Legendary Moody Blues bassist John Lodge treated fans to two hour long sets Tuesday Night at Cohoes Music Hall. Set 1 consisted of Moody Blues classics such as “Isn’t Life Strange�, “Gemini Dream�, and “I’m Just A Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)� among others for the capacity crowd. This intimate venue is a great place to see a show, not a bad seat in the house. Lodge tackled the lead vocals through the first set, and although he’s not the singer that Justin Hayward is, he did an admirable job. At 77 years old, let’s give him credit for going out and performing for his fans. Lodge interacted with the crowd often, and his 10,000 Light Years Band were more than capable in recreating these classics.

After a brief intermission, the entire “Days of Future Passed� album was played, and keyboardist Alan Hewitt did a great job recreating the orchestral arrangements. Lodge also paid tribute to the Moody’s drummer Graeme Edge who passed away in 2021. He spoke fondly of his former bandmate, and to the audience’s surprise, Edge had recorded some of the narration that was used on the album, and was shown on the backing screen reciting it during the performance. A second surprise for the crowd was when Yes vocalist Jon Davison was brought out to sing with the band during “Tuesday Afternoon� and “Nights In White Satin�. Davison returned for the encore of “Ride My See-Saw� and as expected the crowd gave Lodge and his band a rousing ovation.

I had not listened to the Moody Blues for quite some time, and it was a great experience to hear some of those classic tracks again live. Lodge was an excellent master of ceremonies; he enjoyed interacting with his band and the crowd. By all accounts, he made many people happy they came out to see this show.

Eric Porter