It's A Shame Really

[Neville Sherman]

 It’s a shame really in my view. Here we are nearly half way into the long, five month touring schedule programme that MK and the gang have put together for us all and have done for over 20 years. If this is not the last tour, time indicates that it is not far off as Father Time catches up with us all. Many of us will sigh, cry and reminisce when the day finally comes that MK will no longer play his twiddly bits. Don’t get me wrong, I am a MK freak and have been for over 35 years and when I travel from Vietnam to Vancouver in September to see him and the gang again, my excitement will build from the moment from getting on the plane to hearing the last note of Going Home played. At that point I will sigh. If he swilled his gin and tonic and record it, I would buy the recording. Totally sad am I!

So, what is my point? Well, the man has such a legacy of material and I just think it is sad that here we are nearly 40 shows into the current tour and by and large the songs being played are more or less set . I have a Tracker stick from the last tour  giving me 25 songs played but it does not look like we are going to get that number this time. Given the musicianship on the stage, probably at the highest and creative standard ever, I would have loved to have heard BOTDF or One Song at A Time and Heavy Up. Doesn’t look like we’ll ever hear River Towns or Basil or So Far from the Clyde. Fare Thee Well Northumberland due a tinkle? Today is Okay instead of the (albeit) catchy Corn Beef City that I think we have now all heard.I think it is great that Silver Town has been played and Once Upon A Time in the West or Heart Full of Holes are now in the set. Wonderful. I just think that if some of the man’s other works had materialized or played just a few times and dropped then I would have had a chance to buy the sticks and add to the songs to my track list and of course add to the man’s legacy. Like I say, a shame really. Who knows, perhaps half way in, we might be blown away with a few more diamonds from the man's past.

We'll see!

[goon525]

Some very fair points. Incidentally, personally I think we haven’t given Guy nearly a hard enough time for not honouring his promise to leave the band if Dance Floor wasn’t played.

[hunter]

Yes, it's a damn shame. Really.

[Love Expresso]

The set is created around what Mark is (still) able and feels comfortable to play. I think that is the main reason for choosing which song will be played and which not. Thoughts about a good mixture or a great dynamic in the set were probably more important at earlier tours. It's that easy really I guess. I guess Mark has more health and maybe mental issues than we might think and putting on a good show might be much more demanding to him than in let's say 2015. Playing the same set every night gives him comfort and safety while he maybe has lost some of these feelings in daily life. That might be the reason for him discovering that touring suits him and makes him re-think the announced tour stop. So the only shame really here is that even a man with a Heart of Oak like Mark Knopfler gets old.

LE

[straitsway75]

The set is created around what Mark is (still) able and feels comfortable to play. I think that is the main reason for choosing which song will be played and which not. Thoughts about a good mixture or a great dynamic in the set were probably more important at earlier tours. It's that easy really I guess. I guess Mark has more health and maybe mental issues than we might think and putting on a good show might be much more demanding to him than in let's say 2015. Playing the same set every night gives him comfort and safety while he maybe has lost some of these feelings in daily life. That might be the reason for him discovering that touring suits him and makes him re-think the announced tour stop. So the only shame really here is that even a man with a Heart of Oak like Mark Knopfler gets old.

LE

I agree with you, Mark today is this.
Anyway his show is yet the best that you can find around the world
Mark is simply the best 

[quizzaciously]

Some very fair points. Incidentally, personally I think we haven’t given Guy nearly a hard enough time for not honouring his promise to leave the band if Dance Floor wasn’t played.

Guy said they've played it, presumably meaning that they've tried it and it just didn't work.

[dustyvalentino]

As ever, the set is designed for the majority, not the small percentage of "get a lifers" who check each set list.

The vast majority of the thousands who attend each concert (95%? Guess) will attend one show and not download multiple.

They will go away happy.

[ingridswing]

As ever, the set is designed for the majority, not the small percentage of "get a lifers" who check each set list.

The vast majority of the thousands who attend each concert (95%? Guess) will attend one show and not download multiple.

They will go away happy.

I second that Dusty. The show is a great mixture of songs from the whole DS and MK era. Of course, attending 18 shows, I would love to have a different setlist every night. But that’s Impossible. MK wants to have it nothing less than perfect. So only the perfect songs will appear

[herlock]

As ever, the set is designed for the majority, not the small percentage of "get a lifers" who check each set list.

