Since the pandemic ended I have been on a big live music kick. The spring of 2020 I was planning on seeing Primus, The Pretenders, Hall and Oates, and Sammy Hagar and the Circle that summer. Well, you all know what happened. Nothing.
Since there is no more Rush, and the only Rush I can see are tribute bands, I want to see has much from "my day" as possible. Time is not on my side. All the acts I'd like to see are getting up there in age, one foot in the grave, or dead.
So February left with an interesting choice. Denny Laine was performing at City Winery in both Manhattan and Montgomery NY. John Lodge, the bassist from the Moody Blues was performing in Fairfield CT.
I had seen Denny Laine in 2019 at Daryl Hall's club in Pawing NY with his band. He performed the first Moody Blues album and Band on the Run album in t's entirety along with other songs he did with Wings. Excellent show. It told the stories behind each song. But this year he it was just him and a guitar.
But I had always enjoyed the Moody Blues and wished I had seen them. So the choice was made to see John Lodge. I am glad I did.
The show was up at the Fairfield Theater Company in Fairfield CT. The setting was very intimate and scored 2nd row, dead center seats at the box office the night of the show. What's more, Lodge performed the Moodies album, "Days of Future Passed", in it's entirety. Jon Davidson from Yes who also happens to be Lodge's son in law came out to sing songs from that album as well as the encore, "Ride My See-Saw."
Lodge paid tribute to deceased band members drummer Graeme Edge, who was in a video reciting poems from Days, and flautist Ray Thomas with the story of "Legend of a Mind." I just wanted to hear "Gemini Dream" from "Long Distance Voyager" (In fact that was my first Moodies album I bought my senior year in high school) and "Your Wildest Dreams" (Yeah, it's my guilty pleasure, that and the movie Valley Girl!). That is more of a Justin Hayward song.
But it was a great show. Lodge truly appreciated his audience. At almost 59 I think I was amongst the youngest in the audience. Lot's of people with canes, and, walkers.
Here's "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)
CLICK HERE from the show.
