Gary Moore & Friends: One Night In Dublin
Eagle Rock Entertainment
Cast: Gary Moore, Brian Downey, Jonathan Noyce, Brian Robertson, Scott Gorham, Eric Bell
Extras: Interviews
Rating:
Rock fans around the world felt deep sadness when Phil Lynott passed away in January of 1986 at the young age of 36. Lynott was the founding member and front man of the Irish band "Thin Lizzy" celebrating success around the world with their unique rock style and unmistakable sound. On the eve of what would have been Phil's 56th birthday, the city of Dublin unveiled a bronze statue of Phil Lynott in the heart of the city to honor the remarkable artist in an event that was attended by his former band members. To also mark the incredibly emotional moment, Gary Moore decided to put on a concert the following night, inviting former Thin Lizzy members to commemorate Phil's legacy and bring back to life some of the band's most memorable tracks. After a previous DVD release, this tribute concert is now available on Blu-Ray Disc from Eagle Rock and it is destined to rock your house.
Thin Lizzy had a bit of a history of changing guitarists yet always managing to replace one tremendously talented virtuoso with one that seemed to be even more accomplished. As such the band's music constantly changed, yet at the same time, it always had a trademark that held it all together – and that trademark was Phil Lynott's songwriting and unique, heavily phrased style of singing. Always maintaining their Irish roots in their music, Thin Lizzy is a band that explored guitar harmonies like no other band had before, but many attempted to include into their music once the band showed how incredibly powerful and dramatic harmonic guitar solo lines can be. The influences of the band can still be felt today, whether it is in Gary Moore's own music or in various other rock bands who implement carefully crafted guitar harmonies in their artistry.
The concert starts out with Gary Moore welcoming the audience in a very personable fashion and then launching into "Walking By Myself" which is quickly followed by the Thin Lizzy classic "Jailbreak," immediately driving the audience into a frenzy. He is accompanied by Jethro Tull bassist Jonathan Noyce and the one and only drummer Thin Lizzy has ever had, the great Brian Downey. Incredibly powerful and energetic, the furious Blues song is counterpointed by the ballad "Don't Believe A Word" before Moore invites Brian Robertson on stage, who was part of the band during the "Jailbreak" era. Together they dish out an incredible version of "Emerald" and "Still In Love With You."
What follows next is hard to describe in words as Scott Gorham enters the stage. Not only does the audience go absolutely crazy, since Gorham is probably the most recognizable of the Thin Lizzy guitarists, remaining with the band for the longest time and participating in some of the band's greatest successes, as well as its end, when the band split in 1983.
Fresh and upeat, it is immediately evident that the chemistry between Gorham and Moore is every bit as sizzling as it was in 1978. These two are probably the most remembered guitar duo in the band's history as each of them is a marvelous virtuoso in his own right, and together they produced some of the band's most remarkable guitar harmony licks that have fascinated guitar players ever since. "Black Rose" is the track they pick to kick things off and it is simply insane, but it is when they play the opening chords of "Cowboy Song" that they literally bring the room to a boil. The sentiment can only be topped by one song at that point, and the band gladly delivers. "The Boys Are Back In Town" almost brought tears to my eyes as this song, like perhaps no other, is the ultimate Thin Lizzy anthem and incorporates everything that made the band so great. Most remarkably however, the performance is so dead on that you can almost see Phil Lynott's spirit on the stage. Gary Moore's vocals are astonishingly reminiscent of Lynott's own voice here and Scott Gorham's backing vocals are the real deal, making this song the absolute highlight of the concert and the perfect track to end the show. It leaves you simply breathless and full of memories and admiration for the band and Phil Lynott's contributions to the world of music.
For the encore, Moore brings out Eric Bell, Thin Lizzy's original guitarist and the only man who can really play "Whiskey In The Jar." They perform a wonderfully emotional version of the song with Bell even taking on vocals for part of the song. To conclude the incredible concert, Gary Moore then plays an excerpt from "Old Town" before treating the audience to his classic "Parisienne Walkways," which he originally recorded with Phil Lynott.
"Gary Moore & Friends: One Night In Dublin" is a real tribute to Phil Lynott and a simply breathtaking concert release. This Blu-Ray version delivers jaw dropping detail in a 1080p transfer that is wonderful to behold. Every face in the crowd, every drop of sweat, every groove in the guitar strings is visible and the incredible color reproduction renders an image that is so vivid you feel as if you're right there among the crowd. Black levels are superb, making sure the image has visual depth and texture, further adding to the visual presentation.
The audio simply blew me away, I have to admit. Never have I heard a more accurate reproduction ever! On a scale of 1 to 10, this audio track goes to 11. When Gary Moore tests his guitar by playing a short lick all by himself, it sounds exactly as if his Marshall amp stood right in my living room. The sound is 1000% authentic. I should know, because I've been a Marshall player myself for the past 30 years, and there is something unmistakably immediate about standing next to a 12×4 cabinet. For the first time ever I found this immediacy, this impact, the Ooompf, reproduced in any recording so accurately that you think you are right there. It simply blew me away and forced me to crank up the volume another two notches to enjoy the show. Presented in a PCM stereo track, as well as a lossless DTS HD track, audio simply doesn't get much better than this.
The release also includes a series of interviews with all the participants, nicely framed by footage of Phil Lynott's mother unveiling the bronze statue in the heart of Dublin and the crowd attending the momentous event.
If you ever been a fan of Thin Lizzy – even peripherally – or if you ever caught yourself whistling, humming or singing one of their songs, you have to see this concert. It is an incredibly powerful and emotional journey back in time showing that the band's music is every bit as great today as it was 30 years ago. Get this disc!!!
