Photos by Andy Argyrakis

The Moody Blues may be no more, especially following the passing of co-founder, beat keeper and poet Graeme Edge, but the group who combined symphonic, psychedelic and progressive rock textures lives on thanks to the solo careers of singer/guitarist Justin Hayward and bassist/vocalist John Lodge.

Neither are strangers to the classy City Winery circuit, yet Hayward is the latest to log a pair of sell outs on “The Harmony” Tour, which also features acoustic guitar wizard and fellow Englishman Mike Dawes as the immensely skillful opener.

As far as the first night was concerned, it was straight out of “Your Wildest Dreams,” to quote one The Moody Blues’ comeback tracks from the 1980s, though Hayward, accompanied by Dawes, keyboardist Julie Ragins and flutist Karmen Gould, made sure to spend even more time in the ‘60s and ‘70s when the band was really revolutionizing what came out of the radio.

At 77-years-old, the headliner continues to possess the golden voice and strums that made “Tuesday Afternoon” and tons more globally famous, but before getting to the most obvious chart-toppers, revisited the deeper likes of “The Actor,” “Hope And Pray” and “The Western Sky” from 2013’s similarly named album.

As the 90 unplugged minutes progressed, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer introduced “Living For Love,” alongside such Moody memories as “The Voice,” “Blue World” and “Never Comes The Day,” plus his own “Forever Autumn.”

“Your Wildest Dreams” gave everyone a chance to sing along, “Question” was particularly adventurous, while the ballad “Nights In White Satin” seemed utterly timeless and even prompted many fans to wave blue glow sticks in the air.

Hayward then told “The Story In Your Eyes” and soon had the City Winery joining in again for “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere,” another glistening example of The Moody Blues’ latter day ability to attract additional generations that’s still being passed down to this very day.

For additional information on Justin Hayward, visit JustinHayward.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at City Winery include Mac McAnally (Oct. 25); Glass Cannon (Oct. 26); Bruch & Beats: Kids Concert (Oct. 28); Ben Ottewell and Ian Ball of Gomez (Oct. 28); Soul Bruch (Oct. 29); Chrisette Michele (Oct. 29-Oct. 31); The Juju Exchange (Nov. 1); RES (Nov. 4); Regina Belle (Nov. 5); Weedie Braimah (Nov. 6); Pavlo (Nov. 7); JoJo Hermann of Widespread Panic (Nov. 9); Soul Brunch (Nov. 12); Harold López-Nussa (Nov. 12); Jacob And Dean (Nov. 13); Marqueal Jordan (Nov. 14); Dar Williams (Nov. 16); Eric Roberson (Nov. 17-21); Beatles Brunch (Nov. 19); Ronnie Baker Brooks (Nov. 22); BoDeans (Nov. 24-26); J Roddy Walston (Nov. 27) and Christian Keyes (Nov. 28). For additional details, visit CityWinery.com/Chicago.

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