Moody Blues, Ives Concert Park Opening Night

Glistened Despite Showers

By John Voket

DANBURY — By the time The Moody Blues ventured into a lovely rendition of “Are You Sitting Comfortably,” during a robust set of hits and favorites during opening night of the Ives Concert Park’s 2010 season, the somewhat rain-drenched and near capacity crowd had indeed settled in.

Neither the threat of thunderstorms or a couple of drenching downpours before and during the classic British ensemble’s July 13 show dampened the enthusiasm of fans, corporate sponsors and picnic toting patrons who donned ponchos or just made the occasional rite of getting soaked at an Ives Concert Park show part of the fun.

While production and facility management were challenged throughout the day by pesky showers, none of the seams were showing as the gates opened and a flood of Moody Blues lovers trundled to their seats, or staked out their spot on the great lawn to enjoy the show. The band, fronted by founding member Graeme Edge, along with longtime mates Justin Hayward and John Lodge, performed virtually every hit the classic rockers charted, along with a few deep cuts which had more than a few true blue fans singing along happily.

There were a few humorous and passing references to the age of the band (at one point, drummer Graeme Edge commented he “had survived through the ‘60s...twice”), but the receptive audience was represented by at least three generations. Even some of the youngest attendees danced to uptempo numbers like “I’m Just a Singer In A Rock and Roll Band,” and slowly waved their outstretched arms as the regal waltz beat of “Nights in White Satin” washed across the crowd.

Despite the fact that the band’s catalog is massive — The Moody Blues have sold in excess of 50 million albums worldwide and have been awarded 14 platinum and gold discs — the show included a little something for everyone. Opening with “The Voice,” and representing a mid-1980s resurgence of the band on the pop charts, the band rolled on with “The Day We Meet Again,” from the Time Traveller project.

The balance of the first set mixed deeper cuts like “Steppin’ in a Slide Zone” with chart toppers “Tuesday Afternoon,” “The Story in Your Eyes” and “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere.”

After a brief intermission, the band returned with “Your Wildest Dreams,” again from the 1986 resurgence which yielded several hits from The Other Side of Life. “Isn’t Life Strange,” with its haunting tremolo, was particularly tasty, as was the band’s decades-old tribute to Neil Armstrong and his Apollo mission cohorts, “Higher and Higher.”

As the final set drew to a close and moved into the encores, the hits kept coming with “Question,” and “Ride My See-Saw,” from In Search of the Lost Chord, to send the audience home.

Throughout the evening, it was almost as interesting to watch as the personalities on stage interacted among themselves as itw as to watch them relate to their audience. Edge had his few moments in the spotlight, injecting some humor into he proceedings, while bassist Lodge seemed to be most interested in interacting with the crowd, frequently pointing to individuals and waving or lifting his instrument above his head like a conductor.

Hayward, on the other hand, was a bit more reserved. But what he lacked in interaction he more than made up for deftly working through most of the lead vocals while straddling rhythm and lead guitar duties.

His articulate voice — seemingly unchanged in tone and timbre from his earliest work with the band — accentuated The Moody Blues’s many familiar hits and their well-known lyrics. And he stood alone covering all the instrumental demands with signature guitar licks and strumming chords that made each song complete and loyal to its original recording.

Kudos as well to the fine ensemble of younger backing players which included Julie Ragins on keyboards, guitar and backing vocals, second keyboardist Paul Bliss, second drummer Gordon Marshall and Norda Mullen on guitar, flute, harmonica, tambourine and backing vocals. Mullen played a particularly important role because The Moody Blues integration of flute and hand percussion instruments helped distinctify their sound as they fought for their own place in the flood of British Invasion acts that populated the radio waves back in the late 1960s.

The Ives Concert Park season has since offered performances by Widespread Panic (July 23) and Slightly Stoopid with Cypress Hill & Collie Buddz (July 24). This weekend the series continues with Willie Nelson & Family on Saturday, July 31.

Visit IvesConcertPark.com for tickets and further information.