Welcome to the DECEMBER Tour! On The Road With MaggieMay... NYC is an overwhelming place. The crowds, the buildings, the frantic pace at which life is lived here. Friends at dinner exclaimed over their hotel room view of Central Park. I laughed, and said, well, I OWN a tree! LOL A bunch of them, and shrubs and bushes, too! These people are the poorest in the world. THE VENUE City center couldn't be more convenient! Rather than waiting anxiously in line for a taxi to get to The Beacon, all we have to do is walk across the street, through an atrium and we're there. It's great! City center didn't have a marquee, but has a series of blue awnings where the pre-concert crowd milled and visited in the cool, but not cold weather. The Moodies were announced by a solitary poster in an outdoor display case. One enters thru the doors entering a small foyer with the will-call window at one end. Ushers take your ticket at a second set of doors. I didn't notice ANY security at the doors, on reflection, I don't remember seeing any at all! No one was posted in front or by the stage. I guess we're not considered dangerous by New York standards! LOL  The
small plain lobby had concessions and restrooms and we were directed to
a short flight of steps on the right. It didn't seem very crowded,
despite the fact that SueC and I went back out for some air (lol) and came
back in around 7:45 for the 8 o'clock start. A pleasant usher escorted
me to my seat and told me that the hall seated around 2300. She said
it was about two-thirds sold, around 1500. I guess it's pointless
to say the obvious, but , I'll do it nonetheless: there are a LOT
of other towns in the States that appreciate The Moodies far more than
NYC.
The auditorium was very nice with no discernible design theme. Elegant and understated, the color of light cream with interesting gold designs. The two balconies were anchored by a strange architectural creation on either side. It looked like a battlement topped with a dome. The top balcony, largely empty, was set back from the lower one, both looked fairly shallow. The ceiling was very pretty with a large central circle and a smaller one on either side. A series of 8 lamps were arrayed toward the stage in front of the circles. In front of the lamps were star designs in gold. The star motif was repeated in lights underneath the lower balcony. Very pretty! The area in front of and surrounding the stage was a rich, dark brown, and on closer inspection was decorated with a raised design of the same color. It contrasted nicely with the cream and gold color theme. Burgundy curtains were over the stage. The auditorium could not possibly be farther from the concept of rock 'n roll and one expected Swan Lake to be presented instead of The Moodies. The front of the stage was also painted brown and was a moderate 39 inches high. Mikes were set back at least 10 feet. The speakers were placed at the sides of the stage in front of the right and left side seats and consisted of two large boxes about 2x5ft. There was a set of three speakers beyond those, but SueC and I couldn't tell if they were being used or if the 6 front fill speakers were in use. The large boxes directly in front of us precluded us from hearing anything else, ever again. "What ?" will be the only word I'll be saying today. I pity the fools who will be in front of those speakers tonight, and they better be armed with ear plugs if they ever want to hear normal conversation again. Sometimes the front row is not all it's cracked up to be! LOL  Besides
the new music being presented, the most exciting thing this tour has been
the lighting! Mick Thornton continues to experiment, develop and
refine The Moodies lighting, and it both compliments and enhances the performance.
The show is the music, the stage is completely bare except for the
artists and their equipment. The fantasy and interest is all in the
lighting! It's obvious that Mick is an artist who is never satisfied.
Last night again saw something new - a trapezoid screen over the stage,
slightly tilted out. We had a perfect view of it. I REALLY
liked the effect, even when the lights weren't shown on it. It gives
the stage a stronger focal point and *pushes* out the performers.
Rather than taking your attention away from the action on stage, it seems
to move your eye TO it. I didn't notice the lights until Tuesday
Afternoon, and the screen sharply focused the blue and pink starburst images.
The four panels behind the stage give a softer effect. I really like
the lighting in Slide Zone and the movement of the purple targets across
the screen was fabulous. VERY nice!
