#07 DTRW TOUR - May 05 2019 - Navarra Arena, Pamplona, Spain #SPOILER#

[dmg]

69 isn't really old, especially for a person in Mark's position who can get the best doctors and physiotherapists and personal trainers and what not. And he gets plenty of rest on the tour, stays in great hotels. But as someone said, people age differently and some faster than others, and who knows if he actually has a health problem (remember John Illsley, who kept his cancer secret). If Mark could have played technically better, with more intensity and with more stamina, he would have. For sure. So, I think the set and the show are good, all things considered. Still I wonder if 80 shows plus is the right way of doing this.

Exactly.  I think he's just pacing himself.

Also, I don't get all this "he so old" and "we should be grateful he's still playing" crap.  He is still in his 60s!  If he did have some condition meaning he shouldn't tour then I'm quite sure his doctors wouldn't have allowed him and he'd be sitting with his feet up. 

He's decided that he's probably taken on too much and he'll short change the fans.  If he'd undertaken a short tour then we'd have a better set with TR.  It's quantity over quality.

[PensaGhost]

Frankly I am KO

Final solo of TR is the main reason I go to a concert and 99% I am not getting it this friday in Milan

and the versions from this tour are MUCH better than any 2015 version, so it's just total crap that he can't play it

[herlock]

dmg, if you want to feel better, remember that your favorite tour of all times (the BIA tour) did feature TR only a couple of times in OZ, not once in Europe or Americas

[dmg]

dmg, if you want to feel better, remember that your favorite tour of all times (the BIA tour) did feature TR only a couple of times in OZ, not once in Europe or Americas

Yes, but ToL is better! 

[Knopflerfan]

dmg, if you want to feel better, remember that your favorite tour of all times (the BIA tour) did feature TR only a couple of times in OZ, not once in Europe or Americas

Yes, but ToL is better! 

TOL is better??!! Not really...Mwahhhh!!!

[crimmer]

brilliant set , marks 69 , played well , cant wait wait to catch up with you guys

Sorry, but this is not a good set.  Barcelona was mainly interesting because of Once Upon a Time and Silvertown, however there are many reasons why this isn't good and why it could easily be so much better.

1.  TR must be maintained because it is the only song majestic/epic/monumental (call it what you will) enough to finish the concert with aplomb.  ToL would do it but he won't play that either.

2.  He's missing out on playing the best songs from the new album such as OSAAT.

3.  The set lacks pace in the first half after CBC.

 

I'm in disbelief, this is MK's last huge tour, and I'm convinced he's struggling so lets just be thankful for 17 tunes from 'The Master' tonight....

It's just 13 days until Leeds and I can't wait!!!!!!

he looked old in barcelona , and i had tears in my eyes when he enterd the stage, looking slow and tierd, i didnt want him to even atempt sultans or anything quick this tour , the set is what he can play now, loved the differnet set and surprises and i loved every second of it!! ,im so looking forward to catching up with knoflerfan and dmg in leeds newcastle , london etc , but all of us love knopff can still play and had heart felt melodies and we can see him do it

I too have shed a tear looking at the various vids on YT and I'm sure will do in Leeds and Birmingham...let's just all be thankful for what Fantastic music MK has given us over the years and how the music lives on long after he stops touring     

I am looking forward to catching up with Mr Crimmer, dmg, Mr & Mrs Superval99, Ingridswing and others and then all going to the concert hall to listen to 'The master' play....

 

[2manyguitars]

brilliant set , marks 69 , played well , cant wait wait to catch up with you guys

Sorry, but this is not a good set.  Barcelona was mainly interesting because of Once Upon a Time and Silvertown, however there are many reasons why this isn't good and why it could easily be so much better.

1.  TR must be maintained because it is the only song majestic/epic/monumental (call it what you will) enough to finish the concert with aplomb.  ToL would do it but he won't play that either.

2.  He's missing out on playing the best songs from the new album such as OSAAT.

3.  The set lacks pace in the first half after CBC.

It is what it is DMG. You can choose to be critical, or you can choose to enjoy it while you can. I choose the latter.

