Gary Moore: Blues for Jimi

The guitar god would be proud, and is likely smiling from his grave at this great concert film. On October 25, 2007 at the London Hippodrome, Irish blues guitarist Gary Moore and his band rocked a fierce set of Jim Hendrix songs. Much to the audiences surprise, original members of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox came out to jam with Moore on the last three songs of the evening. It must have been a true experience..

After doing a bit of research on Gary Moore, Moore actually was in attendance at one of Jimi's gigs back in 1967. Hendrix was 25 at the time, while Moore was only 15. This must have blown Moore's mind and was probably somewhat responsible for Moore's career in music. The question on everyone's mind must be, 'Does Moore do a good job with the 11 Hendrix songs at the concert?'

The answer is a big Yes. Not only does Moore play all of Jimi's songs perfectly, to the point that if you close your eyes and just listen to him play, you most likely couldn't tell the two apart on their guitar skills. Moore also adds his own style to the songs and creates an epic mix of both styles, as to not completely just regurgitate a carbon copy of something we have already heard.

Overall, this was an excellent concert, with Moore and his band, Darrin Mooney on drums, and Dave Bronze on bass creating that iconic Hendrix music. Mitchell and Cox came out to play on 'Red House', 'Stone Free', and 'Hey Joe', which was amazing. Sadly, less than four years after this concert, Moore died of heart failure due to alcohol. He died way before his time like Hendrix did, although Moore was a bit older than Hendrix. It's sad to have both of these guitar legends gone, but we can't help but smile and move our body when we hear their music.

Track Listing: 1.) Purple Haze 2.) Manic Depression 3.) Foxy Lady 4.) The Wind Cries Mary 5.) I Don't Live Today 6.) My Angel 7.) Angel 8.) Fire 9.) Red House 10.) Stone Free 11.) Hey Joe 12.) Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

This disc has a 1080i transfer and presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Most of this concert was on the dark side of things. It was dimly lit throughout, which gave way to some video noise. Detail was soft at times and there was some artifacts that popped up here and there, especially when there was fast movement.

The contrast was sub par as well, which made the already dimly lit concert seem a little darker. Colors seem to be good, but nothing pops or shines here. That being said, I think we are mostly here to listen to this particular disc, rather than watch it. I do wish the video came across a bit brighter though, so the detail could be much better.

There are two great audio options here for you to choose from.

You have the lossless DTS HD 5.1 mix, or the uncompressed LPCM 2.0 stereo mix. Both are great, but I'd choose the 5.1 over the 2.0 every time. The sound is boisterous and lively with solid dynamics. The vocals and instrumental sounds are crisp and clear. You can distinguish each instrument and each vocal clearly. The highs sounds great, while the lows punch. The ambient noise from the audience and their applause is appealing as well, never over doing it or getting in the way of any of the music.

This is a great audio presentation.

There are no extras.

You couldn't ask for a more perfect tribute from one guitar god to another. If you're a fan of music, Hendrix, or Moore, than this should be in your collection. There is a lot of energy in this concert and you will feel all of it at home coming out of your speakers. I wish the video presentation was better, and that there were at least a couple of extras, but it's all about this music here. Despite the lackluster video and zero extras, I still recommend this to all fans of Hendrix and music.