Moody Blues 2017 Reunion Tour

On Youtube posted this week.
Prefer the original vocalists on these songs, but that's just the way it is.

 

WOW! WOW! WOW! Seen them twice already since 2010, but would start saving NOW for a meet-and-greet ticket (and airfare, and accommodation), should Thomas and Pinder join in! THANK YOU FOR POSTING!

 

Hope they are planning to release a DVD of the Days show. They're playing here this weekend, at the Chateau Ste. Michelle (a great place for a Moodies show) ... but I'm unable to attend. However: I'm thankful I got to see them so many times in the past, with Ray on board; in fact I've seen them more than any other group.

 

I know the title of this thread is misleading, but it was posted in anticipation of the event and there were hopes.
In sum, a missed opportunity.
When the tour dates were announced it was obvious it was a Hayward Lodge show.
Of course, I do not know the inner goings but it would have been nice if an accommodation was made for Thomas and a filmed concert was arranged in England so he could participate.
And of course Pinder.
One concert. With orchestra. For a DVD concert film.
A real event.

 

They didn't do it when I saw it, but not being much of a Moodies expert, I've trod lightly on the Setlist.fm page. In fact, the original entries were all mine (my name there is metropolitim), and I was careful to post them in real time, while they were being performed, rather than just copying the track listing from Wikipedia under the assumption that that's what they were actually doing. But hey, if somebody who was there and knows the Moodies better than I do, I'm not going to push back.

I'd love to hear what you think of that, @Dylancat. How did Late Lament (or not)/Nights play out as you saw it?

My theory is that, apart from any residual effects on his speech, he wanted to save his energy for playing -- which again, to my ears and eyes, he was -- hence no up and down from his kit, no extra chatter.

Goodness knows we all age differently, but I was struck by how much older he seemed than the rest of the group...which he is, at 76, to Justin's spry 70 and Justin's almost 72...but he looked older than that. Hopefully, he'll pick up steam as the tour goes on.

I was especially struck by Charlie Watts ALSO being 76 when I last saw the Rolling Stones, looking almost bizarrely fit even by his own standards, especially considering a recent-ish bout with throat cancer.

That's when it hit me. We're at the point in human evolution where the four physically-fittest septuagenarians on the planet are in the Rolling Stones!!!

That REALLY jumped out at me.

I'll be honest -- I burned out on "Nights" in 1975 or so when it was being played more than "Stairway to Heaven", "Dream On" and "Free Bird" combined in my neck of the woods -- which is really saying something, I assure you! I swear that there were stations that built their entire format around those songs, plus "I've Seen All Good People", "Layla", a couple of Beatles tracks, and little else.

But I intentionally listened to it for the first time in years the day before the show, and I still remembered every word, every breath, every intonation. I got weepy. Pathetic, but true. The forty year break apparently was just the right length.

It's INSANE to me that they didn't use that. As iconic as anything in popular music, and Jeremy Irons in front of the Death Star was not an upgrade to me.

Totally worth it. It felt completely organic to me, especially John on Sunset. His current voice fits perfectly. The two of them together on "Another Morning" and "Twilight" was MAGIC. With no disrespect to Mike & Ray, 50 years later, Justin & John doing those songs IS The Moody Blues, at least in that room.

And really, to me, what's happening in the room is all that matters during a concert. It's fine to evaluate how this stuff works vis a vis the studio originals after the fact -- after all, what's this site but our own variation on Inside Baseball? -- and if the performers haven't done the work to get ready, it's impossible to not get taken out of the moment -- but while it was happening in that physical space, everything felt like it belonged. I've seen a lot of tour openers where it felt like we were actually watching the final dress rehearsal, but these folks were all READY.

(Although John freely admitted that they started their calendar planning with the Hollywood Bowl show, figured they'd like a couple of shows to get into peak form, and worked backward to set the dates and locations for the shows leading up to it. I like that thinking, and appreciate that they still treated this as a destination event, and not just as a warmup.)

