MUSIC REVIEW: THE MOODY BLUES LIVE AT THE GRANADA THEATRE

English Rock is Truly the Cradle of a Musical Revolution

(May 17, 2011 in Santa Barbara, California) There is nothing moody about The Moody Blues when they storm a stage and rock your soul in a sold-out concert like the one we just attended this week in Santa Barbara at the newly revamped Granada Theatre. The array of songs chosen to ablaze the night spanned the band’s 40 years-plus performing, and we felt we were back in time for the next two hours, jumping, singing, sweating, taking off on a wild ride like a bunch of mad Harley Davidson riders jumping through time zones and parallel universes. From the avalanche of guitar riffs and blasting vocals bringing to life classics such as “Night in White Satin,” “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere,” or “I’m Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band,” nobody would have dared confront these dudes and tell them to stop rocking, even though reaching 70 years of age for some of them. Truly, rock is ageless, and the spirit of music was bringing to life each and every single one of us -- unity is here and now.

In numbers, The Moody Blues would make your head spin in stupor: 70 million albums sold worldwide since their creation in 1967 (damn! This is the year of my birth!), and over 14 platinum and gold discs to prove that, one more time, English Rock like the The Rolling Stones and The Beatles is truly the cradle of a musical revolution that gave the youth of the '60s the impulse to truly change society and create a pluralistic, more egalitarian society. Doubt me? Ask your mother what it took her to get her own bank account or dare to burn her bras!

Music is divine, and with this divinity within, we can become peace in action and raise the flag of freedom. Take us on the rocky road to liberty and democracy, mighty Moody Blues, and as one peace army, let’s keep being the change we want to see in the world!

Photos by Rick Carter