“Days of Future Passed” Comes Alive

Passing decades and performances in the thousands have in no way dulled John Lodge’s passion for “Days of Future Passed,” the iconic, groundbreaking, and genre-influencing LP that first brought acclaim to Rock and Hall Fame member The Moody Blues.

The part-time Naples resident will perform the entirety of the album, which includes long-time FM staples “Nights in White Satin” and “Tuesday Afternoon,” along with a selection of the British ensemble’s other classics, on February 25 at the Seminole Casino in Immokalee. It will be stop number two on the latest U.S. leg of the “John Lodge Performs Days of Future Passed” tour, which runs through March.

A bassist, singer and songwriter, Lodge and his bandmates recorded the LP in Britain with the London Festival Orchestra. Released in 1967, the concept album’s fusion of rock and the orchestral, along with poetry from Moody Blues, is often credited with influencing the progressive rock movement. It was a moderate success initially. But FM radio’s explosion during that time period and the steady airplay of “Nights in White Satin” made the album a Top 10 U.S. hit in 1972. 

The tour, which began last February, fulfills a goal for Lodge, who’d always wanted to perform the “Days of Future Passed” as a show for American audiences. He’s been enjoying the ride, both as a performer who appreciates his audience and on an even more personal level. 

“I'm having a real great time because the album, of course, meant so much to and for the Moodies,” he said. “But it meant so much to a lot of people who were there at the time and who've grown up listening to Moody Blues music, although they may not have known it was the Moody Blues, you know. It's great to see the reaction from an audience when you play their favorite song or perhaps a song they've never heard before, but they can relate to it at that moment when you’re performing on stage.” 

“Day of Future Passed” resulted from the group’s record company requesting an original work that blended pop with progressive orchestration. The result was a suite of songs about the life of a common man, with the band and orchestra mostly playing separately, and the recordings then mixed together.

Lodge said that with previous blends of orchestras and pop, “the orchestras were used just to sweeten the song, and we didn't do that. We used the orchestra as an integral part of the whole concept. The orchestra itself was as important as everything else, particularly with the poetry from Graham Edge, which Mike (Pinder) narrated. Having the orchestra wrapped around that, it became one.”

The first set of Lodge’s “Performs Days of Future Passed” is dedicated to Moody Blues fan favorites not from that album, such as “Isn’t Life Strange,” “Legend of a Mind,” “I’m Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band” and “Ride my See-Saw.” The second set is all “Days of Future Passed” in full symphonic sound, enhanced video, and dazzling lighting. 

Joining him on stage will be his “10,000 Light Years Band.” Included are keyboardist and music director Alan Hewitt and drummer Billy Ashbaugh, both from the Moody Blues touring band, Duffy King on guitars, and Jason Charboneau on cello. Singer and multi-instrumentalist Jon Davison of YES, who is Lodge’s son-in-law, will join him on “Nights in White Satin" and “Tuesday Afternoon.”

“I'm really enjoying what I'm doing right now,” said Lodge. “I've got a fantastic band with the 10,000 Light Year Band. Alan Hughes was the keyboard player with me in the Moody Blues for 15 years, and my drummer, Billy Ashbaugh, was with the Moody Blues, as well, for about five years. So I've got, you know, the engine room of the Moody Blues in my band.

Shows feature special videos and recordings by late Moody Blues co-founder and drummer Graeme Edge of his poems “Morning Glory” and “Late Lament,” who wrote them for the album. Before Edge’s 2021 passing, Lodge asked him to record them so that he could always be on stage with him. 

The show will also be in support of Lodge’s new album “Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn.” Recorded over the last year, the album grew from the current live show Lodge and his band did recreating the classic album. Included are the special recordings by Edge and performances by Davison. 

Available on CD and on all streaming services, the LP also comes in a limited edition, 180g Red Gold, vinyl album format, something finds exciting.

“I'm really pleased with the album because vinyl to me is fantastic: double gatefold sleeve, with all the information, and pictures of photographs,” he said. “It’s something you can look at and absorb while listening to the album. Hopefully, it adds a new dimension to what you're listening to because vinyl albums with double gatefold sleeves in the 60s and 70s did that for me. You know, I listened to the album and then read about who's playing on the album, where it was recorded, who wrote the songs. The reproduction of the sound is fantastic. Whether you like the music, that's down to the listener, but the recording and the way the music comes off on the vinyl record is superb.”

Tickets are on sale for the “John Lodge Performs Days of Future Passed” tour. VIP packages are available, including a personal video message from Lodge, an autographed poster, tote and laminate and exclusive merchandise. For ticket purchase links and more information, visit  johnlodge.com/tour. The Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee is located at 506 S 1st St, Immokalee. For more information, visit seminoleimmokaleecasino.com/ or call 239-658-1313.