I'm just not going to pretend I'm happy he's short changing us, that's all.  No Sultans, no TR, stripped-back Speedway and since 1992 no ToL.  We must be the most loyal fans in the world!

I've been listening to his music since 1985 and I was 8 or 9 and loved his guitar and I'm not going to these shows solely to listen to him "singing" HFOH with a brass band behind him - that's not what got me into his music.  I understand he's evolved but to the extent that his guitar is virtually abandoned on his farewell tour is two fingers up to his most loyal fans and a thumbs up to those who have been fans for 5 minutes.  It makes it even worse that he teased us with TR on a few early shows.

If he looks old, slow and incapable he really shouldn't be attempting a tour of this scale, or any scale.  I think there's a bit of an exaggeration over his physical well-being.

No one's asking you to be happy. Many of your comments may be completely valid but there's a time and a place.

We all know Mark is not what he once was, but short changing the fans? Come on. This view comes from a completely warped sense of the relationship between artist and listener. He's not there to create what we want, or to play what we want in the way we want it. He's an artist and will take any approach he sees fit, and its quite obvious that a hell of a lot of hard work goes into bringing this particular show to public consumption, even if you don't actually like the particular flavours on offer. No one is arm twisting or coercing anyone here to pay for anything that is less in value in this respect. 

This is probably the last chance many of us will get to see MK live and I for one will not question what he wants to play, how he wants to play it. There are few left like him and I'll be enjoying every second of whatever music is left in his locker. 

[Knopflerfan]

100% agree with all you have said 2manyguitars...

[2manyguitars]

100% agree with all you have said 2manyguitars...

I can just imagine Dmg stood behind Da Vinci as he painted the Mona Lisa - 'Its ok but I'd have preferred you to use the colours from the Last Supper' ;-)

[Knopflerfan]

100% agree with all you have said 2manyguitars...

I can just imagine Dmg stood behind Da Vinci as he painted the Mona Lisa - 'Its ok but I'd have preferred you to use the colours from the Last Supper' ;-)

Hahaha!

[quizzaciously]

Criticism is caring, personally I don't care about praise. If something's good everybody know it's good, it's like reviewing a movie Schindler's List, it's like what to review there? It's one of the best movies in the world. With music, though, it's hard to judge, but I've never seen setlist problem being such a problem, with the exception maybe for Bob Dylan, and Mark's been transforming into Bob slowly, but surely lately.

[2manyguitars]

Criticism is caring, personally I don't care about praise. If something's good everybody know it's good, it's like reviewing a movie Schindler's List, it's like what to review there? It's one of the best movies in the world. With music, though, it's hard to judge, but I've never seen setlist problem being such a problem, with the exception maybe for Bob Dylan, and Mark's been transforming into Bob slowly, but surely lately.

Its not the criticism of any of the actual content that bothers me quizzaciously. Its the attributing of various motives to those decisions as if MK and co are sat seeking to piss us all off and are doing so deliberately when its quite obvious that they are putting their hearts minds and souls into this tour. Its fine to say 'I don't like this, this is not for me'. Its quite another thing to lay accusations of laziness, short changing the fans, etc....

[quizzaciously]

Criticism is caring, personally I don't care about praise. If something's good everybody know it's good, it's like reviewing a movie Schindler's List, it's like what to review there? It's one of the best movies in the world. With music, though, it's hard to judge, but I've never seen setlist problem being such a problem, with the exception maybe for Bob Dylan, and Mark's been transforming into Bob slowly, but surely lately.

Its not the criticism of any of the actual content that bothers me quizzaciously. Its the attributing of various motives to those decisions as if MK and co are sat seeking to piss us all off and are doing so deliberately when its quite obvious that they are putting their hearts minds and souls into this tour. Its fine to say 'I don't like this, this is not for me'. Its quite another thing to lay accusations of laziness, short changing the fans, etc....

