A Swedish review (Google Translate)
https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/a/naMqMJ/knappt-styrfart-for-mummel-knopflerThe first three songs, in particular, of which "Sailing to Philadelphia" was one of those where the guitarist from Dire Straits hardly seemed to touch their lips.
The 69-year-old from Glasgow has never been a showman or entertainer in the true sense of the word, on the contrary. The song should sound like Bob Dylan has taken an extra sleeping pill and still happened to wake up a little too early on a Monday.
But here he sets a new record of being an uncle.
The cut-proof entrance where Knopfler slowly, very slowly, moves across the stage raises an important question:
Will he ever come to the microphone?
It looks like a guitar helps an old man over a crosswalk.No one requests that Knopfler be anything else. His image and music has always been lovely opposite to the pop industry's ideas about how a rock star should look, behave and be.
But the delivery is a little sad. The presence and intensity could not even blow out a heat candle.
The tempo of the songs rolls forward on the second gear. Button fingers do not set the guitar's tones with the same hypnotic, well-played and beautiful timing. It takes a while before, for example, "Money for nothing" squeaks and slips into the right place among the other instruments.
In view of Knopfler's large and small fantastic song catalog, this year's set list is even of surprises and often carved in stone. And the one who, for example, wanted to hear "Sultans of swing" or "Brothers in arms" may wait in vain.
Mark Knopfler surrounds himself with a brilliant ten-man band of various cats and characters, including the pianist Guy Fletcher who has stayed at the guitarist's side since 1984. All of them give several songs a different sound and color than on the studio album, which becomes especially clear in the Dire Straits jewel ” Once upon a time in the west.
Sometimes the musicians and Knopfler meet in soft jams. Feel free to call for a rock fusion in jeans that breaks the laconic pattern of the gig. In addition, the final with "Piper to the end" and "Going home" is really nice.
But it's like sitting and watching a show being shown in slow motion.
One thing you can still give Knopfler.
He may be the only one who has made a rather brilliant song about a bacon sandwich.