On Sunday, July 16, a crowd at Saratoga Performing Arts Center was treated to folksy, trippy, and bluesy pop music on a cool summer night. The sky was filled with golden and blue light as The Moody Blues took to the stage washed in purples and indigos, with Justin Hayward, John Lodge, and Graeme Edge singing along to “Just a Singer.” The British band paused to greet the crowd after three songs, and smiled as they reminded us to “Say it with Love,” washing their poetry over the swaying and mellow audience.
Even if you couldn’t immediately name a song by The Moody Blues other than “Nights in White Satin,” the band reminded you as each song came out that they are familiar from years of singing along to the radio. A montage of photos celebrating their 50 years of playing together scrolled on the screen behind them, bringing old band members with them on the journey.
From “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere” to “Isn’t Life Strange,” Hodge smiled and crooned like a proper flirt. Lodge, squeezed into leather pants, shook his money maker and had the crowd clapping along. Even in their 70s, the men exuded a sexy confidence that had their fans swooning.
The band brought its mellow and soothing folksy blues to Saratoga on a cool summer night, and while not every note hit its pitch, the words to the songs reminded the joyful crowd to simply be present with one another and celebrate connection. The audience members were smiling to one another and sharing the mellow energy, dancing together in reverie.
The message from The Moody Blues and their music, unlike the rest of us, never gets old.
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