Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, July 1, 1994                   TAG: 9407020023
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SYMPHONY ADDED A TOUCH OF CLASS, BUT IT WAS STILL MOODY BLUES ROCK

An orchestra can have that effect. Wednesday night at the Roanoke Civic Center, the Moody Blues and Roanoke Symphony Orchestra proved the point.

The more the orchestra was featured, the more regal the show became. When the orchestra wasn't at the forefront, the more average the show became.

Either way, Moody Blues fans probably weren't disappointed.

"They're making a lot of old hippies happy tonight," one old hippie named Elliott Bayer commented.

Others might have been a little less nostalgic.

The two-hour show started out regally enough with an overture of Moody Blues music played by the orchestra, which was led for the evening by the Moody's own conductor, Larry Baird.

Then the Moody Blues came out, taking up position center stage. The orchestra was seated behind the band.

The group opened with a tease, starting with one of its better-known songs, "Tuesday Afternoon."

The rest of the first set, however, never matched up, as the band indulged in some of its lesser-known material. Particularly weak was "Steppin' in a Slide Zone" and "Lean on Me Tonight," which highlighted some dreadful singing by bass player John Lodge.

After intermission, things picked up when the band kicked into its classics.

Let's face it. The group's older, more popular song are more popular for good reason. They're better songs.

To his credit, Lodge redeemed himself somewhat on "Isn't Life Strange."

Flutist Ray Thomas, who looked more like the leader of a polka band than a rocker, won the audience over with his heartfelt vocal and flute work on "Timothy Leary."

On the other show-stoppers, "Nights in White Satin," "Question" and "Ride My See-Saw," main lead singer Justin Hayward was nearly perfect.

The orchestration on these songs really shined, taking the show beyond the typical rock concert experience.

Not surprisingly, the response from the audience of 4,484 was also the most enthusiastic on these numbers.

But make no mistake, it was still first and foremost a rock concert, complete with screaming electric guitar solos and synchronized female backup singers. Even with the symphony on hand, the Moodys never pretended that the show was anything more.

Regal maybe, but never fine art.