October 27th, 2018

John Lodge, the bass player for the Moody Blues and a 2018 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, brought his immeasurable talents to Cleveland's Music Box Supper Club Thursday evening.

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Sporting a mop of some of the best hair in popular music, the 73-year old bassist is one of rock's elder statesman, yet he plays with an intensity and vigor of a man half his age.

 

After local musician Chris Cuda of Cleveland's Prog Nation warmed up the audience with a few original tunes and covers of some of progressive rock's staples, Mr. Lodge took to the stage for a rousing hundred-minute set.

Leading a four-piece outfit, the bassist thanked the crowd for attending and said he was happy to be back in the city that had just enshrined him and his bandmates into the Rock Hall six months earlier.  Calling it an "honor" to be inducted into the shrine on the shores of Lake Erie, Lodge was all smiles as he talked about induction weekend back in April.

From there, the quartet jumped right into the fifteen tune set.  Offering several Moody Blues tunes in which he sang lead vocals, the journeyman bass player gave us "Steppin' In A Slide Zone" right out of the gate.  His voice was in fine form throughout the night as he made his way through many Moody tunes.  Playing two compositions from the Moody Blues' seminal 1967 masterpiece Days of Future Passed, the crowd went crazy for "Peak Hour" and "Evening (Time To Get Away)."
 

Perhaps the highlight of the evening was a killer version of "Saved By The Music" from his 1975 album Blue Jays, a collaboration with Justin Hayward.   

Offering "I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)" prior to the encore, Lodge showed that he's still a force to be reckoned with.

Closing the evening with "Ride My See Saw," the near-capacity crowd was on its feet.  As he finished, it was difficult to guess who was smiling more, Lodge or the acolytes who had come to see a master craftsman giving it all for this Cleveland crowd.

Photos and Review by Brian M. Lumley