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.


“That incendiary thing that Gary had, I mean, that’s all in his soul,” reflected fellow guitar icon and Moore acolyte, Joe Bonamassa. “He played with such bad intention. Even when he was playing the quiet stuff. I met him several times: he was a really nice, shy person. But when he put on a guitar, it was like this other animal would be created.”


We didn’t know it then, but when Moore took the stage for the Baloise 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/DVD, released May 23rd on Mascot/Provogue – reminds us that the guitarist played with untouchable skill and molten soul, right to the end.


It’s hard to imagine a finer showcase for Moore’s cask-seasoned talent than Baloise Session. Far from the mud and melee of a traditional festival, the event held in Basel, Switzerland – formerly known as AVO Session – is an intimate encounter with A-list artists, where discerning music-lovers sit at lamp-lit tables modelled on the vintage after-hours clubs of New York, soaking up the set with no distractions.