Justin Hayward -- Wind of Heaven Tour

I spent an enchanted evening on Valentine's Day, attending Justin Hayward's "Wind of Heaven Tour," at the Lexington Opera House.

Hayward, along with virtuoso guitarist Mike Dawes and multi-talented keyboardist/background singer Julie Ragins, performed 14 songs, a mix of Hayward's solo efforts and  Moody Blues' standards. 

Justin Hayward

Hayward, who turned 70 last October, delivered heartfelt and emotional ballads as well as a few uptempo tunes from his vast catalog of music. I'm not sure his voice has improved with age (he was at the top of his game during the Moodies' core seven era from 1967-72), but there is still the sincerity and honesty in his voice that has connected with music lovers for more than a half-century. 

Mike Dawes, Justin Hayward and Julie Ragins

Appropriately, Hayward opened with "Tuesday Afternoon" and closed with the timeless "Nights in White Satin," followed by an encore "I Know You're Out There Somewhere," to an appreciative audience of 800 or so fans.

Among the other songs were "The Best Is Yet to Come," "One Day, Someday," "In Your Blue Eyes," and "Forever Autumn."

Mike Dawes

The concert started with Dawes playing several awe-inspiring instrumentals before Hayward took the stage. Dawes certainly has to rank as one of the best guitarists with what he can do with the instrument. 

This marked the first time I've seen Hayward without his MB mates. I've seen the Moodies nine times, dating back to 1971 in Kansas City. I've never been disappointed.


This year is the 50th anniversary of the Moodies' groundbreaking "Days of Future Passed" album,  which the group is commemorating with a tour this summer.

Until the next time. . .

Justin Hayward Concert Tickets

I must have been a good boy in 2016 because I scored some nice tickets for Justin Hayward's "The Wind of Heaven" concert tour.

Hayward, the singer, songwriter, and guitarist for the legendary Moody Blues, will be performing at the Lexington Opera House on Feb. 14.

Justin Hayward

 I had received several email notifications about the concert, and my son Justin heard announcements on the radio about the event and texted me about the date. He thought it would be a lovely way to spend Valentine's evening with his mom so I  put it on my calendar.

This morning at 10, I was on the Ticketmaster website to see if I could get decent tickets. It was a slow process and I was about to give up after an excruciating 25 minutes. 

I chose the option of letting Ticketmaster find two tickets, but the best it could do were rows J and K, and the seats weren't next to each other. 

So I gave it one final shot of finding seats, thinking they would be on the second level (which I wouldn't want). But to my amazement, perhaps a bit of shock, there were two tickets on the second row from the stage. 

Are you kidding me? 

I told my wife Mary what was available and she said go for it.  And I got them. Whoopee!

There will be four seats between us, but that's not a big deal. I mean, we bought the tickets to see and hear Justin Hayward perform, not to sit next to each other. For a couple of hours we'll get lost in the music, something that would have happened regardless of our seats. And then we'll sit next to each other on the way home in the car and (hopefully) talk about a wonderful concert by one of our favorite performers.

I'm not much of a concert-goer these days. I don't like large crowds, dealing with the traffic and parking, and poor acoustics.  Those things shouldn't be much of a problem at the Lexington Opera House.

Hayward, who recently turned 70,  presents a more intimate performance on the tour, playing an acoustic guitar, accompanied by guitarist extraordinaire Mike Dawes and keyboardist/backup vocalist Julie Ragins.

I recently purchased Hayward's "All The Way" CD, a compilation of some of his solo recordings since the mid-1970s. My only regret is that it has only  15 songs; it could have been a two-disc set, featuring other tunes from his songbook.

Now the countdown begins to the show. I'm looking forward to the new year.

Until the next time....



  

Fall Into the Music

For me, autumn is the loveliest time of the year in Kentucky with the bold palette of green, gold, yellow, red and brown leaves on too-soon-to-be bare trees dominating the landscape before the cold winds sweep in from the North.

The fall season also brings to mind some music I've listened to through the years. Most of the songs are rather melancholy, perhaps because the season represents to many as a time to let go, as in the falling leaves. 

Here are some of my favorite songs for the season:

Justin Hayward, the lead singer of the legendary Moody Blues, recorded my fall favorite, "Forever Autumn." Some believe it's a Moodies' song, but actually it was from Jeff Wayne's musical, "War of the Worlds," from the late '70s. 