The vast majority of the thousands who attend each concert (95%? Guess) will attend one show and not download multiple.

They will go away happy.

I second that Dusty. The show is a great mixture of songs from the whole DS and MK era. Of course, attending 18 shows, I would love to have a different setlist every night. But that’s Impossible. MK wants to have it nothing less than perfect. So only the perfect songs will appear

I second that too. Nevertheless, the Barcelona show has created high hopes and expectations, next creating disapointment with very poor decisions. Granted, the first show is always longer to try what works and what does not work, and 2h05 min is a solid lenght, I understand that Mark cannot play 2h30 min every night for 5 months, but:
- Replacing a great opener (WAM) with great new arrangements (the powerful brass section is epic !) with the WTF "Nobody does that" the very next day, for 5 shows before realizing it was nonsense, is unprecedented;
- Dedicing to play the 18-year overdue Silvertown Blues was wonferful; deciding to drop it after playing it only 15 times is cruel. The overplayed DWB could have been dropped instead...
- Showing that Mightly TR is still playable in 2019, to give it only to Spain and Portugal, is cruel as well. Selfishly, since I attended Barcelona, I am glad that I heard it one last time, but that's painful for the others...

[vr46mk]

As ever, the set is designed for the majority, not the small percentage of "get a lifers" who check each set list.

The vast majority of the thousands who attend each concert (95%? Guess) will attend one show and not download multiple.

They will go away happy.

I second that Dusty. The show is a great mixture of songs from the whole DS and MK era. Of course, attending 18 shows, I would love to have a different setlist every night. But that’s Impossible. MK wants to have it nothing less than perfect. So only the perfect songs will appear

I second that too. Nevertheless, the Barcelona show has created high hopes and expectations, next creating disapointment with very poor decisions. Granted, the first show is always longer to try what works and what does not work, and 2h05 min is a solid lenght, I understand that Mark cannot play 2h30 min every night for 5 months, but:
- Replacing a great opener (WAM) with great new arrangements (the powerful brass section is epic !) with the WTF "Nobody does that" the very next day, for 5 shows before realizing it was nonsense, is unprecedented;
- Dedicing to play the 18-year overdue Silvertown Blues was wonferful; deciding to drop it after playing it only 15 times is cruel. The overplayed DWB could have been dropped instead...
- Showing that Mightly TR is still playable in 2019, to give it only to Spain and Portugal, is cruel as well. Selfishly, since I attended Barcelona, I am glad that I heard it one last time, but that's painful for the others...

I second your second!

Gave up all TR hopes early, but hoped for Silvertown and BIA, got OES and PTTE.

Don't care anymore, it is what it is and the show was great still.

[quizzaciously]

1. Also, Guy insists on every show being better than all the previous ones and I feel psychologically upset that I got "just" the 5th one. Like I feel like I'm a guinea pig in this thing called "another tour attempt". I got to hear Telegraph Road though, what a luck Can he just enjoy the whole thing and not compare anything, the best tour ever and all?

2. People say, that the setlist debate is fan's problem, because in the old days, nobody had a setlist, nobody had diaries and people just went to the show and that's it. But the artist can make an attempt in "modernising" his usual working schedule, same thing with all the streaming platforms and diminishing CD sales... Selling mp3's with exactly the same shows everywhere is a very good marketing idea indeed.

[jabbathehut]

Slightly different perspective for me having been to one show a tour since the get lucky album to get 8 songs i hadn't heard before live was fantastic and unexpected.

[Peter1981]

i have to admit as well, I think the setlist works great! You don't make a setlist with obscure choices for die-hard fans but to make a great overall evening for people who loves Mark's music. If it was me, the DS songs would've only been from the first 3 albums, but hey, I get it that's not what the big crowd is waiting for.
But to have heard 6 DS songs performed live ( OUATIW, R&J, OES, BIA, MFN, YLT and Going Home), that's basically half (!) of On the Night, the record I grew up with, is more than I could've hoped for. And some of his solo songs that I really love ( Sailing, Heart full of Holes and against the sentiment here I guess, I love Bonaparte!) were there as well, so I'm more than happy with it.
Maybe if he goes on a lower live playing-profile we can see him do News, Wild West End, Water of Love, Hand in Hand, Love over Gold, The Man's too Strong and You and your friend in a theatre someday( yeah yeah, I know, wishful thinking' ;-)
But you certainly can't expect it in those big arena's, it just wouldn't work.
Bottom line, great setlist to me!

