The tour ended - Conclusions

[Jules]

Last night was the last show of the Mark Knopfler & Dylan tour and I would like to share some thoughts with you, and of course to hear your opinions about the whole experience.

Firstly, being positive, this tour, as the Fall 2011 one were good chance to see MK performing live with out from his tours. I know that he just released Privateering, but the Privateering tour is the one that will start in 2013, so its great he did that because it was an extra that did his job making the waiting until 2013 less hard.

Secondly, I hope that it doesnt happen again, at least in the same terms. Its not the first time MK tours with someone else, he did between 1987 and 1989 with Eric Clapton, and in 2006 with Emmylou Harris, and both times was something really special from the early beguining. With Clapton, MK was part of his band, playing in all songs and playing one or two of his own songs, so a great experience. With Emmylou Harris it was a whole concert together, playing songs of MK, DS, EH and the songs from his duets album, a nice experience too. But with Bob Dylan, it was two different concerts and the fact that they played together wasn

[dmg]

I was going to start a thread like this but didn't know what to add without making everyone get on my case - AGAIN!!

First of all I must agree Julio that to be part of the band like with EC in the 80s would be great and I hope that this sort of double-header idea doesn't happen again;  there are no winners when both sets of fans only get half a gig.

I'll start off by saying that I think the set, in all it's forms, was nothing short of terrible and some of Marks early performances were embarrassing which is probably due to a lack of concentration caused by the casual set they were playing.

WII was pretty good this year with some improv during the outro but then he decided to drop some lyrics and it all started to sound a little less pacy and full of gaps.  Sounds weary, like he's out of breath and not able to sing that fast any more!

CBC was much better than last year but it's the same every gig so...

Privateering:  again, same every gig.

KOG:  decent solo, albeit short.  Very boring, repetitive song.

YTC:  Very good song, nice solo.

IUTC:  same every gig.  Jim's chance to shine!

SFSL:  vast improvement on a song I've never liked.  Great solo from MK and drums from IT.

DWB:  same as ever.

Knoxville:  nice bluegrass alternative.  The "joke" ending always found favour with the audience.

Band intro:  some new jokes!  Some old ones too.

HFB:  more misses than hits this time around.  A definite step down from last year;  really struggling with these faster ones now.

HA:  identical every time.  Lovely song but pointless in a concert.

BIA:  quite nice actually.  Slightly better than last year but I'm getting a little bored now.  The set did need this song though.

Marbletown:  I've only listened to one version from this tour.  That's enough for me.

SFA:  for Bob's fans.  Does Mark think we like this too?

I haven't enjoyed this tour at all.  I was thrilled by the energy on last years' tour but the lack of guitar fuelled songs, Mark's disappointing vocal and shaky playing has left me totally unimpressed by this tour.  It's not as if the set was great either;  far too many new songs in such a short time, and he could have chosen better new ones too because most of them sound exactly the same at every concert.

[superval99]

Strange to read your remarks about the songs, dmg, because the one you like, BIA, is the only song I don't like very much at the moment and I feel my toes curling when it's being played!    The rest are fine, especially Marbletown!          

[Rkd]

I attended two of the NA concerts and have been thinking about them since

[dmg]

Courage is a strange commodity

[superval99]

I think Mark and the band have done a great job on this tour and, personally, I have enjoyed the shows I have heard much more than those from 2011 and, apart from one or two instances, I haven't detected less energetic performances.   On the contrary, Sonny Liston was far better played than before and it particularly showcased Mark's guitaring skills - there was really nowhere to hide!   Then there was Marbletown!    What can I say, except fantastic -  it just gets better and better!    Oh and KOG!  What a solo - it was definitely goosebumps time!

I loved all of the Privateering songs - it was just a pity we couldn't have heard a larger number of them, but with such a short set, it would have been impossible.   I would have loved to hear Radio City Serenade, Seattle and Dream of the Drowned Submariner, but maybe we will some other time in the future!   

I feel so proud of Mark and the band, especially compared to the manufactured stuff we are fed these days.  This is real music and, although I have criticised Bob on occasion, so is his!   

Reading Guy's diaries has actually made me feel exhausted!   All of that travelling long distances through the night, time changes, irregular and sometimes unhealthy meals and then having to perform most nights would make anyone feel tired, but they do a magnificent job nevertheless - and so does Bob and his band and all of the crew members.   We must not forget either, that a lot of the band members of both sides, including Bob and Mark, are not spring chickens anymore and it's easy to sit at home and criticise!

Here's to the 2013 tour - I can't wait!     
 

[dmg]

I loved all of the Privateering songs - it was just a pity we couldn't have heard a larger number of them, but with such a short set, it would have been impossible.   I would have loved to hear Radio City Serenade, Seattle and Dream of the Drowned Submariner, but maybe we will some other time in the future!     

These songs you mention would have been great, but instead we got the easy fillers like IUTC, RT, MYB and HA. 

Now ask yourselves, if I had to play you one version of each of these new songs could you tell me which concert it was from:

CBC, P, IUTC, HA, RT, MYB?

I doubt it very much.  I've downloaded every bootleg and the only way to tell the difference is by the sound quality!

Also, last years HFB was much better than 2010's versions with new licks in there - very inventive!   This year he isn't even managing to make these new licks work any more, never mind being inventive.

[superval99]

I loved all of the Privateering songs - it was just a pity we couldn't have heard a larger number of them, but with such a short set, it would have been impossible.   I would have loved to hear Radio City Serenade, Seattle and Dream of the Drowned Submariner, but maybe we will some other time in the future!     

