And the sound we make together...
Jeanne Harmon, warming up at the Redmoor...Last night it was my great pleasure to catch, Days of Future Passed, at the Redmoor in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Moody Blues have long been one of my favorite bands and their songs still move me like nothing else save, The Beatles and early, King Crimson. The Moody Blues produced some of the most spiritually profound music ever recorded. Period. The Moody Blues are not your average white band. Their music is more about being listened to and Grokked in fullness than being danced to. The Moody Blues songs are deep, meaningful and make no apology for believing in higher spiritual principles. Their music is different from anything else I've ever listened to and I can't recommend them highly enough to anyone who might be reading this post. Find a copy of, Threshold of a Dream, and discover for yourself what I'm talking about. You'll be amazed.
Days of Future Passed, are true to the, Moody Blues, sound without being imprisoned to a note for note recitation of the original songs. I found them to be far more interpretive of the music than mimicking of it and they put on one heck of a good show. More often than not their songs ended in silence rather than applause simply because those of us in attendance were in awe of the performance we were watching. It was different than your traditional, Friday night get drunk and dance show. It was church. And all of us there knew all the words and sang the hymns that have been such an important part of our individual lives for a very long time.
As much as I enjoyed the whole band I have to say that, Jeanne Harmon, on flute just flat out laid it down. She rocked. Again and again her solo moments drew appreciative applause from the crowd and she impressed everyone in the house. Yeah, I'd pay money to see her perform anytime and anywhere. She wasn't afraid to go for the big parts in a big way and her performance was simply awe inspiring.
My only complaint for the night was in song selection. Don't get me wrong, I walked away from this concert completely satisfied, but there were a couple of obscure selections and maybe a tune or two designed more to appeal to bar owners looking to fill dance floors than I'd have liked to hear myself. There were moments where they sounded like the Moody Blues doing Vegas and it dampened the overall profoundness of their performance. Every time they had the opportunity to really nail down a special evening they opted for a more commercial Moody's tune and it was a bit disconnected and jarring. My advice to the, Days of Future Passed, would be to dump soungs like, Peak Hour, from their play list and go full out for the spiritual material. Send the crowd home saying, "Wow, that's some of the most amazing music I've ever heard." Don't worry about playing pop music that's easy to dance to and has the bubble gum beat. (Thanks, Ken, for that little chewable nugget.)
Look, what you guys are bringing into clubs is different than any of the same old same old we're used to hearing over our buckets of Budweiser beers and baskets of stale nacho chips and salsa. Don't be afraid to go cosmic. Leave us glued to our seats in amazement, dance floors forgotten as we journey with you into forgotten realms where empires have turned back to sand. Be electric, be trippin', Hell, that's we'll come for if you serve it up boldly enough.
All in all the evening I experienced last night was a Friday evening I found unique, enjoyable and completely different than the usual fare I've come to loathe about the current bar scene. An evening of Moody Blues music performed by a very competent group of musicians who put on a really good show, what could be finer than that? If you live in and or around the Dayton, Cincinnati area, go and see this band. You won't be disappointed.
Days of Future Passed, are true to the, Moody Blues, sound without being imprisoned to a note for note recitation of the original songs. I found them to be far more interpretive of the music than mimicking of it and they put on one heck of a good show. More often than not their songs ended in silence rather than applause simply because those of us in attendance were in awe of the performance we were watching. It was different than your traditional, Friday night get drunk and dance show. It was church. And all of us there knew all the words and sang the hymns that have been such an important part of our individual lives for a very long time.
As much as I enjoyed the whole band I have to say that, Jeanne Harmon, on flute just flat out laid it down. She rocked. Again and again her solo moments drew appreciative applause from the crowd and she impressed everyone in the house. Yeah, I'd pay money to see her perform anytime and anywhere. She wasn't afraid to go for the big parts in a big way and her performance was simply awe inspiring.
My only complaint for the night was in song selection. Don't get me wrong, I walked away from this concert completely satisfied, but there were a couple of obscure selections and maybe a tune or two designed more to appeal to bar owners looking to fill dance floors than I'd have liked to hear myself. There were moments where they sounded like the Moody Blues doing Vegas and it dampened the overall profoundness of their performance. Every time they had the opportunity to really nail down a special evening they opted for a more commercial Moody's tune and it was a bit disconnected and jarring. My advice to the, Days of Future Passed, would be to dump soungs like, Peak Hour, from their play list and go full out for the spiritual material. Send the crowd home saying, "Wow, that's some of the most amazing music I've ever heard." Don't worry about playing pop music that's easy to dance to and has the bubble gum beat. (Thanks, Ken, for that little chewable nugget.)
Look, what you guys are bringing into clubs is different than any of the same old same old we're used to hearing over our buckets of Budweiser beers and baskets of stale nacho chips and salsa. Don't be afraid to go cosmic. Leave us glued to our seats in amazement, dance floors forgotten as we journey with you into forgotten realms where empires have turned back to sand. Be electric, be trippin', Hell, that's we'll come for if you serve it up boldly enough.
All in all the evening I experienced last night was a Friday evening I found unique, enjoyable and completely different than the usual fare I've come to loathe about the current bar scene. An evening of Moody Blues music performed by a very competent group of musicians who put on a really good show, what could be finer than that? If you live in and or around the Dayton, Cincinnati area, go and see this band. You won't be disappointed.
DirkStar, Saturday, May 14, 2011
0 Tie-Dyed Hippies.