[dmg]

i have to admit as well, I think the setlist works great! You don't make a setlist with obscure choices for die-hard fans but to make a great overall evening for people who loves Mark's music. If it was me, the DS songs would've only been from the first 3 albums, but hey, I get it that's not what the big crowd is waiting for.
But to have heard 6 DS songs performed live ( OUATIW, R&J, OES, BIA, MFN, YLT and Going Home), that's basically half (!) of On the Night, the record I grew up with, is more than I could've hoped for. And some of his solo songs that I really love ( Sailing, Heart full of Holes and against the sentiment here I guess, I love Bonaparte!) were there as well, so I'm more than happy with it.
Maybe if he goes on a lower live playing-profile we can see him do News, Wild West End, Water of Love, Hand in Hand, Love over Gold, The Man's too Strong and You and your friend in a theatre someday( yeah yeah, I know, wishful thinking' ;-)
But you certainly can't expect it in those big arena's, it just wouldn't work.
Bottom line, great setlist to me!

It's easy to say that there are four or five (if Piper replaces BIA and GH is a solo soundtrack) so it must be a good set, and normally I would agree with that, however we should break that down:

OUATIW - novel at first but slow-paced and hasn't evolved into anything notable.
R&J - classic song spoiled due to the sound of the Beard and shortened final solo.
OES - a positive in my book, sounding much better than in 2015.
BIA - another positive missed at my shows.
MFN - probably the highlight of the show.
YLT - slow, dull, poor vocals, poor guitar - almost embarrassing.

So yes, although they are DS tracks, they aren't played to their best and things are in slow motion with at least four of them.  Still, this is enough when you are attending the show until you reach Bacon Roll when you just put your feet up and wait until Postcards is over. 

[Mossguitar]

i have to admit as well, I think the setlist works great! You don't make a setlist with obscure choices for die-hard fans but to make a great overall evening for people who loves Mark's music. If it was me, the DS songs would've only been from the first 3 albums, but hey, I get it that's not what the big crowd is waiting for.
But to have heard 6 DS songs performed live ( OUATIW, R&J, OES, BIA, MFN, YLT and Going Home), that's basically half (!) of On the Night, the record I grew up with, is more than I could've hoped for. And some of his solo songs that I really love ( Sailing, Heart full of Holes and against the sentiment here I guess, I love Bonaparte!) were there as well, so I'm more than happy with it.
Maybe if he goes on a lower live playing-profile we can see him do News, Wild West End, Water of Love, Hand in Hand, Love over Gold, The Man's too Strong and You and your friend in a theatre someday( yeah yeah, I know, wishful thinking' ;-)
But you certainly can't expect it in those big arena's, it just wouldn't work.
Bottom line, great setlist to me!

It's easy to say that there are four or five (if Piper replaces BIA and GH is a solo soundtrack) so it must be a good set, and normally I would agree with that, however we should break that down:

OUATIW - novel at first but slow-paced and hasn't evolved into anything notable.
R&J - classic song spoiled due to the sound of the Beard and shortened final solo.
OES - a positive in my book, sounding much better than in 2015.
BIA - another positive missed at my shows.
MFN - probably the highlight of the show.
YLT - slow, dull, poor vocals, poor guitar - almost embarrassing.

So yes, although they are DS tracks, they aren't played to their best and things are in slow motion with at least four of them.  Still, this is enough when you are attending the show until you reach Bacon Roll when you just put your feet up and wait until Postcards is over. 

It’s interesting and fun how different we see things For me, Romeo and Once Upon were the highlights of the show. Romeo was not at all spoiled by the sound of the wrong guitar, and both sounded closer to the original versions wich made them stand more out as individual songs, ulike Alchemy for instance, where all songs have the same «sound». I liked all about Your Latest Trick but the vokals of course. They were not good. But sound, pace, guitar and arrangement was great imo