Moody Blues Still Hanging On At Gorge
Moody Blues
Saturday, May 18, Gorge Amphitheater
When it was announced that the Moody Blues was to play the Gorge Amphitheater for the umpteenth time, some people reacted, “Yuck, not them again.”
It was a fair comment, being that the band is like the Energizer bunny - “It keeps going and going and going…” - and, to some, it wore out its welcome years ago.
Those who voiced negativity obviously weren’t the ones holding tickets at Saturday night’s Gorge concert season opener.
Once again, the Moody Blues garnered a jubilant near-capacity crowd at the venue, a crowd that welcomed the band with a standing ovation. Continually throughout the night, the Moody Blues - nine-strong on stage - indicated that it’s both a band that belongs on the concert trail every spring and summer and a band that should have succumbed to extinction along with all of the other dinosaurs.
In some cases, it was apparent the band has grown tired of the material it performed. A handful of songs were executed rather lazily.
The Moody Blues cast off a lackadaisical and forgettable rendition of “In Your Wildest Dreams.” The band’s subdued vocals were a dead giveaway at the top of the amphitheater, where the vocals were decibels louder than everything else.
What made things worse was that intermittently the Moody Blues resorted to songs that closely resembled corny inspirational music commonly heard at Amway conventions. Yet, watching people leap out of their seats with their fists clinched high in the air was worth a few chuckles.
Much of the band’s flaws were forgivable, however, due to the fact that much of its imagery-laden mood music complemented the atmospheric conditions at the Gorge. Both the venue and the music combined for some surreal moments.
Highlights included “Tuesday Afternoon” and “Nights in White Satin” - pretentious spoken-word aside - from the quintessential album “Days of Future Passed.”
Nearly 30 years have expired since the recording of those songs. Despite this, the Moody Blues’ enthusiasm toward the material was genuine and commendable.
On Saturday, the Moody Blues, one of the first bands to regularly employ the use of an orchestra, was supported by the Spokane Symphony. The symphony’s tasteful arrangements definitely bolstered the aging band’s performance. Unfortunately synthesized music played by the two keyboardists drowned out the orchestral and organic melodies on a few songs.
Still on other songs, the symphony was entirely too quiet. A louder orchestra would have made the songs more climactic.
Overall, the grizzled-looking Moody Blues still have mileage left in their music. Seeing them in concert was a reminder of what a major contribution the band has left in its wake. That’s why the Moody Blues play the Gorge Amphitheater each year. And that’s why people come.
, DataTimes