A&E

Brush up on The Moody Blues before their latest Encore run

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Hayward, left, and Lodge
Photo: David Richard / AP

WHO: An English band that helped define art-rock during the late ’60s and early ’70s, embraced synths—and scored a few big U.S. hits—during the ’80s and earned induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April. Six “Moodies” received that latest honor, including the three current members: drummer/vocalist Graeme Edge, guitarist/vocalist Justin Hayward and bassist/vocalist John Lodge. Edge helped found the band in 1964, while Hayward and Lodge have been onboard since ’66. (The other inductees were ex-members Denny Laine, Mike Pinder and Ray Thomas. Thomas died in January.)

SOUND: The Moody Blues’ best works blurred the line between pop and psychedelia better than most bands of their era. The group also embraced prog, though not as full-sided-ly as contemporaries like Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

THE SHOW: These Encore Theater concerts typically consist of two sets—one comprising radio hits like “The Story in Your Eyes” (1971), “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)” (1972) and “Your Wildest Dreams” (1986) and the other re-creating beloved 1967 symphonic-rock record Days of Future Passed—followed, naturally, by an Encore encore for which you’ll want to stick around.

SPIN: If your goal is simply to prepare for the Vegas show, you could blast Days of Future Passed and a greatest hits disc a few times each … but what fun would that be? Take a more interesting trip by lining up the group’s “classic seven” albums—Future Passed, In Search of the Lost Chord (1968), On the Threshold of a Dream (1969), To Our Children’s Children (1969), A Question of Balance (1970), Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971) and Seventh Sojourn (1972), and discover a world of lesser-known gems. Bonus: The Moody Blues’ catalog has been largely dismissed by modern critics, so the vinyl versions tend to be available on the cheap.

THE MOODY BLUES September 19, 21-22, 26, 28-29 & October 3, 5-6, 8 p.m., $60-$275. Encore Theater, 702-770-9966.

 

 
Tags: Music, Encore
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