Stiff but still fun to listen to
by Tom on 3/4/25Genesee Theatre - WaukeganRating: 5 out of 5Have John and the Moody Blues multiple times in the past 40 plus years. Always good memories when listening to timeless music.
Have John and the Moody Blues multiple times in the past 40 plus years. Always good memories when listening to timeless music.
I wish Lodge would have played more well known songs. But the concert was still very good. Love the venue.
Wow! What a bunch of extremely well behaved old people (LOL) in the audience. Average age-70. Never thought we would see anything like this again. John Lodge has assembled a stellar group of professional musicians, each of whom can stand on their own but did an outstanding job of supporting John. Even after a stroke John has not lost any of his exuberance. He has to shuffle on to the stage ala MIke Love of the Beach Boys and his voice is a little softer but he delivered on each and every song. On his next tour, (God willing) I hope he reprises in full the "To Our Children's Children's Children Album. Having seen the Moody Blues in San Francisco and at Ravinia years ago, the truncated version positively delivered. As a venue, I rate The Genesee Theatre, hands down, the best place to enjoy live performances.
It was a great concert, the venue and the musicians were a perfect match.
great sound & venue & the band was fantastic; would definitely see them again
i felt so lucky and blessed to see and hear john lodge and band play the moody blues's best songs ever!! i brought my 2 youngest sons with, what a great memory for us!!
First off, the Genesee Theater in Waukegan Illinois is an amazing venue. Close and cheap parking. Plenty of bars and restaurants in the area. The inside of the theater is beautiful and clean. The bar staff were a joy and able to handle the crowd with only 2 of them. How can a bartender remember your drink order at a concert? I was impressed by that one. Now for the show. John Lodge shuffled out a little reminiscent of Ozzy which was at first alarming but they went right into their first song. They sounded amazing! After the first song, Mr. Lodge informed the crowd that he had a stroke some what recently which explained his walk. The man had a stroke and is still touring at his age! LEGEND! His voice is still great but when the song required a higher register, they brought out (I believe this is what he said) the front man from Yes. (If I'm wrong, I'm sorry) He killed. The cellist was fantastic. The drummer was spot on. I believe the keyboardist was the same guy from the Moody Blues but I am not 100% certain but he was amazing. Of course they had to use some pre-recorded tracks for some of the more complicated orchestral songs, but it was not invasive and fit right in. A special shout out to whomever designed the amazing video used as a back drop for the entire show, that was amazing and fit the songs so perfectly. If you're a fan of music, you need to go see John Lodge before it's too late. The legends are getting old, we will not have them for long, so get out there and be amazed by pure talent. They don't make artists like this anymore.
An exemplary concert by a genius master! Three days post concert, and I’m still euphoric from the experience.
John Lodge performed Moody Blues hits in the first set and did Days of Future Passed in the second set. One addition that set this performance apart was the use of a cello. They finished "Isn't Life Strange"in Red Rocks fashion, with a back-and-forth between flute and synthesizer, except that the cello substituted for the flute. Days of Future Passed was done in its entirety. Alan Hewitt, who had performed on keyboards with the Moody Blues, got all the sounds just right with his instrument. Jon Davison of Yes sang "Tuesday Afternoon"and "Nights in White Satin."I was wondering how they would do the flute on the latter song, and Hewitt was able to replicate it on the keyboard. The percussionist closed it out by striking a gong, just the way the album ends. As an encore, they did "Ride My See Saw,"a Lodge song that was used to close Moody Blues concerts.
I have seen the Moody Blues many times both with an orchestra and as a standalone rock band. I was apprehensive about this show with only two members of the Moody Blues, however, the concert ended up being fantastic. We went home and continued the concert in our Family Room, as we just couldn't get enough of the Moody Blues music that evening. What a crazy good show!