Justin Hayward of Moody Blues gives Morristown a melody lesson

Justin Hayward, who wrote some of the biggest hits of the '60s and '70s for the Moody Blues, performs at MPAC, August 2015. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Justin Hayward, who wrote some of the biggest hits of the '60s and '70s for the Moody Blues, performs at MPAC, August 2015. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
2

You know you’re in for a special night when the opening act gets a standing ovation.

Mike Dawes, a 25-year-old Brit, dazzled the Mayo Performing Arts Center on Sunday with 20 minutes of percussive finger-style acoustic guitar playing evocative of the great Tommy Emmanuel.

How was the main act, Justin Hayward  of Moody Blues fame, going to top this?

For the next 70 minutes, Hayward proceeded to show everyone exactly how:

Melody, melody, melody.

Please click icon below for slideshow captions:

The beautiful melodies stretched from Tuesday Afternoon off the classic 1967 album Days of Future Passed  to One Day, Someday from Spirits of the Western Sky in 2013.

Other noteworthy songs from the latter CD included The Western Sky, The Eastern Sun, In Your Blue Eyes and What You Resist Persists, nestled among such favorites as Forever Autumn, Question, Out There Somewhere, In Your Wildest Dreams and of course, Nights in White Satin.

Opening act Mike Dawes, who caught the public’s eye on YouTube with a viral cover of ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ by Gotye. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Opening act Mike Dawes, who caught the public’s eye on YouTube with a viral cover of ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ by Gotye. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

The Moody Blues played in Morristown  last year and in 2010, and both shows were memorable.

Sunday’s acoustic evening with Hayward, playing guitar backed by Dawes and the versatile Julie Ragins on harmonies and keyboard, was a reminder of how well crafted all these songs are.

And it showcased one of rock music’s most distinctive voices, still captivating at 68, along with Hayward’s impressive rhythm guitar work. On Sunday there was no Graeme Edge to keep time on drums.  But Hayward never missed a beat.

His comedic timing was pretty good, too.  While tuning his guitar in between songs, he observed drolly, “This is what life sounds like to every guitar player’s girlfriend.”

Bottom line: An evening with Hayward, solo or with the Moodies, is about as close to a sure thing as the concert world gets.

Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues flying solo at MPAC, August 2015. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues flying solo at MPAC, August 2015. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

 

If you’ve read this far… you clearly value your local news. Now we need your help to keep producing the local coverage you depend on! More people are reading Morristown Green than ever. But costs keep rising. Reporting the news takes time, money and hard work. We do it because we, like you, believe an informed citizenry is vital to a healthy community.

So please, CONTRIBUTE to MG or become a monthly SUBSCRIBER. ADVERTISE on Morristown Green. LIKE us on Facebook, FOLLOW us on Twitter, and SIGN UP for our newsletter.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Thanks for posting the review. However, one small point: there’s no “K” in “Nights in White Satin”! The song has absolutely nothing to do with knights wearing flowing gowns of white satin.

LEAVE A REPLY