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Sarasota News Leader November 29, 2013 Page 112 THE MOODY BLUES COMING BACK TO THE VAN WEZEL IN MARCH The Moody Blues, still rocking in 2013 with original members Justin Hayward, John Lodge and Graeme Edge, have released 24 albums in a career spanning nearly five decades. On March 24, they will return to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota to perform many of their hits. The group has sold more than 70 million albums, a news release notes, earning 18 platinum discs "and all manner of awards," including the Golden Ticket for selling the most tickets at Madison Square Garden. The Moody Blues' classic album, Days of Future Passed (featuring the signature song Nights in White Satin), "heralded the era of the concept album and detailed sleeve artwork that would epitomize the Progressive The Moody Blues will take the Van Wezel stage on March 24. Contributed photo by Mark Owens Rock movement that followed," the release notes. "began to compose new material … Eager to "Formed in 1964 in Birmingham, England, The recoup some of the money [it] had invested Moody Blues came from the same gene pool in the band, Decca asked The Moody Blues to that would give the world Traffic, the Move, record a rock version of Dvorak's New World Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Slade," the Symphony" to demonstrate a new stereo sysrelease continues. The band's original line-up tem it was launching. Instead, The Moody of Denny Laine, Graeme Edge, Clint Warwick, Blues, along with producer Tony Clarke, Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder scored a global used the orchestral settings for a suite of the No. 1 hit with Go Now, but unable to follow group's own songs, which resulted in Days of up this success, Warwick and Laine left the Future Passed. This proved a turning point group, to be replaced by John Lodge and for the band members, the release continues. Justin Hayward, respectively, in 1966, the They soon "became acknowledged masters of lushly orchestrated psychedelic rock and release says. trailblazers in the use of the mellotron, which "For the next few months, the band crafted a they used both live and in the studio to mimic new set of original compositions that would the sounds of a full orchestra." change their fortunes," the release adds. Tickets are priced from $35 to $85. For more "Drastically re-thinking their musical information, call the box office at 953-3368 or approach," it notes, the band members visit www.VanWezel.org. %