This Moody Blues singer and bass player is coming to Lincoln Theatre in Belleville
Legendary metro-east soundman Bob Heil is crazy excited.
That’s because the Lincoln Theatre in Belleville, where he sometimes plays pipe organ before movie showings, is hosting a concert by John Lodge, bass player, singer and songwriter for the English progressive rock band The Moody Blues, on Saturday night.
It’s part of Lodge’s “Classic Moody Blues” solo tour in the United States.
“This is a big deal,” said Heil, 79, of Belleville, who has been operating Heil Sound, now in Fairview Heights, for 53 years. “This is The Moody Blues. This isn’t some small bar band. These are Rock & Roll Hall of Famers. And there’s going to be one guy from Yes here, too, maybe more.”
Heil was a sound engineer for The Moody Blues in the 1970s, when they served as opening act for other bands that he traveled with around the country. He worked for The Who, Joe Walsh, The Grateful Dead, Humble Pie, Jeff Beck, Peter Frampton and others.
“In those days, you wouldn’t see one band for $5,” said Heil, who built sound equipment that’s part of an exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. “You would see several of them because they were all coming up.”
Bass player for 53 years
Lodge, 74, joined the The Moody Blues in 1966 as its second bass player and remains with the band, which plays together only occasionally. He recently completed “The Royal Affair” tour with Yes, Asia and Carl Palmer.
Lodge will take the Lincoln stage with his 10,000 Light Years Band at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (doors open at 6:30). Tickets cost $60 for reserved seating.
“The set already encompasses his fantastic hits, such as ‘I’m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band),’ ‘Ride My Seesaw,’ ‘Isn’t Life Strange,’ ‘Steppin’ in a Slide Zone,’ ‘Gemini Dream,’ plus many more and also features tributes to his friends Ray Thomas ... and Mike Pinder,” according to a press release.
The opening act will be Steve Scorfina of Pavlov’s Dog with Lindsay Kay of Lil’ Sister.
The Lincoln Theatre opened in 1921 for vaudeville and silent movies. Today, owners Dave and Sandy Schoenborn still show films and, in the past year, they’ve been building a concert series.
“We’re doing this mix of regional big names and national artists,” said Dave Schoenborn, 55, of Belleville. “We’ve had folk, country, rock and roll, a little bit of everything.”
The concert series has featured about one artist a month, including Edgar Winter, Jo Dee Messina, Suzy Bogguss and The Traveling Salvation Show. Coming up are Old Salt Union on Jan. 25 and Winona Judd on Feb. 20.
“Honor” for the Lincoln
Like Heil, Schoenborn sees Saturday night’s show as extra special.
“I love The Moody Blues,” he said. “I always have. I listened to their music. I’m old school rock and roll. It was quite an honor when we had the opportunity to book them here.”
The Moody Blues formed in England in 1964. They made changes in 1966, including Lodge’s replacement of original bass player Clint Warwick. Their greatest hits range from “Nights in White Satin” to “Question,” “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere” to “Your Wildest Dreams.”
The Moody Blues weren’t among the many bands that performed at the Mississippi River Festival, where Heil operated the sound system for seven years. That outdoor concert series ran from 1969 to 1980 at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
The Moody Blues have sold more than 70 million albums. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year.
“Music is my life, and I can’t wait to get on the road with the 10,000 Light Years Band,” Lodge said in the press release for the solo tour. “I am a ‘Moody Blue,’ I always will be and the fans and I have traveled this road a long time, so I hope they will continue with me as we keep the Moody Blues music alive.”
This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 2:54 PM.
