Some shows are so momentous, they pass into rock ‘n’ roll folklore. When Gary Moore stepped onto the stage of Basel’s Baloise Session on November 13, 2008, it was a true one-off, showcasing one of blues-rock’s biggest names on one of the worlds respected stages. Nobody in the crowd that night suspected the great Irish bluesman was close to the end. But when Moore passed away little over 2 years later, aged just 58, the show took on added poignancy, kept alive in the memories of those who attended.
Now, more then 15 years later, the release of Live From Baloise Session on Artone/Provogue resurrects the much-missed Irishman, bringing his blazing talents back into the spotlight, catching the sparks of that night, and bottling a performance that stands amongst Moore’s very best.
Gary Moore at full throttle was simply the greatest spectacle in rock ‘n’ roll. From his formative years out on the boards of late-’60s Dublin with Skid Row, through his ’70s gunslinger shifts for Thin Lizzy – onto an ever-evolving solo career that rewrote the book for blues, rock, metal and more – the Irishman attacked every show like it was both his first and last, shrugging off his hallowed reputation and earning his place amongst the greats all over again.
We didn’t know it then, but when Moore took the stage for the Baloise Session – formerly known as AVO Session – on November 13, 2008, he was less than three years away from his untimely passing at the age of 58. Yet this very special performance – captured for the Live From Baloise Session CD/Blu-ray, released May 23rd on Mascot/Provogue – reminds us that the guitarist played with untouchable skill and molten soul, right to the end.
With no fuss or fanfare, the bandleader – flanked by Pete Rees on bass, Vic Martin on keys and fabled Thin Lizzy drummer Brian Downey – walks from the wings, plugs his Les Paul into twin Marshall stacks and fires up Oh, Pretty Woman, the fiery Albert King cover that was a highlight of Still Got The Blues.
One setlist could never contain it all. Live From Baloise Session, however, is a fist-tight, fat-trimmed distillation of everything that made Moore the blues master, hitting all the marks you’d hope to see from a late-period live set by this deathless artist.
