Lovely To See You Again, My Friends

With a 180-degree turn in the weather compared to their last trip to Eugene, the Moody Blues played to a somewhat damp crowd of fans on Wednesday, June 1 at the Cuthbert Amphitheatre in Alton Baker Park. During their 2009 visit, organizers delayed the starting time of the concert from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m. because -- dig this -- it was too hot.

No foolin': it was well over 100 degrees with a sharp sun glare positioned directly in the bands eyes, and everybody -- even the audience -- was relieved when they delayed the starting time by an hour. This time, it was cold and wet, which did nothing to diminish the enthusiasm of the small and slightly soggy crowd.

The music was great as always, but one of the lead singers, Justin Hayward, had some trouble hitting the high notes, admitting as much to the audience. "Feel free to help me" with the harmonies, he pleaded to the crowd politely. His female back-up singers and a few in the audience gamely picked up the slack.

Turns out the band had to cancel the previous night's show in Boise because a "key band member" was sick; I suspect it was Justin Hayward. All in all, though, another memorable show: Jory, Rebecca and I had excellent seats close to the stage. Can't be afraid to pay top whack for prime ducats.