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.