My overall point remains that, if you think that any of this sounds fun or interesting, it will be.

 

re the health angle - Ray Thomas went public after the sad passing of Alvin Stardust (aka Shane Fenton) to state he too was suffering from prostrate cancer BUT it's 'under control' with medicines and hopefully Ray is o.k. as can be - before that Ray had two longtime non life threatening medical conditions , one which affects his balance (rather apt !) as we all know it's a question of...

so we can't seriously expect Ray to do any concerts - great IF he can of course, even just sit on a stool and sing a song or duet with Norda Mullen on flute and wave a cheery tambourine etc...but I doubt if Ray will be up to public performances now, nor would it be fair to expect any of him, and we must be thankful for what he gave us for so long in The Moodies...

Mike Pinder seems to be in fine shape - no doubt decades OFF the road enjoying a life with his family have been of great benefit to him

funnily enough Mike losing his hair prematurely may have made him look 'older and wiser' back in early seventies...but now Mike looks quite young for his age ! - while Graeme rather resembles Father Christmas

- as he once said; 'we recorded this when my hair was brown and my teeth were white...now it's the other way around !' lol

curious how some people 'age' more than others despite their actual age in years etc

having pretty YOUNG women in the supporting band only makes the core trio look even older too...!!

ah well so goes life, as long as they can sing and play well they are still keeping The Moodies flag flying and entertaining concert goers which is important

how are they dressing onstage now ? - sensible outfits I hope !

the later 'sexing up' of the elderly guys was cringeworthy in my view....in the sixties they first wore smart blue suits, then 'casual' hippie gear later, then 'smart casual' gear - when they were younger

but as elderly men, John in 'skin tight' black leather pants and open shirt...well it might please some fans at shows but to me was a ghastly mistake image wise !!

keep it dignified guys ! lol

 

Tim
I only saw the "Nights" , "Lament" from the tour on youtube.
Did not attend a concert.
But from what I saw, the floating head and moon prob. should have been rethought, retooled.
Better yet. Have Pinder show up.

 

I am worried about Justin. MOODY BLUES FANS FROM PREVIOUS GENERATIONS:::: do you ever remember him being so emotionless, i mean he was just staring off into space with this blank look, and although he nailed the vocals, he showed no emotion- zero- i am trying not to read too much into this but it did seem that way....

 

if you make any comments that are not 100% supportive you normally get slagged off in reply BUT as a lifelong Moodies fan (from 'Go Now' days) I have felt for some time the trio are their own 'tribute band' purely doing it for the money

creatively they seemed to stall after 'Strange Times' (a great album in my view) despite a few nice Xmas songs on 'December' ....and they have just become an ageing nostalgia act propped up by some very talented younger musicians

Graeme Edge - who had a stroke a while back - has been effectively replaced by his support drummer (they largely phased him out of the studio albums after/during TOSOL in 1986)

I've heard talk that Justin and John are not as friendly as we might think - tho' how true that is we can only guess of course

but compared to both the 'classic' Moodies with Mike and the excellent 80's Moodies with Patrick Moraz they just don't compare now in my opinion, while vocally minus Ray it's not the same sound anymore

I would not expect Justin or John's voices to be what they once were in younger days, and from what clips I have seen of recent concerts I would agree Justin does not seem to be enjoying it as he once so clearly did - it's as if they are 'going through the motions' on auto pilot now which is a pity

that said both Justin and John seemed far happier on their recent decent solo albums which would seem the logical way ahead for both in their respective careers where they can be 'themselves' and not have the pressure to attempt to re-create the glorious Moody Blues of the sixties, seventies, eighties, and thereafter up to around 1999

the fact they FIRMLY make their own past the BIG thing now with a 'Fly Me High' tour, now a 'DOFP' tour (I assume a 'Lost Chord' tour will be up next ?) only rams home their age, their lack of Mike, Ray (even Patrick whom they try to 'airbrush out' of their history now ! - ironic as Justin absurdly forever 'bigs up' the 80's as being THE era for the group....presumably a 'sop' to the concert audiences who largely now consist of 80's era fans), and the total LACK of anything new material wise makes them look an elderly nostalgia act all the more....


