Justin Hayward is preparing for the launch of his The Voice of the Moody Blues UK tour next month, and already looking forward to live dates stretching into next year.
The itinerary begins in Milton Keynes on September 11 and includes ten concerts, finishing on the 23rd and including a London appearance at Union Chapel on September 19. The tour comes in the wake of Hayward’s appearance in the touring production of Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of The Worlds – Alive on Stage!
Subtitled Life Begins Again, the musical spectacular saw him reprising his role as the Sung Thoughts of the Journalist, singing the signature hits from the original smash hit album, “Forever Autumn” and “The Eve of the War.” “It was extraordinary to be a part of it,” he tells the Express & Star in Birmingham, the city that was the home base of the Moody Blues when Hayward and John Lodge joined in 1966. “I got that vibe when I came on for ‘Eve Of The War.’ It was almost as though the audience felt: ‘Oh, it’s him, we’re in safe hands.’”
Hayward, who became an O.B.E. in the Queen’s 2022 Birthday Honours List, followed that production with another round of dates in the US in May and June. His UK run includes a Birmingham Town Hall show on September 12, and he will host the On The Blue Cruise between January 28 and February 2, 2023. He tells the Express & Star he continues to get a huge thrill from live performance.
“I still look forward to being on the road, very much,” he says. “I love being with the crew and the other musicians. That’s where I’m completely happy. I hope the phone keeps ringing. I’ve got gigs coming up next year. I’m still offered gigs, which is really great.
“It’s all about the songs really. I feel that the songs mean a lot to people. They have a place in people’s lives. I know exactly that feeling because I know what songs mean to me. I can listen to a Dusty Springfield song and be transported back to a time and a place. I feel very lucky to have that, to have that catalog of songs.”
Tickets for Justin Hayward’s UK tour are available via his website.