Now ask yourselves, if I had to play you one version of each of these new songs could you tell me which concert it was from:

CBC, P, IUTC, HA, RT, MYB?

Of course, I wouldn't, but the same goes for Bob's songs!  For example,  if I played you a version of any of his songs, could you say which concert it was from?  I don't expect so!

Regarding HFB, I actually like all of the versions I have from the concerts I attended from 2010, as much as and probably more than the 2011 ones - and I certainly WOULD be able to pick out the version from Bournemouth - it is especially distinctive and probably my favourite of all !   

[dmg]

I loved all of the Privateering songs - it was just a pity we couldn't have heard a larger number of them, but with such a short set, it would have been impossible.   I would have loved to hear Radio City Serenade, Seattle and Dream of the Drowned Submariner, but maybe we will some other time in the future!     

Now ask yourselves, if I had to play you one version of each of these new songs could you tell me which concert it was from:

CBC, P, IUTC, HA, RT, MYB?

Of course, I wouldn't, but the same goes for Bob's songs!  For example,  if I played you a version of any of his songs, could you say which concert it was from?  I don't expect so!

Regarding HFB, I actually like all of the versions I have from the concerts I attended from 2010, as much as and probably more than the 2011 ones - and I certainly WOULD be able to pick out the version from Bournemouth - it is especially distinctive and probably my favourite of all !   

Sorry, I maybe wasn't clear but I only meant the songs in the list.  HFB is always distinctive!

[superval99]

I didn't realise it was an IQ test!       

I meant the songs in the list too!    My reference to HFB was in reply to the comments in your final paragraph.   

[dmg]

I didn't realise it was an IQ test!       

I meant the songs in the list too!    My reference to HFB was in reply to the comments in your final paragraph.   

Sorry.  I forgot I had put that one in.

[Rolleyway Man]

Blimey. Some serious over-analysis going on in this thread!

I have never had any complaint about Mark's setlists and never will. I simply enjoy the shows for what they are. Whether he plays a set made up entirely of Dire Straits songs or solo material or a mixture of both, I honestly couldn't care less because, such is the consistent high quality of his work, I can honestly say he has never released a song that I don't really like. The only thing I am especially keen to hear is new material, and considering the limited time for Mark's set on these last couple of tours, there have been plenty of new songs on this occasion.

Mark is a great performer who directs all of the focus of his gigs on the music, and he has an astonishing group of musicians with which to perform that music. The musical chemistry between them is second to none and you simply won't hear a better band than them - anywhere. And of course they are aided by amazing technicians who really KNOW how to get the best possible sound out of a venue, which is more than I can say for Dylan's crew. Mark's voice is stronger than ever and seems to improve with every album and tour. Not sure where the idea that his voice was weak on this tour came from. And I actually think his guitar playing is also better than it ever was previously, largely because he's more subtle with it now so there's more emphasis on quality of tone.

Without wishing to start a fight, possibly resulting in a painful incident involving a pineapple, I do think people need to be a little more grateful that Mark is still performing, and still capable of performing more than effectively. And he has the best band on the planet playing with him to help him do that.

[vgonis]

I must say that we are a very special collection of people. MK is our centerpoint, but we all have a different view and expectations from him. I must admit that not following as close as many of you his live output, and suddenly being exposed to so many live recordings, was a shock for me. The reason? I had as reference the older recordings (up to 1996) and the actual studio recordings. When you listen to live recordings without the rest of the visual experience, you tend to miss a big part of the fun. I have only seen him once in 2008 and the exiting part was actually seeing him play the songs. I was ready to forgive him any mistake,and I would probably never notice one, because I was going with the music in my head. It is easy now, to sit back and listen to all these recordings from the comfort of my chair, and be quite careful about all these mistakes.And believe me, I even made some comments about his voice in 2011. I also had reservations about the obvious downplay of the guitar in his songs. But as always, the album was a whole different thing, the new live interpretations another, and the hopes we have yet another.  I don'tlike the sound of Dylan's voice anymore, and the half MK show would be the only reason to attend.  But I feel lucky that we have the recordings, even if some of them are going to be a one time listening.
So I think that for the past and the decisions we can not influence, we must get what we are offered and say our opinions about the future.  So I hope MK plays with a few new bands, I would really like to see him collaborate with Damon Alburn or Darren Hayman.

And since after reading what I have written up to here, I can't find the point I was trying to make, I stop now.   

[communique]

I agree with everything that Rolley Man has said 100%. Right on the money. I saw two shows this tour, in Toronto and Montreal, and I can tell you that the quality of Mark's performance has not diminished whatsoever, infact he and the band are better than ever. It is easy to critisize the quality of a performance if your are only listening to a bootleg recording with terrible quality. (no distrespect to the tapers, but lets face it the quality of these recordings suck). The setlist was excellent in my opinion. Of course you are not going to hear every song you would like to hear, but I'm like Rolley Man, anything MK does is brilliant in my opinion. My only negative comment of this tour is that it was with Bob, which of course made the set too short, and there were far too many distractions during Mark's set because most of the crowd were there for Bob and not Mark. I can't wait for the RAH in May because I can tell you that it is going to kick ass.

[joanzimm]

MK's playing might be different than it was 20 years ago, but that doesn't mean it's worse.  I think his voice sounds better than ever.  IMHO he just keeps getting better in every respect.  With over 200 (300?) songs, he can't please everybody so he chooses to please himself.  That's what he should do.  If he wasn't pleasing himself, he wouldn't still be doing this.  Personally, I don't know how he keeps up with the tour schedule.  It makes me tired just reading about it.