sad as they ARE still capable of far more than that I feel sure - even down to the core trio, with perhaps just the flute player Norda Mullen helping cover Ray's absence, I think they COULD still have been creative as The Moodies at least in the studio making new albums after 1999 (with just their own male vocal harmonies, maybe not as strong now but still recognisable if it's Justin and John overlaying their voices) , doing their own new songs in their distinctive 'Moodies' style as opposed to trying to sound 'all modern' (always the weakest aspect of 'post Pinder' era albums) instead of just being their own 'tribute band' touring nostalgia act augmented by others essentially just playing on the famous band name and back catalogue in truth doing it for the money...

which might explain Justin looking so emotionless now....?

just my view

 

I agree Billo and a band stringing on too long takes something away from the historic quality of what the band once was. The Moodies were my favorite band in the late 60's & early 70's. They made a point of writing about time during that time and unfortunately their time has certainly passed. Like a sports great that kept playing when their shoes should have been hung up years ago.

 

Justin seems much looser and more like he has having fun at his solo shows these days. I think he views the Moody Blues as a required business obligation.

 

I just saw the Moody Blues at the Hollywood Bowl.
Here's my random comment:

Spoiler: Hollywood Bowl 6/17/17 set list

Set One
1. I'm Just a Singer ( In a Rock & Roll Band)
2. The Voice
3. Steppin' In a Slide Zone
4. Say It With Love
5. Nervous
6. Your Wildest Dreams
7. Isn't Life Strange
8. I Know You're Out There Somewhere
9. The Story In Your Eyes

Set Two
10. to 18. {Days of Future Past album}
19. Question
20. Ride My See-Saw

Although Set Two was very good as expected,
Set One was very underwhelming... Why would they play such "middling Late Period songs #2 through #8", the exception being Isn't Life Strange...

Why "Nervous ", an album track from Long Distance Voyager...???

Over other great songs that were NOT played, such as :
Never Comes the Day, Lovely To See You, Voices in the Sky, Up To You, Gypsy, Dr Livingstone, Legend of a Mind, the Word/Om, Dear Diary, Eyes of a Child, And the Tide Rushes In.... ???

Most of these would have broken up the Melancholy Mood of that Set One.
The crowd energy was tangibly stifled. How unimaginative, and uninspired....

 

I saw the Moody Blues on their summer 2009 tour at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut and they were incredible. I’m perfectly happy to remember that show as it was and not go see another one to ruin the glow.

 

Because The Voice, and Your Wildest Dreams were hits. Steppin' In A Slide Zone, and I Know You're Out There Somewhere also made it into the top 40.

 

Besides the perplexing choice to perform "Nervous", an album track from Long Distance Voyager (1981), and after "Say It With Love" (1991), I'm not disputing the chart status of the singles you mentioned:

The Voice (1981)
Your Wildest Dreams (1986)
Steppin' In a Slide Zone (1978)
I Know You're Out There Somewhere (1988)

What disappointed me us that the song choices were mostly "post Core Seven songs".
A sonic stream of late career OK songs, not earlier GREAT songs.

That's poor sequencing, IMHO.

 

I first saw them in the early 80's !!!
I was curious of the set list you heard; but it's not posted on Setlist.com

 

It was odd because they had reintroduced Driftwood into the set list that tour. I love that song so that made me happy.

 

If they want to go just a wee bit deep, they should have done December Snow, from their last album, which is terrific (and isn't really a Christmas song). That would definitely have been a better choice than Nervous.

 

Yes, probably a better choice -
Even though the show this past Saturday was performed in early summer "T-shirt weather"!