THE FASHION REPORT JL - White long-slvd bib shirt with pleats and ruffle, leathers, boots, 2nd half white long-slvd shirt with tiny pleats JH - Sherbet western shirt, blue jeans, studded boots, 2nd half Drops of Blood shirt, black tux pants, shoes GE - Jimi Hendrix shirt, black slacks, 2nd half Red Ho Ho shirt Norda - Black brocade strapless top with ruffled skirt, boots, no change at half Bernie - White v-necked top with black velvet jacket, black slacks, no change at half Paul - White long-slvd shirt with tan stripes Gordon - White dragon tshirt, black cargo pants, 2nd half black knit shirt, white pants Bernie looked great in her fancy NY outfit. There were gold lines that sparkled on her top and it was an eye catcher. She looked very seasonal and festive. That side of the stage looked perfect and The Girls outfits were very complimentary to themselves AND to each other.  I
realize that *I* see The Moodies um, more than once and most people make
that their Moody limit, so I don't complain about seeing the same clothes
over and over. And over and over! LOL If it works, it
works. However! I do think that clothing should be "seasonal",
though I don't mind a range between ready to rock 'n roll and an evening
at the opera. It's time to lovingly pack away the sherbet western
shirt (or give it to me to keep FOR you!) and the gauze look Drops of Blood
shirt. They say *summer*, we're up north, it's cold and you're singing
about reindeer. It's incongruous! Those shirts have to go!
I suppose hoping that the Jays will come out for the 2nd half in ANYTHING Christmas is just too much to hope for. Even a white western style shirt with red piping would do. Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? LOL The Battle of The Buttons Sadly, an armistice was signed. It breaks my heart! THE CONCERT The Tuesday concert (the first of two at the City center) was, as SueC put it "pretty darn good"! I thought so too. The revised Holiday setlist (henceforth to be known as the Holiday setlist) was performed in its entirety with a 20 minute intermission and it definitely had a spark if not a consuming flame. The start was not smooth in NYC. The intro was started, the guys made their entrance and while the audience expected them to start playing, they didn't. The intro went on and on due to problems with the lead guitarist. JH was suffering from technical problems requiring JohnB's (The Moodies guitar tech) assistance. Whatever the problem was, it was fixed promptly, and the Band lit in to Lovely to See You. Gemini Dream went well and I was treated to Paul's keyboards, close up and personal. What a great keyboard part! Tuesday Afternoon and Lean on Me were very good, nice performances. English Sunset was the best I've heard it all tour, charged up for a nice change. Justin had a small stumble over the lyrics, but caught himself almost immediately. The first half was solid and well-performed.  YWD
again opened the second half, and a lively and energized Mr Hayward gave
a great performance, dancing up at the mike and belting it out. The
DECEMBER cuts were excellent and DNaR was strong.
Higher and Higher provides the traveling fan's raison d'etre! It is the ONE song that varies every single night, always holding the unexpected. Graeme did a powerful performance, very commanding, and wowed the audience with his dance routine. He went up the steps and I was surprised to see him bend down to Alan (The Moodies drum tech) behind his drumkit. I couldn't figure out for the life of me what he was up to! He stood up to play and was wearing a HUGE grin, and... A REINDEER HAT!!! OMG! I enjoyed John Lodge's stunned look almost more than anything else. Oh, he was surprised! He motioned to Justin to look and I guess nothing Graeme does surprises him anymore. He just looked amused. Graeme's performance of the H&H drum solo was one for the books. He's the Life of the Party, the Belle of the Ball. The heart of The Moody Blues isn't at center stage, under the spotlight. It's sitting behind the drum kit. : ) The rest of the concert went very well and had a good ending. It was a very enjoyable performance. Justin has had his ups and downs onstage lately, and Tuesday night was definitely a good one for him. He seemed to be enjoying himself! Lots of smiles, which were nice to see. I thought the audience was the single negative note. The rows at the front of the stage were up and rockin', but the balconies were pretty dead as were large pockets on the floor. Luckily, we were in a happening pocket of enthusiastic fans. SueC and I had a horrible moment of panic right before the concert. We had forgotten Randy and left him in the limo! I won't say we were tipsy, but I won't say we weren't, either. We found TR at the break and he reassured us that the limo driver could be trusted, and we recovered Randy after the concert. Back in the arms of the ones he loves! After all... We NEED a reindeer! MaggieMay A ray of hope flickers in the sky A tiny spark lights up way up high Photos courtesy of SueC |
| New York |
