Gary Moore: Live At Montreux Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Gary Moore: Live At Montreux Blu-ray Movie Review

Earlier this year legendary Irish guitarist Gary Moore unexpectedly passed away at the age of 59. The show included on this Blu-ray disc, which was recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in July 2010, was the last filmed performance by Gary and features three new songs which were supposed to appear on the brand new album he was working on. It is my understanding that studio versions of these songs do not exist.

The show is essentially a journey through some of Gary’s greatest rock and blues hits with a couple of songs from his early collaborations with Phil Lynott from Thin Lizzy and Skid Row (not to be confused with the American heavy metal band). Gary also does a few outstanding improvisations that will definitely bring back some good memories amongst his longtime fans.

The energy on the stage is very good. Gary’s solos are very intense and often quite loud (not surprising, really, as the few times I’ve seen him perform live he always seemed to favor a slightly more robust sound). In fact, on a couple of different occasions ("Thunder Rising" and "Out In The Fields") I actually thought that his guitar overpowered the drums.

As far as I am concerned, the highlight of the night is the classic “Still Got The Blues”, which was one of Gary’s biggest hits during the 90s. His singing is wonderful and the solos absolutely flawless. The acoustic guitar rendition of “Johnny Boy” is also very touching.

Eagle Rock Entertainment have also included four bonus songs from Gary’s 1997 stop at the Montreux Jazz Festival. The songs are "One Good Reason", "Oh Pretty Woman", "Still Got The Blues" and "Walking By Myself". Again, Gary delivers a phenomenal rendition of "Still Got The Blues", with very intense, razor-sharp solos, which sounds as good if not better than the studio version.

The technical presentation of Gary Moore: Live At Montreux is on par with the rest of the Montreux shows which Eagle Rock Entertainment have released on Blu-ray. Multiple cameras allow the viewer to follow closely Gary and his band on the stage and occasionally get a glimpse at the enthusiastic crowd.

Gary's band: Neil Carter (keyboards, vocals, guitar), Jon Noyce (bass), Darrin Mooney (drums).

Gary Moore (1952-2011)

Gary Moore: Live At Montreux Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-AVC and granted a 1080i "live" transfer, Gary Moore: Live At Montreux arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment.

The presentation is up to the high standards we have come to expect from Eagle Rock Entertainment's releases. The modest stage is well lit and there are absolutely no shadow effects whatsoever. Naturally, the multiple cameras following Gary allow the viewer to get a good feel of the atmosphere on the stage, as well as around the stage where the crowd is having a terrific time. Some light motion-judder pops up here and there, but it is never distracting and in most cases actually quite difficult to spot. The background light noise that is occasionally present on these live Blu-ray releases is kept at bay here. Color reproduction is convincing. Finally, there are no purely transfer specific anomalies to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Gary Moore: Live At Montreux Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English: LPCM 2.0, and English: Dolby Digital 5.1. I opted for the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later on did a few random tests with the other two tracks for the purpose of this review.

I felt that during a couple of songs ("Thunder Rising" and "Out In The Fields") Gary's guitar was quite strong, and at times actually overpowering the drums. I am not convinced, however, that the mixing is to blame for it as I have seen Gary perform live a number of times and he always seemed to favor a slightly more robust sound. On the other hand, on "Still Got The Blues" and "Johnny Boy" the balance is excellent. Dynamically, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is leaps and bounds ahead of the other two tracks - it opens up the show and allows for a type of depth that is simply missing on the other two tracks. For the record, I did not detect any pops or problematic audio dropouts to report in this review.

I do not mind experimenting with the LPCM 2.0 tracks that are included on these music releases, but the one on this disc is fairly weak. As noted above, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track has a lot better dynamic amplitude and instantly opens the entire show, while the LPCM 2.0 track basically tones down everything and eliminates the depth and fluidity.

Gary Moore: Live At Montreux Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Leaflet - features an essay by Dave Ling from Classic Rock Magazine.

Gary Moore: Live At Montreux Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is wonderful that Eagle Rock Entertainment are bringing a lot of these Montreux shows to Blu-ray. Every single one of them has been outstanding. Gary Moore: Live At Montreux, however, will likely sadden quite a few people as it is an effective reminder that one of rock's greatest guitarists is no longer with us. If you liked Gary's music, check out this release as it has three very good new songs that will now never be recorded. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.