Every tour I always say there's no smoke without fire. Every tour generates lots of harsh words and disappointment, but it's not supposed to. Guy Fletcher isn't supposed to warn people from asking setlist questions as if it's a violation of law, but the sheer amount of unsatisfied people always baffles me.

Human beings in their right minds are always seeking for advantages, benefits and easy routs. Mark isn't going on tour to lose money and health, he's going on tour to make money and stay healthy, nothing wrong with that. The problem is when his abilities and fans desires can't meet. As I said, the demand for Mark's songs is so huge and he delivers so little, so naturally there's tribute bands and "hate" everywhere. It's woe from wit, and it happens because of our love towards MK, not against it. I'd say, after this 85-shows stadium tour Mark will shake his setlist like crazy and everybody will be happy at last on more intimate shows, like Mark himself always wanted it to be. Playing pubs and theatres, huh?

Call it short changing the fans, laziness, but cutting not the longest shows in the world and rushing the shows because of an airport issue before the day-off is not the best behavior either. I once was on a classical guitar recital with one 60-years-old man playing Bach for 4 hours and with 4 intermissions. And I can tell you playing Bach on guitar for an audience of 2.5 thousand people is not playing pentatonic scales on a signature Gibson Les Paul and singing songs while on a luxury trip with your private jet and an orchestra.

[2manyguitars]

Criticism is caring, personally I don't care about praise. If something's good everybody know it's good, it's like reviewing a movie Schindler's List, it's like what to review there? It's one of the best movies in the world. With music, though, it's hard to judge, but I've never seen setlist problem being such a problem, with the exception maybe for Bob Dylan, and Mark's been transforming into Bob slowly, but surely lately.

Its not the criticism of any of the actual content that bothers me quizzaciously. Its the attributing of various motives to those decisions as if MK and co are sat seeking to piss us all off and are doing so deliberately when its quite obvious that they are putting their hearts minds and souls into this tour. Its fine to say 'I don't like this, this is not for me'. Its quite another thing to lay accusations of laziness, short changing the fans, etc....

Every tour I always say there's no smoke without fire. Every tour generates lots of harsh words and disappointment, but it's not supposed to. Guy Fletcher isn't supposed to warn people from asking setlist questions as if it's a violation of law, but the sheer amount of unsatisfied people always baffles me.

Human beings in their right minds are always seeking for advantages, benefits and easy routs. Mark isn't going on tour to lose money and health, he's going on tour to make money and stay healthy, nothing wrong with that. The problem is when his abilities and fans desires can't meet. As I said, the demand for Mark's songs is so huge and he delivers so little, so naturally there's tribute bands and "hate" everywhere. It's woe from wit, and it happens because of our love towards MK, not against it. I'd say, after this 85-shows stadium tour Mark will shake his setlist like crazy and everybody will be happy at last on more intimate shows, like Mark himself always wanted it to be. Playing pubs and theatres, huh?

Call it short changing the fans, laziness, but cutting not the longest shows in the world and rushing the shows because of an airport issue before the day-off is not the best behavior either. I once was on a classical guitar recital with one 60-years-old man playing Bach for 4 hours and with 4 intermissions. And I can tell you playing Bach on guitar for an audience of 2.5 thousand people is not playing pentatonic scales on a signature Gibson Les Paul and singing songs while on a luxury trip with your private jet and an orchestra.

I'm sorry but we're just not on the same page on this. So many of those criticisms are suppositions based on what can be seen and inferred from outside the bubble.  None of us knows the real reasons, the real stresses that exist behind the scenes and I state categorically that until proven otherwise MK deserves to have his artistic choices respected. Do you honestly think at 69, with millions in the bank that he's on tour for money? Odds are in fact that the tour overall may run at a loss....

As for shortening of the shows can we hold mk personally responsible for the judgement of management, promotors, local venues etc?

Can we not just enjoy this tour for what it is, not what we want it to be? If you want a live dire straits jukebox go see DSL or one of the other many 'poor old fakers'....

[Robson]

I think the same 2manyguitars