By Steve Newton
Just got a message from Irish guitarist Joe Hodgson–who’s amazing fretboard skills I’ve written about before–noting that it was 40 years ago today that he first witnessed his idol Gary Moore in concert.
On August 18, 1984, Hodgson attended the Monsters of Rock Festival at Castle Donnington in England. The concert was headlined by AC/DC–the first band to headline the festival twice–and also featured Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Dio, Gary Moore, Accept, and Mötley Crüe.
“Blazing sunshine, 80,000 people, and a lorry load of beer,” recalls Hodgson. “I’ve never been the same since.”
But it was Moore’s performance that had the biggest and most lasting effect on Hodgson:
“What I remember most was how fearsome and tough his playing sounded, while at the same time being so incredibly tender and melodic. The accuracy and the speed were mindboggling and quite frightening.
“Eddie [Van Halen] and [Ozzy guitarist] Jake E. Lee were awesome as well, but Gary was just on another level. I was still a young boy then, and didn’t really know Gary’s music until that day. But seeing him play left an indelible mark on me, and I was lucky enough to see him many times during his life.”
Hodgson also mentioned today that he is currently working feverishly to finish up his next album, the followup to 2020’s stellar Apparitions.
“I’ve ended up with 14 tracks, which I am very proud of,” he says. “Myself and Chris James Ryan, who is co-producing it with me, just want it to be right.”
Stay tuned to Ear of Newt for future updates on Joe Hodgson’s guitar-based music, and check out his website here.
To hear the full audio of my 1984 interview with Gary Moore subscribe to my Patreon page, where you can also eavesdrop on my uncut, one-on-one conversations with the legends of rock since 1982.
Discover more from earofnewt.com
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.