Gary Moore: Parisienne Walkways, final live concert.

Gary Moore: Parisienne Walkways Live HD

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Gary Moore: Parisienne Walkways, final live concert.

Gary Moore: The Guitarist’s Guitarist

To understand the power of any performance of “Parisienne Walkways,” one must first understand the man behind the guitar. Gary Moore (1954-2011) was a Northern Irish guitarist widely regarded as one of the most technically accomplished and emotionally expressive players of his generation.

His career was remarkably diverse, spanning rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and most powerfully, the blues. While he could play with ferocious speed and power, he was ultimately a master of melody and feeling. His signature was his soaring, vocal-like guitar tone, drenched in sustain and controlled feedback, which could convey a profound sense of longing, sorrow, and passion. He wasn’t just playing notes; he was telling a story.

“Parisienne Walkways”: The Song

Before discussing the 2010 performance, let’s look at the song itself.

• Origins: “Parisienne Walkways” was originally an instrumental piece by Moore’s fellow guitarist, Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy. It appeared on Moore’s 1978 album Back on the Streets, with Lynott providing the smooth, spoken-sung vocals.
• The Sound: The song is a masterpiece of melodic, slow-burn rock with a strong blues sensibility. It’s built on a simple, repeating chord progression that provides a perfect canvas for Moore’s guitar work. The studio version is famous for its iconic, searing guitar solo—a benchmark for melodic rock guitar playing.
• Legacy: It became Moore’s first major solo hit in 1979 and remained his signature song throughout his career, a non-negotiable part of every live setlist.

The 2010 Live Performance: A Poignant Farewell

Gary Moore performed “Parisienne Walkways” live throughout his life, but the performances from 2010, the final year of his life, carry a particularly heavy and poignant weight. One of the most widely seen from this period is from his show at the Islington Academy in London.

Key Characteristics of this Late-Career Performance:

1. Deepened Emotional Resonance: By 2010, Moore had lived a lifetime with this song. The youthful fire of the 1979 version had matured into a deeper, more reflective, and profoundly soulful interpretation. There’s a palpable sense of nostalgia and weary experience in his playing. Every bend and vibrato feels earned, every note laden with memory.
2. Vocal Delivery: In these later years, Moore took over the vocal duties completely. His voice, never a classically perfect instrument, had grown rougher and more blues-soaked. This only added to the authenticity and raw emotion of the performance. He wasn’t a pop star singing a hit; he was a seasoned bluesman recounting a story of lost love and Parisian dreams.
3. The Solo: A Masterclass in Sustained Emotion: The guitar solo in the 2010 performance is the song’s heart, and it is breathtaking. It’s not about flashy speed, but about control, tone, and phrasing.
   • Tone: His Les Paul produces a singing, violin-like tone that seems to hang in the air forever. He masterfully uses the guitar’s volume knob to clean up the sound at the beginning of the solo before unleashing its full, singing fury.
   • Phrasing: He plays with immense space, letting notes ring out and decay, building tension slowly. The phrases are lyrical, as if he’s having a conversation. He builds from whispering, melodic lines to soaring, crying peaks that are almost unbearably emotional.
   • The Final Note: Perhaps the most famous aspect of any live performance of this song is the final, sustained high note. In 2010, he held this note with incredible control, using feedback and vibrato to make it weep and sing before resolving the song with a final, gentle chord. It’s a moment of pure guitar alchemy.

A Tragic Context

Gary Moore passed away suddenly in February 2011, just months after these 2010 performances. This knowledge casts a long shadow over viewing them today. The song, always melancholic, now feels like an unconscious farewell. The lyrics about “a lonely street in Paris” and things that “fade away and die” are haunting in retrospect. The performance is not just a rendition of a hit; it feels like the closing chapter of a brilliant career, a final, masterful statement from one of the greatest to ever pick up the instrument.

The 2010 live performance of “Parisienne Walkways” is Gary Moore at his most mature and emotionally exposed. It captures the essence of what made him a legend: not just unparalleled technical skill, but the rare ability to translate profound human emotion directly through his guitar. It is a powerful, beautiful, and deeply moving performance that serves as a fitting tribute to his monumental talent.

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