I saw The Moody Blues for the first time two years ago at the Mann Music Center. Even though the sound was a bit distorted during the first part of the show, it was a magical concert. The Moodies don't tour together often now, and their fans turned out in volume.
Last night Justin Hayward, lead singer/songwriter of the band, appeared at Sellersville Theater for a sold-out show ( Hayward is also at Sellersville again tonight). This acoustic concert was prove to be even more magical.
Hayward came out with the beautiful "The Eastern Sun" as he played it alone, before being joined by excellent keyboardist/percussionist Julie Ragins and superb guitarist Mike Dawes. Despite having a cold ( plus the theater itself was noticeably chilly), Hayward breezed through his 90 minute set , veering between classic hits like "Tuesday Afternoon" and album cuts such as "Dawning is the Day."
My favorite songs were the rare "Forever Autumn" and the gorgeous ballad "Haunting." Hayward was mostly business, with a little good-natured reminiscing with the fans. One could tell by the abundance of Moody Blues t-shirts that loyal fans were in the crowd. In fact, a woman at my table had seen the band consistently since the early 70s.
Hayward got to the songs his crowd really wanted to hear in brisk fashion, going into "Your Wildest Dreams" and "Question" with ease. Both songs had many fans on their feet.
Finally came Hayward's signature tune: the eerie "Nights in White Satin." Dawes was flawless on acoustic guitar, playing guitar in substituting instead of flute. A standing ovation followed the iconic song, well-deserved.
The encore were two more moody stalwarts: "The Story In Your Eyes" and "I Know You're Out There Somewhere." A well-done, satisfying setlist! Hayward was in fine form, especially for 73 years old.
Opening was Dawes, who did four instrumental songs from his two albums. Dawes is so good (named "Acoustic Guitarist of the Year in both 2017 and 2018 by Guitar World), it's a wonder he is not better known in the music world. Well, maybe in the music world he is known, but he should be better known by fans. If he keeps playing like he did solo and backing up Hayward, he will get his just dues.
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