Moody Blues still rock — for old guys

So there I was in the midst of the crowd of old farts, waiting for the older farts to come on stage. First to arrive is the backing band, looking young and lively, two gals, two guys. Then it's Justin Hayward, John Lodge, and Graeme Edge taking the stage to thunderous applause. And the show was really pretty good. Hayward's voice got a bit strained from time to time, and Lodge's was a bit thin, but the band really helped out. With one gal on vocals, guitar, and keyboards and the other on flute, guitar, harmonica and vocals, an extra drummer (who also doubled on flute!) and a main keyboard player, the sound was quite full. The mix left a bit to be desired, but Interlochen has long had a reputation for poor sound. The vocals could have been punched up a bit, and the mellotron sound that was such a hallmark of the Moodies was waaaaaaaaaay in the background, but overall not bad.

The same could be said of the show. They didn't do any Pinder or Thomas songs, since those guys aren't with the band anymore, but with the many hits of Hayward and Lodge (plus a couple from Edge) there was more than enough material. "The Story in Your Eyes" is probably my favorite all-time fave Moodies track, along with "Question" and "Ride My See Saw," and all were part of the set, along with (predictably) "Nights in White Satin." Always hated that song.

There was little between-songs patter, particularly not with Hayward, who was content to sing, then play without glancing at the audience. He left that to Lodge, who strutted about the stage, pointing alternately to the the flutist, the keyboard player, and members of the crowd.

The playing was fine if not especially fiery, though "I'm Just a Singer," "Question" and "See-Saw" were exceptions. Overall a pretty satisfactory show, less boring than past excursions. Next up is probably David Sanborn, though maybe Lyle Lovett might be interesting. Elsewhere, Todd is in Muskegon in September, on the Todd/Healing tour, playing all the tracks from those two albums, so that's a must-see. Hopefully he'll be in fine form, as his voice is sounding pretty ragged these days. Tierney Sutton will be at the Opera House in Traverse City; anyone who appreciates female jazz singers should be there.

In marketing news, I'm struggling through Seth Godin's Linchpin right now. Love most of his books, but this is less immediately engaging. And his daily blog can border on the anemic or downright silly. Subscribe to it and you'll see what I mean, particularly when he belabors the state of education today.

Off to Ann Arbor tomorrow to see Mary's oncologist. Hopefully some news there on her fatigue and pain.