Q+A: Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues

Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2007 | 7:10 a.m.

Who: Moody Blues

When: 8 p.m., Thursday-Saturday

Where: Las Vegas Hilton

Tickets: $50 to $62.50

Information: 732-5755

Rock 'n' roll bands come and go, but the Moody Blues is forever.

The seminal progressive rock group from England has been around since 1964, forming two years after the Rolling Stones.

And while only two original Stones remain - Mick Jagger and Keith Richards - the Moody Blues has remained intact since 1966, when lead vocalist and guitarist Justin Hayward and vocalist/bassist John Lodge joined drummer Graeme Edge, who founded the group.

Its 1967 album "Days of Future Passed," was one of the first and most influential symphonic rock albums ever created. Out of that album came Hayward-penned singles "Tuesday Afternoon" and the classic, "Nights in White Satin."

Through the decades Moody Blues has not simply endured, but excelled. While many other groups from years past have become little more than caricatures of themselves, the Moody Blues has remained vital for almost half a century.

Among its vast library of hits are "Ride My See-Saw," "The Story in Your Eyes," "Isn't Life Strange," "Question," "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)" and "Your Wildest Dreams."

A highlight of its storied history was the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970, held in south England. More than 600,000 fans heard the Moody Blues, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Joe Cocker, Jefferson Airplane, Arthur Brown, The Move, Plastic Penny, T-Rex, The Mirage and Jethro Tull.

Justin Hayward recently talked to the Sun by phone.

Q: What are you working on?

I'm at a transfer studio here in Monaco - a little demo studio - going through tapes from our performance at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970. Murray Lerner, who shot the whole thing, contacted me recently and wanted to put our performance out as a full length show on DVD. Those are the tapes I'm beginning to go through now. I'll pick it up again when I come home from this tour in a couple of months. I think it could be out in late summer this year.

Tell us about the worldwide tour.

We started in the UK last September. The purpose of the tour is to promote "Lovely to See You LIVE," which we recorded last year at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. We're also promoting our last CD album, "December," which was released in 2004. After the tour we'll look at some new recordings.

You kick off the tour in the United States this week at the Las Vegas Hilton. What can fans expect?

Our show includes songs from most of our albums. The first half of the show contains newer things, since the '80s. The second half of the show is very much the greatest hits and things that people - I hope - will remember from the '60s, from the first seven classic albums that we've made. I hope there's something there for everybody.

Do you perform in Vegas often?

We had a deal years ago with Caesars to play a couple of times a year. It was a lovely showroom. They were authentic show-business people who knew how to treat artists. That showroom, of course, closed. Then we played Paris Las Vegas a few times. We did the MGM, which was very nice. Now we're looking forward to a new relationship with the Hilton.

Vegas, it's a town that Moody Blues fans love. They can have Moody Blues get-togethers and fan fests. I really enjoy that for them. A lot of Brits and Europeans will come to Vegas to see us just because it's such a great town. It makes an occasion for people. So it's always been special for us.

Does the band perform as often as it likes?

We're on the road six or seven months a year. We're offered more work now than we ever were in the '60s, which is curious. People are very interested in the live performance. The live DVD is a good representation of the band as we are now.

Moody Blues has been around for more than 40 years. How have you remained together for so long and remained so popular?

We took our own route. We were very lucky that Decca and London Records gave us the freedom to record what we wanted and the way we wanted to do it. That sets us apart from everybody else. We weren't part of the promotional celebrity scramble or anything like that. Changes in trends and fashions didn't seem to really affect us.

And then we had a very big resurgence in the '80s, which was surprising and very welcome for us. It enabled us to continue as we are now.

Who did you like in the early days? Would you like to see any of them come back?

We were very impressed by a lot of bands in the 1960s. It's kind of a fantasy that they would come back, but it's probably best to leave it alone.

Some of my favorite bands were The Byrds with "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star," and Buffalo Springfield. Because we understood that kind of music, we were accepted into that community. When we came to America in '68, the fact that we could play alongside those bands and be seen as equal with them contributed to our success.

Ever think about retiring, relaxing and enjoying the fruits of your labor?

That happens when I'm sitting in some awful dressing room with something scrawled on the wall, you know, with some awful catering. Yes, that happens every day and I get over it. But it won't happen at the Hilton. It was good enough for Elvis, it's good enough for us.