Gary Moore won’t play at the Montreux Festival ever again…this is the decision made by Someone up there. The legendary festival has definitely lost something but this is also the case for music in general. The truth is that I really anticiapted this release by the late Gary Moore not only because I really value the Montreux Festival but also because this proved to be one of Gary Moore’s last live performances.
Regarding those last Gary Moore concerts, we have all heard really negative comments (especially when it came down to that appearance at teh “High Voltage Festival”. Personally, I wasn’t nterested at all in the aforementioned comments. After all, I didn’t wait until 2010 or 2011 so as to crystalize my point of view of Gary Moore. Yes, I have heard better versions of “Empty Rooms” and yes, Gary Moore didn’t pitch those high notes (don’t forget that he was about to turn 60). So what? What we get in our hands is a set list that everybody asked and dreamed of. These were the songs that left a permanent mark on the 80s rock music. . “Over The Hills And Far Away”, “Military Man”, “Blood Of Emeralds”, “Out In The Fields” and many more. As for his blues era, well it is only represented by “Walking By Myself”. In addition, there are included three excellent tracks (possibly destined to be a part of his album that never saw the light of day). These are: “Days Of Heroes”, “Where Are You Now?” and “Oh Wild One” with the first being the absolute highlight as it could have easily fitted in “Wild Frontier” or “After The War”.
Right beside Gary Moore we find the old pal, Neil Carter, whose presence surely doesn’t pass unnoticed while the whole show is really enjoyable especially taken into consideration the fact that Gary Moore had almost renounced those songs in the past 20 years. The purchase of this album is not only essential as a fit tribute to the late guitarist but also due to the priceless emotions that the songs bring forth.
Gary Moore left a huge legacy that everybody should respect and honour. The older fans should bring that message to the younger generation that prefers to minimise music into the mp3 format and end up with artists without a face or artwork…R.I.P.
