#42 DTRW TOUR - July 02 2019 - Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, Stuttgart, Germany

[dmg]

Bit of trouble with Speedway there. 

[superval99]

Bit of trouble with Speedway there. 

Train wreck springs to mind!   

[hunter]

I only listened to SAN through my phone, so I don't get the complete picture of the situation, but it seems Mark messed up pretty bad. That's what you mean?


Such an overrated and overplayed song with nowhere to go with the solo.

[dmg]

I only listened to SAN through my phone, so I don't get the complete picture of the situation, but it seems Mark messed up pretty bad. That's what you mean?


Such an overrated and overplayed song with nowhere to go with the solo.

Totally agree.  The solo gives him little room for improvisation or mistake; either he nails it or messes up.  At least with TR there is somewhere to go if you can't manage what you're aiming for.

[hunter]

I am really curious about what causes him to mess up like this. I guess everyone can have a bad day at the job, but at this level these kind of mistakes really shouldn't happen. For me it's very difficult to watch Mark these days. Guy may say all is well, but I doubt it very much. Can't believe how much Mark's physical appearance has changed over the last three-four years.

[dmg]

I am really curious about what causes him to mess up like this. I guess everyone can have a bad day at the job, but at this level these kind of mistakes really shouldn't happen. For me it's very difficult to watch Mark these days. Guy may say all is well, but I doubt it very much. Can't believe how much Mark's physical appearance has changed over the last three-four years.

I know.  It does me no favours to see this from an absolute master and legend and these episodes are why I am hoping it is his last tour. 

He looked like he was concentrating, didn't appear distracted but his fingers just froze despite playing this song on about every show since 2001.

[communique]

I actually agree that I hope that this is Marks last tour. It’s out of total respect for Mark that I feel this way. I want the last show I see of his to be at high level, with him still playing beautifully. I don’t want him to become like an old boxer, that comes back for too many fights well past his prime and gets the crap kicked out if him. Or like so many other musicians that keep touring even though they can’t perform anymore. He still seems to be playing at a pretty high level right now generally speaking, but it would be sad to see him come back again if he could hardly play any of his beautiful melodic riffs anymore. At least that’s my opinion.

[regaran]

I went to 4 shows : Barcelona, Bordeaux Paris and Lyon.
I clearly see a big difference between Barcelona and Lyon. Slowly and slowly, if you look carefully, you can see John Mccusker playing same as Mark as a 'support', just like if Mark wasn't able to play full song or some guitars.
That's the case for Romeo And Juliet and some others. John is like 'doubleling' Mark. I have noticed it a little bit in Bordeaux, but really clearly in Paris and Lyon.

I have also noticed that Mark is playing really better when he's sitting (My Bacon Roll for example). I think he has an issue with back or hip, and it make him difficult to play standing.
The question is : why not playing sitted, like in 2010 if he feels more easy ! That's no problem for me !

[Knopflerfan]

http://guyfletcher.co.uk/2nd-july-2019-stuttgart/

[qjamesfloyd]

I think it is clear he has a medical issue that is affecting his playing, which is sad. I understand that Guy doesn't want to say anything, but it must be more serious than the Get Lucky tour where he was taken pain medication and sitting on a chair. He is almost 70 and has aged a lot recently, age is not the big issue, as it is fine with the likes of David Gilmour or Paul McCartney, but age and condition can affect people in different ways, look at Phil Collins for example, he can hardly walk and can't even play the drums anymore!!

[Knopflerfan]

Bit of trouble with Speedway there. 

Really? Have I missed something?? Just watched the you tube version this thread and didn't notice anything too bad...

[hunter]

There are several places where he gets completely lost.

[superval99]

I listened to it yesterday and thought it was a terrible mess, mostly in the last few minutes, but listening again today, without looking at the video, it doesn't seem as bad as my first impression.   I can hear MK playing - not up to usual standard, of course, but to my ears there is a terrible mish-mash going on in the background.  It's almost like a battlefield! 

[TheTimeWasWrong]

There are several places where he gets completely lost.

I think this version is not too bad, I've seen worse versions of SAN during the 2015 tour. I really miss his fluent playing during the OES outro though, he's not precise enough anymore to make it work. Same with R&J: such a signature lick, literally played a thousand times. It was guitar-wise perfectly until this tour, even in 2015 he had no problems playing it. I really saw him struggling in Amsterdam to get the lick played (guitar change not counting), I've said it before but I think there's something very wrong with him.

[hunter]

to my ears there is a terrible mish-mash going on in the background.  It's almost like a battlefield!

In my opinion the band plays it right, and Mark is lost.

That said, even though it's great fun to have a lot going on on stage, I feel there's too much going on. The more musicians you have in the band, the less they must play avoid cacophony, and I don't think they gel all that well together.