POP MUSIC REVIEW : Moodies’ Vitality Is Fading : Though the legendary British band presented a remarkably engaging show, the days of a future may have passed.

A petition was circulating in the audience at the Universal Amphitheatre on Monday calling for the induction of headliners the Moody Blues into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The initiative raises the question of whether the 25-year-old British group, whose embellishment of rock with orchestral flourishes spawned a generation of art-rockers, deserves a place next to undeniably influential countrymen like the Rolling Stones, the Who and the Kinks.

The jury is still out.

Though such ‘60s classics as the urgent “Go Now!” (which the current group seems to disavow) and the ornately orchestrated “Nights in White Satin” were immensely influential in their time, the days of a future may have passed for the group. Though they engineered an impressive commercial comeback in the ‘80s, the vitality of their music has faded.

While the group, which also plays the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa on Thursday, presented a remarkably engaging show, it could not have done so without two backup singers and what appeared to be taped vocals augmenting the frayed voices of the lead trio: Justin Hayward, Ray Thomas and John Lodge.

Only “Your Wildest Dreams” among the newer songs approached the ambition and appeal of set staples like “Question” and “Tuesday Afternoon.” The relatively recent “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere,” a deliciously tuneful crowd-pleaser, is a bit too much of a confection to be included in the ranks of Moody music that matters.

If the Moodies are truly serious about earning a place in the Hall of Fame before such fellow shutouts as Bob Marley and Del Shannon, their case could be helped considerably with a new album worthy of their best work.

Ready for immediate induction into the Hall of Shame is opening act Darling Cruel, a bombastic, thunderingly bad ensemble. The L.A. outfit assaulted those who dared to stay in their seats with an arsenal of transparently rendered Bowie mannerisms and inept heavy-metal posturing.

The Moody Blues will also be at San Diego’s Open Air Theatre on Friday and the Santa Barbara County Bowl on Monday.

The Moody Blues play Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Amphitheatre, 100 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Tickets: $19.25 to $27.50. Information: (714) 634-1300.