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©PatriciaSeatonPhotographyThanksgiving is this Thursday, but Moody Blues fans will have much to be thankful for a couple days later when a new concert special starring the band premieres on PBS as the latest episode of Great Performances. The program features highlights from two shows the British rockers played this past July at Toronto’s Sony Centre during which they performed their influential 1967 symphonic concept album Days of Future Passed in its entirety.
The Moody Blues: Days of Future Passed Live features the band accompanied by Toronto’s World Festival Orchestra, and singer/guitarist Justin Hayward tells ABC Radio that both concerts recorded for the program “were absolutely magical.”
Hayward says among the factors that made the shows special was the enthusiasm with which the orchestral musicians embraced the material.
“When they saw the parts and first played them in a rehearsal, I think they realized that this was kind of good stuff,” Justin notes. “And they…were totally into it, and I think that made a big difference to the atmosphere of the evening.”
In addition to the full Days of Future Passed, which includes the classic tunes “Nights in White Satin” and “Tuesday Afternoon,” the show also features the band playing such hits as “I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band),” “Your Wildest Dreams” and “Question.”
The Toronto shows were part of The Moody Blues’ Days of Future Passed 50th Anniversary Tour, and those concerts were special because at most of the other dates on the trek, the band played along to pre-recorded orchestral tracks.
The Moody Blues: Days of Future Passed Live will begin airing on PBS stations this Saturday, November 25; check your local listings. The concert special will eventually be released as a home video.
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