Fans of The Moody Blues inside Englewood, NJ's BergenPAC auditorium this Friday, November 15, 2024 evening know that the peak hour for listening to great music will be 8 p.m. sharp when the 1967 album, Days of Future Passed, will be performed live along with other Moody Blues classics by original band member, John Lodge.
Says Karen from New Milford, “I’ve been a fan of The Moody Blues since 1967 when Days of Future Passed came out. It was a concept album which took you through the day — so you had songs about morning, noon, and night — and a symphony orchestra backing up the band which was unique and beautiful and really appealed to me.”
Karen’s daughter, Tami, relates, “I grew up listening to The Moody Blues since I was three years old. When I was growing up, my mom would play their records on the weekends as she did her housework and from listening I learned all the words to Days of Future Passed, so I’m especially looking forward to hearing John Lodge perform it tonight.”
Remarks Bruce, a record executive from Stockton, “I’m a huge fan of The Moody Blues, and John Lodge’s latest record — Days of Future Passed: My Sojourn — is one he did with our company. We had a blast working with John and we think he enjoyed working with us, too. My partner and I are both musicians so we have a good sense of what musicians go through and we all feel that this new recording — a reimagining of Days of Future Passed — came out sounding really great.”
Bruce’s friend, Eric from Somerville, agrees, confessing, “I’m a big fan of John Lodge, as well. In fact, when I was in high school I heard The Moody Blues sing ‘The Story in Your Eyes’ and after listening to John’s bass part, I decided, ‘I’ve gotta become a bass player!’ — just from hearing that one song!”
Lastly, Marie from Hoboken remembers, “Growing up, I heard The Moody Blues’ music on the radio a lot — I mean, when you were a teenager, what else did you do besides listen to the radio or play your records? — but once I saw them in concert in 1986 I became an even bigger fan, so I’m really looking forward to experiencing some nostalgia tonight hearing Days of Future Passed performed by John Lodge.”
As images of outer space provide a stellar backdrop, the crowd cheers as cellist Jason Charboneau, guitarist Duffy King, drummer Billy Ashbaugh, and keyboardist Alan Hewitt take the stage and Hewitt announces, “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome from The Moody Blues, John Lodge!”
Music lovers stand as Lodge, 79, enters smiling and takes his place center stage where he and the band launch into a set of Moody Blues classics starting with “Steppin’ in a Slide Zone.”
Lodge gets the audience clapping along as he sings in his clear and resonant voice, “Standing in a slide zone/I could be steppin’ through a time zone,” while lights dance in rhythm to this rocking Moody Blues tune.
After welcoming the crowd, Lodge acknowledges that although he experienced a stroke last Christmas, he’s currently well on his way to recovery. The crowd applauds and Lodge and the band sail into “Talking Out of Turn,” an electronica-like rock ballad where Lodge sings in his falsetto voice while accompanying himself on acoustic guitar.
Lodge tells a story about meeting Moody Blues founding member Ray Thomas at the age of fifteen. After acknowledging, “I want to keep Ray’s music alive,” he performs Thomas’ folk-rocking “Legend of a Mind” where Lodge sings, “Timothy Leary’s dead/No no-no no, he’s outside looking in,” while on-screen images swirl to the music, morphing into projected light shapes that move and dance to the rhythm.
Lodge welcomes Jon Davison — the current front man of the band, Yes — to the stage to sing lead and play acoustic guitar on “The Voice,” an easy rocker which features a Duffy King electric guitar solo and Lodge playing bass.
The crowd hoots and hollers as Lodge handles the lead on the funky rocker, “Gemini Dream,” where Lodge and King sway their guitars in sync to resounding cheers and applause.
Lodge reveals that composer Lionel Bart — best known for writing the songs for the Broadway musical, Oliver — once gave him a piano as a gift which he wrote his next song on. Segueing into his ballad, “Isn’t Life Strange,” Lodge sings in his pleading voice, “Isn’t life strange/A turn of the page/Can read like before/Can we ask for more?” Alan Hewitt and Jason Charboneau echo one another on keyboard and cello as the arrangement builds in intensity to a triumphant conclusion, eliciting a standing ovation from the crowd.
After introducing his bandmates, Lodge acknowledges, “We’re all just singers in a rock and roll band!” before concluding Act I with his 1973 composition, “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band).” Audience members dance at their seats and Lodge rocks out on bass as the crowd goes wild for this rocking Moody Blues hit.