 

there's probably a fair bit of 'group politics' going on here re choice of the songs for concerts now

besides having to do the four Pinder and Thomas songs that are on DOFP they don't normally include ANY of Mike or Ray's songs which is understandable tho' of course cuts out 50% of the classic 'core seven' era tracks

so besides the odd Graeme Edge poem or song like say 'Higher and Higher' it's all going to be Hayward or Lodge songs plus some 'Hayward-Lodge' numbers in their concerts

hence we get a fair amount of the 'post core seven' tracks included probably deemed to be more recent material and I would guess Lodge's songs are included to keep him happy - tho' in my view Lodge's songs in the 80's were often at best songs that were of 'solo' album quality (i.e. 'Rock & Roll Over You', 'Here Comes The Weekend', 'Shadows on The Wall', 'Magic' etc) as opposed to 'Moodies' album quality ('Ride My See Saw', 'House of Four Doors', 'Candle of Life', 'One More Time To Live', 'Emily's Song', 'Isn't Life Strange' etc)

- and the 'Hayward-Lodge' songs, while including some good ones, were often in truth just 'fillers' on later albums - as Justin has openly admitted !

Lodge returned to his better 'Moodies' form with his songs on 'Strange Times' in 1999 so I'm surprised he doesn't do any of those now or 'Talking Out of Turn' (which was released as a single in 1981) as opposed to the rather average 'Nervous'

'Driftwood' was a magnificent song from 'Octave' - one of the best songs on that album (and was also the final Moodies single to feature Mike Pinder) so that certainly would be worth inclusion - likewise Moodies versions of big hits 'Blue Guitar' and a rare cover 'Forever Autumn' - tho' they are Hayward efforts

there ARE decent latter Moodies songs that could go into the concerts - 'December Snow', 'Haunted', 'Bless The Wings', 'Running Water' to name four - all Hayward compositions I note

I think they can come unstuck doing Mike Pinder and even Patrick Moraz era songs minus those very distinctive keyboardists who each gave The Moodies a trademark 'symphonic wave' of keyboard sound ('Nights in White Satin', 'Tuesday Afternoon' / 'The Voice', 'Your Wildest Dream' etc)

...plus minus both Mike and the baritone voice of Ray Thomas their distinctive four part male choir vocal sound is gone, while the early to mid 80's Moodies had Justin, Ray, and John who still sounded like 'The Moodies' vocally

- Justin and John sound very similar vocally when they harmonize and adding female backing vocalists makes them vocally sound little like either the 'classic' or 'eighties' Moodies both of which were essentially five piece groups, now they have turned into Hayward and Lodge backed up by a troop of talented younger supports (with Edge largely being 'carried' by his supporting drummer)

 

The last time I saw them was in June 2005. Just days from the recording of the Lovely to See You concert video. They played "December Snow". I understand why they stopped playing it though. If they feel (or Justin does at least) that recording new music is pointless because nobody will buy it then, with that attitude, they probably aren't keen on performing that late period stuff that didn't sell.

 

I like some of John's Strange Times songs but at the same time they were all slow ballads. Every one of them which was a big criticism at the time.. Not generally the best for concert especially being obscure ones. Same with songs like "Bless the Wings" and "Running Water". Don't see them going over well in concert in 2017. At the very least "Nervous" came from big hit album. That tends to matter with these guys. And these other songs you mentioned like "Driftwood" and "Talking Out of Turn" have been played in recent years and they probably are just giving other songs a chance.

 

Well it was definitely part of the set in the few years following Strange Times. The shows I saw in 1999 and 2001 were heavy on Strange Times but also nearly identical sets. setlist.fm shows "Words You Say" was last played in November 2003 though.

 

I saw them last October. "Nervous" is one of my favorite post-core songs, so I'm glad they played it. John did "Talking Out Of Turn" the previous time I saw them.

Graeme seemed in good spirits. He talked about his stroke, and performed the narration on "Late Lament" (quite well, I thought).

 

Worth noting that in the slideshow of old Moodies pics (during YWD), there are lots of Mike photos, even more than there are of Ray. No sign of Moraz of course, except on the cover of Other Side of Life-- they were stuck with him there.