Here's me feeling a bit let down because "Mr Bob" has kept to a pretty standard set list for his recent tour and here are some of you, having commented adversely on Mark's repetitious set lists in the past, getting concerned because he fails to play some old "war horse" every night. These are Mark Knopfler shows, not Dire Straits shows for goodness sake! Get with the programme! Stop living in the past. He's a performing artist. He can't rest on his laurels. He has to change and develop or his artistry will wither - and you don't want that.
"Mr Bob" wrote a 2-verse version of "Blowing In The Wind" in April 1962, added a third verse a little later and recorded the song we know in July 1962. He didn't always perform it in the following period but, with its release on album in May 1963 and with Peter Paul and Mary have a huge hit with it in the summer of 1963, it became, as it were, his signature song and he performed it for a few months. Come 1964, however, it disappeared from his set list and, as far as we know, it wasn't performed at all during the 1964, 1965 or 1966 when he was at the height of his public popularity. Dylan moved on and, whatever the expectations of his audience, he was true to his art. He didn't pander to his audience. You had to keep up with him. That's the way it was and that's the way it should be.
Getting back to Mark, I hope he doesn't repeat the same jokes and between-song banter night after night.
