme Edge (who suffered ill health recently) has required a second support drummer for some years now, now so again they are really their own 'tribute band' doing older recording Moodies of Pinder and Moraz and latter Thomas era material in their concert shows

    I'm sure the current shows are great - and MUCH loved by those who see them - but we do need to keep a sense of perspective re the group's history and face facts that the non recording touring outfit the remaining trio present today is hardly the famous group at it's peak as songwriters, innovators, harmony vocalists, percussionist, keyboardist(s) or in general as creative recording artists is it ?

    today it's an elderly trio supported by 'side people' - and an actor's face and voice !

    - we do need indeed apply a level view to the present day touring band, excellent as I don't doubt they are, compared to the classic 60's/70's and memorable 80's and 90's recording versions of those Moodies days of future now passed....

    .....it's all 'A Question of Balance' really
     
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2017
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