Following a short intermission, Lodge and Co. return to perform the classic 1967 Moody Blues album, Days of Future Passed, in its entirety. Opening with a recording of “The Day Begins,” the late Moody Blues drummer, Graeme Edge, appears on screen to recite the poem, “Morning Glory.”
After the orchestral “Dawn (Prelude)” swells, Lodge sings lead on the ballad, “Dawn is a Feeling,” prior to conducting the ensemble as it plays live to the pre-recorded instrumental, “The Morning (Prelude).” Segueing into the bouncy folk-rocker, “Another Morning,” Lodge croons, “Balloons flying, children sighing, what a day to go kite flying,” to the audience’s delight.
The crowd cheers as the instrumental “Lunch Break (Prelude)” morphs into the rocking “Peak Hour” where Lodge sings, “Minds are subject to what should be done/Problem solved, time cannot be won,” and Billy Ashbough keeps the powerful beat on the drums while Charboneau bows his cello and Lodge and King play electric bass and guitar side-by-side.
Jon Davison returns for The Moody Blues’ 1968 hit, “Tuesday Afternoon,” where he sings, “Tuesday afternoon/I’m just beginning to see/Now I’m on my way,” on this appealing minor key folk rocker. As the music builds to a celestial coda, concertgoers cheer as Davison gives Lodge — his father-in-law — a kiss on the cheek before exiting the stage.
Following the somber ballad, “(Evening) Time to Get Away,” the mood changes as Lodge and Co. sail into the rhythmic and modal selection, “The Sunset,” where Lodge croons, “When the sun goes down/And the clouds all frown/Night has begun for the sunset,” on this mystical Eastern-sounding piece.
Lodge and King sing “Twilight” in harmony before King wails on an electric guitar solo, Charboneau plays pizzicato cello, and Hewitt’s keyboard swirls under flashing lights. Then, Graeme Edge reappears on screen for the poem, “Late Lament,” where he recites, “Cold-hearted orb that rules the night/Removes the colors from our sight/Red is grey and yellow-white/But we decide which is right/And which is an illusion.”
Davison returns to perform The Moody Blues’ 1973 chart-topper, “Nights in White Satin.”
Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, Davison sings, “Nights in white satin/Never reaching the end/Letters I’ve written/Never meaning to send,” as music lovers nostalgically sing along. On his cello, Charboneau reimagines the flute solo from the original Moody Blues recording before Ashbough’s drums crash, Hewitt’s keyboards swirl, and vocal harmonies ring out as the arrangement builds and inspires another standing ovation from the crowd.
Lodge and Davison leave the stage while the rest of the band continues to play an instrumental finale but they soon return for an encore of “Ride My See-Saw,” a ’60s-style rocker which gets the crowd rising yet again for a final standing ovation.
“Thank you, New Jersey!” exclaims Lodge as the musicians gather together to take a well-deserved bow before exiting the stage.
Before the night is over, several concertgoers comment on John Lodge’s performance. Remarks Dennis from Sayreville, “John Lodge did a great job tonight and his band was great, too! The show brought back a lot of memories for me and I had a lot of fun!”
Chris from Englewood agrees, adding, “I thought John was very, very good tonight! I never owned any of The Moody Blues’ albums, but I really loved hearing their music played live. John’s got a lot of energy — especially considering everything he went through — and his band is excellent. I was very impressed!”
Michelle from Tenafly asserts, “I thought the show was great! It brought me back to my childhood. The very first concert I ever went to was at Madison Square Garden where I saw The Moody Blues. It was 1973 and I sat up in the last seat up at the top where, in those days, you could touch the ceiling. The Moody Blues were great back then and John Lodge was great tonight! His band is so fantastic, and the songs he played are some of my all-time favorites, so I really enjoyed this show.”
Ida, originally from Brooklyn, NY, reveals, “I’m a long time fan of The Moody Blues — I have at least ten of their albums,” declaring, “I really give John kudos because he’s come through a lot and he did a fabulous job tonight, especially considering he’ll turn 80 in July!”
Her childhood friend, Vicki, also originally from Brooklyn, agrees, adding, “I’m a long-time fan, too — for more than 50 years! John did an unbelievable job tonight, and his musicians were all fabulous, too — especially Jon Davison, who was terrific,” prior to concluding, “We had a blast — we could have been home watching another boring night of TV but, instead, we got to relive our youth and enjoy ourselves listening to our music!”
To learn more about John Lodge, please go to johnlodge.com. For information on great future performances at BergenPAC — including Broadway’s Linda Eder on December 1, Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees on December 15, and The Drifters, Coasters, and Platters on January 10 — please go to bergenpac.org.
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