The first verse sets the tone for the song:

"The summer sun is fading as the year grows old

And darker days are drawing near

The winter winds will be much colder

Now that you're not here."

Frank Sinatra sang about autumn in Ervin Drake's unforgettable "It Was a Very Good Year," a No. 1 song on Billboard's Easy Listening charts for Ol' Blue Eyes  in 1965

"But now the days are short, I'm in the autumn of my years

And I think of my life as vintage wine

From fine old kegs

From the brim to the dregs

It poured sweet and clear

It was a very good year."

Another memorable tune is Bobby Goldsboro's "Blue Autumn," written by Andrea, Caroline, Sharon and James Corr, from the '60s.

Again, the opening verse sets the tone for this song of lost love:

"Blue autumn

Falling leaves of red and gold

Pretty colors, I am told

But I see only shades of blue

Because I'm losing you."

Goldsboro also recorded, "Autumn of My Life," another break-up song, a hit from 1968:

"But in the autumn of my years I noticed the tears

And I knew that our life was in the past

Though I tried to pretend, I knew it was the end

For the autumn of my life had come at last."

But not all autumn songs are sad. 

Singer-songwriter Neil Young sang about being in love with a special lady in his "Harvest Moon."

"Because I'm still in love with you

I want to see you dance again

Because I'm still in love with you

On this harvest moon."

And the great Van Morrison with his timeless, "fantabulous" song  "Moondance" that speaks of love and romance:

"Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance

With the stars up above in your eyes

A fantabulous night to make romance

'Neath the cover of October skies

And the leaves on the trees are falling

To the sound of the breezes that blow

And I'm trying to please to the calling

Of your heart-strings that play soft and low."

Do you have any favorite songs of autumn?

Until the next time...

Story Songs: December Snow

Ten years ago the Moody Blues released a Christmas album called "December." Among the songs were the traditional "White Christmas," John and Yoko Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" as well as some of their own compositions.

My favorite is Justin Hayward's "December Snow," probably the only entry that can be played other times of the year. Those who've been to a Moodies concert in the past 10 years have probably heard Justin perform this bittersweet song.

For me, Hayward's heartfelt lyrics about the seasons are metaphors about warmth of friendship and love and the coldness that comes when that person has left your life.

The song begins:

"Like December snow

That lays in the wood

You're gone too soon

I knew you should"

And then he writes:

"With October skies

You brought your love

But November came

Taking  all I have

And

Time,  take this sadness from me

Time, bring my heart back safely

Hold on to warm September

'Cos life can be like December snow."

There is a piano solo, probably by Danilo Madonia, that conveys the bleakness and emptiness of the time. 

And the song closes with:

"Time,  take this sadness from me

Time, bring my heart back safely

Hold on to warm September

'Cos life can be like December snow."

For lots of folks, there is a sadness that comes during this time of the year when many reflect on their blessings as well as their losses. And there is seasonal  affective disorder -- or SAD -- that people experience during the winter months.

I hope your holidays are filled with joy and happiness.

"December Snow" lyrics

Live

Studio 

Until the next time...

Story Songs: Your Wildest Dreams

   The Moody Blues reflected on lost love in "Your Wildest Dreams."

   Lead singer/guitarist Justin Hayward penned the song, which reached No. 9 on the Billboard charts in 1986.

   The narrator recalls youthful times, possibly a first or teenage love, and how circumstances in life pulled them in different directions. And he reminisces:

"I wonder where you are
I wonder if you
Think about me
Once upon a time
In your wildest dreams"

   We learn that the singer is gravitates to music and away from the person he cares about, a decision in which he expresses some regret because they had something special between them:

"Once upon a time
Once beneath the stars
The universe was ours
Love was all we knew
And all I knew was you
I wonder if you know
I wonder if you think about it"

   And in the final verse, he again reveals that he thinks about her but wonders if she thinks about him:

"I remember skies
Mirrored in your eyes
I wonder where you are
I wonder if you
Think about me"

Do you ever wonder if those you cared about in your past still think about you?

The music video was named Video of the Year by Billboard magazine. The legendary Moodies recorded a sequel to the song two years later, "I Know You're Out There Somewhere," also written by Hayward.

"Your Wildest Dreams" lyrics