2005
The Friday
1. Two Island Swans
2. Natives
3. Quiet Desperation
4. 16 Fishermen Raving
5. Mercy
6. Beeswing
7. Smoke and Strong Whiskey
8. Burning Times
9. Motherland
10. North and South of the river
11. Butterfly
12. Hattie Carrol
13. Wandering Aongus
14. The Reel in the Flickering Light
15. City of Chicago
16. The Contender (Jack Doyle)
17. Missing You
18. Ride On
19. Biko Drum
20. Yellow Triangle
21. America,You are not the world
22. Peace in the Valley once again
23. Released (Declan Sinnott)
24. Stitch in Time
25. Joxer goes to Stuttgart
26. Lawless
27. The Lakes of Pontchartrain
28. Back home in Derry
29. Sonny’s Dream
30. The Least we can do
The Saturday
1. Go move Shift
2. A Pair of Brown Eyes
3. All for the roses
4. 16 Fishermen raving
5. Magic Nights in the lobby Bar
8. Hattie Carroll
9. Biko Drum
10. Bright Blue Rose
11. Missing You
12. Delerium tremens
13. McIlhatton
14. North and South of the river
15. Black is the Colour
16. Viva la quince Brigada
17. This is the day
18. Released (Declan Sinnott)
19. Stitch in Time
20. Lakes of Pontchartrain
21. Lisdoonvarna
22. Ride On
23. Joxer goes to Stuttgart
24. America You are not The World
25. Butterfly
26. The Least We can Do
27. Burning Times
Reviewed by Christy Moore
BBC – September 27th 2005
4.am. and a sleepless night with a whirring head, I’m putting it down to Dylan. What a beautiful film Scorcese has made for us. The later and shorter film on BBC4 was excellent too with Woody Guthrie footage previously unseen and deeply moving. The Lenny Bruce section was heartbreaking, the fucking bastards murdered him in Britain and America, again the footage was stunning and the image of Lenny being escorted up the steps into a BEA plane upon his deportation will be unforgettable. The main film gave me a new and welcome insight into Dylan. While I’m no Dylanologist I have been very aware of him for 40 years, I have seen him maybe 6 times, sung 3 or 6 of his songs and there are various vinyl, cassettes and cds scattered throughout the years.
I thought Chronicles Vol.1. was a great read and now we get this Masterpiece of a film. The Cinematography and editing were superb and the man himself seemed totally engaged in the process. I felt it was the first time I had ever seen him real, something I never thought I’d see. (I was always more than happy to watch him acting so this was an unexpected and welcome bonus). Dave Van Ronk shone with honesty and humour and Liam Clancy’s final paragraph summed it up when he said of Dylan’s songs ” Bobby was saying things that we would all love to have said”. He’s still doing it. Even the shysters shone here. Dylan brings out the best in everybody. Even those only interested in pounds of flesh displayed uncharacteristic humanity when reminiscing. Of course I realise I’ve only seen half the bloody film and tonight will probably be more of the same! We watched The Last Waltz as a warmer-upper for this (BBC again) and it proved to be an excellent trailer. The Band was simply brilliant on Dylan’s first electric gigs, what a way to come out. (I was retrospectively embarrassed to realise that, had I been there, I’d have been one of those cloth-eared, wanker- knockers).
What struck me repeatedly was how hard he must have worked to achieve what he was doing in those early days. His focus and determination matched by his infatuation with and his love for songs. Of course many of us had those qualities but Dylan had the extra ingredient that carried him the final furlong into that field he alone can occupy. Many of us gaze through the bushes wondering how the fuck did he think of saying that? Then Joan Baez tells us that he knew 40 years ago that we would be asking these questions, nor did he understand the words nor have the answers himself. Forever the conundrum, always the ambivalence but it matters not for both sides of the coin are honest and truthful. I always knew he had a marvellous sense of humour but it was so beautiful to see him smile last night. Fuck it, I don’t care that it was on a small screen in the corner of the living room, that it was far removed from my life, that I am sounding off like an anorak, who gives a shit, it was pure magic.
Reviewed by Michael Ranze
Hamburger Abendblatt, 27.10.2005
Christy Moore tempestuously acclaimed
While the sound of exultation about the 1:0 resounded from the Millerntor ( St. Pauli’s Soccer stadium, Aissata ), the audience in the almost sold out Laeizhalle prepared themselves for a different but equally fulfilling event. Christy Moore ( 60 ), the most important icon of Irish folk was back in Hamburg – for the first time after nine years. Barely did he and his long time friend and counterpart Declan Sinnott- folk fans know him as guitar player of the Horslips and Moving Hearts – step on stage, when thunderous applause broke out.
A good old friend was welcomed and in his luggage he had more than twenty songs: “Natives”, “Don’t forget your shovel”, “Missing you”, “The reel in the flickering light”, “Back home in Derry.” Songs about love and break up, about everyday life in Ireland, the social and political nuisances there and elsewhere, most of these solemn and melancholic.
Just a few times did the audience get the opportunity to clap along.
From time to time, Moore spread some mean barbs which show off his engagement: “America I love you but please stay where you live”, is one line of a song. Fans of Planxty,
Moore has put together in 1969 and left in 1974, might have been a little disappointed because he only sang 2 songs of the group. Nevertheless, Moore reimbursed the audience with sweeping versions of “Lisdoonvarna” or “Black is the colour.”
Declan Sinnott supported the songs sometimes with understatement, sometimes he started to rock like a dervish. He drew Hawaiian like blues-licks off his slide guitar that would have honoured Ry Cooder. In between, Moore still had time to tell some witty anecdotes or to fulfil some song wishes. The audience was exalted, with standing ovations they brought Christy Moore four times back on stage.
Reviewed by Stefan Krulle
Die Welt, 27.10.2005
Still a category of his own: Singer Christy Moore triumphs at the Laeiszhalle
Morosely the little Irish wrinkles his nose, gets up and spins around. “Do I only see it or is there too much smoke in here?”, asks Christy Moore and risks to disappear amid this artificial smoke. “Maybe the person in charge of the smoke could just simply press the red button?” Three minutes and half a song later the smoke in the crowded Laeiszhalle has faded away, but not the laughter. Whoever started to do music in Irish Pubs, has either become an entertainer or works for the city cleaning.
After almost ten years of stage abstinence, Moore, the darling of the public, tries to defend his position as being Ireland’s best singer/songwriter. And still, there is nobody fit to handle a candle to him. He inherently is a class of his own because he never actually gets down to the lowlands of Irish Folk. The fact that Ireland tourists in handmade slipovers are coming to the shows to clap along is neither his fault, nor their disadvantage.
Moore constantly sings about gallons of wine and barrels of beer but also about the Devil and that he knows him personally. Complex or conflict charged themes are put into clear verses with little punch lines that are never sneaky. He sings: “America, your head is so big; America, your belly so big; America, I love you, but I wish you’d stay where you live.” An anti-Bush-song of such simple greatness has not been written by anybody yet.
In between, Moore tells wonderful stories in an even more wonderful Irish accent. For instance the one about “a woman from Hamburg who was at my show in Liverpool because she heard a day too late about tonight’s show. Welcome back to your home town!” And then he plays the woman’s two favourite songs. Whoever thinks that this is kitschy, doesn’t have a heart in his breast. But Moore does not even consider himself too good for some lovely foolish punch lines. He seems to have learned a song from Richie Havens “backstage in Woodstock, I still don’t know whether it was a dream or the truth.” One night he says, “all of my favourite singers appeared to me in a two hour dream and sang for me.” If this should ever happen to one of us, then Christy Moore will do the intro and the finale. At the least.