16 June 2023 (gig)
18 June 2023
Fans of the Moody Blues have endured a dry spell, as the band has been inactive since 2018. Also, the death of the group's drummer Graeme Edge in 2021, spoiled any chance the band had at regrouping.
With the band now a memory, Moody Blues' frontman Justin Hayward has been very active performing solo shows for those who still love to hear the classic rock staples he voiced.
The pairing of Hayward and 80s yacht rock architect Christopher Cross performed at the Lowell Auditorium in Lowell, Massachusetts on June 16, 2023.
Opening the show, Hayward played a set of mainly Moody Blues numbers, beginning with the classic "Tuesday Afternoon" and "The Actor", a lesser-known cut from 1968.
Reminding the audience that the Moody Blues' hits did not stop in the 70s, Hayward did a magnificent job on the 1981 smash, "The Voice."
The set's highlight came when Hayward performed his amazing cover of "Forever Autumn." The song was included on the 1978 album, "Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds" (Wayne is one of the writers of the song). An ethereal and atmospheric song, Hayward still managed to make the song sound as stellar as it did 45 years ago.
Other amazing moments came with 1986's "Your Wildest Dreams", (possibly the best song the Moody Blues created in the 80s) and an epic rendering of the iconic "Knights in White Satin" was phenominal.
Hayward ended his set strongly with "The Story in Your Eyes" and "I Know You're Out There Somewhere," which was actually the final Top 40 hit for the Moody Blues.
Christopher Cross opened with his pop-lite hits as "All Right" and "Never Be the Same".
His 1980 smash "Sailing" resonated well, but his best moment was 1981's "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)". The theme from the Dudley Moore comedy "Arthur". History has shown that the song is now better remembered than that movie (which featured Moore at his best).
Beefing things up a bit, Cross pulled out the semi-rocker "No Time for Talk" from 1983's "Another Page" album, and then perfectly ended the night with the classic, "Ride Like the Wind" (originally featuring extra vocals from Doobie Brother Michael McDonald), and closed out the show with one of his most endearing cuts, "Think of Laura".
