Cosmic classics by Moody Blues

By Greg Haymes
Special to The Times Union

ALBANY - The Sunday night crowd at the Palace Theatre looked something like a baby­boomers convention or a massive PTA meeting, and there was a good reason for it. Chances are that most of the young rock fans were across the river at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Houston Field House banging their heads to the hot, hard sounds of Skid Row.

Back at the Palace, the Moody Blues were considerably more subdued, as befitting their thirty­ and fortysomething fans. The British, classic­rockers have long ago abandoned the blues, but they provided plenty of mood, mostly of the umptuously romantic or cosmically searching variety.

Although it was nearly a quarter of a century ago that the string­soaked sounds of the Moody Blues first sent fans into a dreamy reverie, former heartthrob vocalist­guitarist Justin Hayward can still make the girls swoon, and as he sang, "Lovely to see you again, my friend," during the show opener, he sent Moody fans throughout the jam packed theater flashing back to the days of future passed and more aquarian times.

"We're going to take a little journey back in time," Hayward proclaimed as the Moodys resurrected forgotten memories and created a few new ones along the way as they ranged through their 17­album catalog, including their current "Keys of the Kingdom."

Backed by two female vocalists, two synthesizer players and an additional drummer, Hayward, flutist Ray Thomas, bassist John Lodge and drummer Graeme Edge recreated their lush musical blend of pseudo­symphonic and rock styles as their ever­rich vocal harmonies soared heavenward. Even without the backing of the London Festival Orchestra, esteemed FM radio staples like "Nights in White Satin" and "Tuesday Afternoon" sounded properly luxurious and grandiose, anchoring relatively newer hits like "Your Wildest Dreams" and "I Know You're Out There Somewhere."

The only time that the band fell victim to its own excesses was during the its hardest­rocking tune, "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)," which collapsed into an overblown, tedious instrumental rave­up. Fortunately, they rallied with the closing dramatic sweep of "Question" and a rousing encore charge through "Ride My See­Saw."

The veteran cosmic rockers brought the crowd to the threshold of a dream on their continuing search for the lost chord. Yeah, I know it all sounds just a bit corny, and it was. But it worked, too, as the band melded old­fashioned '60s nostalgia with contemporary, state­of­the­art lighting effects.

Hayward said recently of the band's future, "We might go on forever," and it certainly seems as though they might do just that. Their music sounds ageless.

In fact, about the only thing missing at the Palace show was a few of the band's infamous poetic recitations. So just to wrap things up on the appropriate note, here we go. all together now: "When the white eagle of the North is flying overhead the browns. reds and golds of autumn lie in the gutter, dead. Remember then, that summer birds with wings of fire flaying come to witness spring's new hope, born of leaves decaying..."