LET’S give a hand to the Moody Blues — the Brit Invasion band’s days of future have passed, but that doesn’t stop them from delivering great rock shows.
At Radio City Music Hall for a one-night stand Thursday, the rockers played a set that reminded the sold-out Music Hall why they’re one of the most important rock acts to ever come out of the UK. The scope of the band’s songs in this performance showcased their musicality (they’ve still got it), and that there’s more to the Moody Blues than the movie soundtrack staple “Nights in White Satin,” most recently borrowed by Rob Zombie for his horror flick “Halloween 2.”
The obvious fan favorites, most of which are still played daily on classic rock radio — such as “Question,” “Tuesday Afternoon” and “Your Wildest Dreams” — peppered this concert, keeping the show’s momentum going despite a few slow clunkers like “Are You Sitting Comfortably?” that weighed down the middle of the set.
More surprising than either the hits or the misses were the many forgotten gems like “Peak Hour” and “Higher and Higher,” both of which still sounded very relevant. Considering the age of the band’s principals — drummer Graeme Edge is 68, bassist/singer John Lodge is 66 and guitarist/singer Justin Hayward is 62 — it’s shocking that these guys they can make anything rock beyond their chairs. The trio looked remarkably sound and sounded untouched by time.
All that said, and since we’re all in the mood to praise the past, why hasn’t the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted the Moody Blues? It doesn’t make sense given the band’s contribution to rock and its continuing performance excellence. On second thought, forget the feeble Hall of Fame; the Moody Blues are still a rock band — not a museum piece.