Mark Knopfler @ Royal Albert Hall, London
Originally published on my old blog.
Dire Straits king delivers a royal performance
The maestro delivers an intimate masterclass in a world class iconic venue.
My first live concert was Dire Straits. I was 11, at Athletic Park in Wellington in 1985, on the Brothers in Arms tour, and my Dad took me. It was the first time I ever felt a kick drum in my chest, and I remember it like yesterday. I was raised on their albums, and Dire Straits are the soundtrack to my childhood.
I saw them again a few years later, at the same ground. That time we sat on the hill outside with my friends from school and watched the show over the fence for free. I didn't like the single so much, but it was still a good show.
So the opportunity to see the lead player, Mark Knopfler, at the iconic Royal Albert Hall in London on a Monday night, following a great weekend, was too good to ignore. My third time with Mr Knopfler, once in each of three decades, and he's better than ever.
This was a 6 night residency - testament to his stature in the music world - and he delivered a classy set of solo work mixed with Dire Straits classics. A more considered, more soulful Mark Knopfler now leads a band unafraid to experiment with traditional instruments and arrangements. Dire Straits never particularly concerned themselves with the rules of pop song composition; solo Mark has a complete disregard for them, and they play the tunes they wanna play, how they wanna play them. Surrounded by the best in the business, it's a formula few would dare attempt, and it works.
It ran for two and a bit hours, with three encores. The stand out solo tune remains Sailing to Philadelphia, plenty of numbers from the new album went down well, and to our delight there was room for a few Dire Straits numbers too. A couple of the other Dire Straits players joined him on stage for a song or two, as did renowned British musician Joe Brown (who I have to admit I'd never heard of). I have never seen a standing ovation at the RAH; this night we saw three. It was just like old times. Pure magic. The boy can still play.
Photos from the gig
