"More music coming your way"

[superval99]

Generally, I thought the 2019 tour was excellent and I enjoyed all of the concerts I attended very much, particularly Leeds which I still listen to with great pleasure, but I have listened to a few performances of BIA from the same tour and it was painful for me to see and hear MK struggle with that beautiful song.    I think that the long tours are over now for MK, but we can look back on the 2019 tour as being a great and memorable finale for a truly great musician.   I am missing him already!   

[quizzaciously]

Indeed Pavel, it has to be done good.
For me a concert will always be about the music, I’m there above all to enjoy hearing good songs played well. It makes me sad to applaud for a performance solely out of respect for the artists oeuvre instead of for the actual perfomance. For example, I was at the MK concert in Antwerp in 2019 where he played Brothers in arms, a favourite of mine I hoped he would play, but sadly I just could not enjoy it. The emotion and message that got through in this performance was the immense struggle for MK himself to actually play the song, keeping up with the alternation between the words and guitar fills, resulting in inaccurate timing, failed licks, frightened looks etc. At that moment that struggle/discomfort gets transferred to me, I really feel it, instead of the emotion, meaning and beauty of the this fantastic song itself.

The musical quality of the show is also the number 1 priority for me. And I'm the only one who thinks that Mark gives his best performances while sitting down? I think this is something that definitely needs to return, instead of this bizarre new posture with the high-strapped guitar. I don't understand why Mark is constantly trying to jump over his own head? It's obvious that 80 shows tour is too much for him, it's obvious that it would be better for him to sit down during the show, and he already did that and quite successfully. He said he's not a dancer or something like that, so why standing again? To whom he wanted to prove what?

Generally, I thought the 2019 tour was excellent and I enjoyed all of the concerts I attended very much, particularly Leeds which I still listen to with great pleasure, but I have listened to a few performances of BIA from the same tour and it was painful for me to see and hear MK struggle with that beautiful song.    I think that the long tours are over now for MK, but we can look back on the 2019 tour as being a great and memorable finale for a truly great musician.   I am missing him already!   

It reminds me that Bob Dylan toured in late 2019 and with his non-existent voice and he still delivered the shows, so my concern here is that Mark's struggle won't stop him from touring for another 100 shows. I miss his shows, but I desperately want a smaller tour, it would be better in too many ways.

[superval99]

I agree with you, Quizzaciously, that MK plays much better sitting down.   The 2010 tour is evidence of this and it is my favourite tour.   

[Jules]

I agree with you, Quizzaciously, that MK plays much better sitting down.   The 2010 tour is evidence of this and it is my favourite tour.   

Yesterday I drove to work while listening the Madrid 2010 digital download that came with Privateering, and I was thinking how exceptional was MK guitar playing in those songs, and I recall that it was played seated...

I totally see MK doing a small numbers of shows with his "local band", Robbie, Marcus or David Bronze, Guy, another keyboard player (Geraint?), the Macs and Ian, in venues like the RAH, in a more intimate way.

But I don't foresee him doing it until 2023, unless there are a sum of great coincidences and in the same week or two weeks his management find some available venues to do some dates in 2022... That I hope so!

[dmg]

I'm afraid I don't agree about him playing better seated.  Perhaps the slower songs may be unaffected but the faster tunes certainly are.  You can see him visibly struggling into a variety of different uncomfortable looking positions when playing the faster ones.  He was clearly restricted.

[quizzaciously]

I'm afraid I don't agree about him playing better seated.  Perhaps the slower songs may be unaffected but the faster tunes certainly are.  You can see him visibly struggling into a variety of different uncomfortable looking positions when playing the faster ones.  He was clearly restricted.

So it's a struggle playing standing up, it's a struggle playing sitting down, quite a tragedy actually. As I write this I'm listening to the 2005 concert and our boy just kills it! The band is on fire, Mark rocks like a champ. Fast forward 15 years and it's a completely different story

[hunter]

Maybe he should try playing lying down?

[quizzaciously]

Maybe he should try playing lying down?

James Jamerson supposedly recorded the bass line for Marvin Gaye's hit "What's Going On" while being drunk AND lying down, so that's possible

[Rolo]

As i wrote some time ago, i truly believe that Mark suffer from a kind of Parkinson. Or his back problems are huge from last couple of years. Back pain, if are a strong pain, makes simple tasks almost impossible to do.

On the last tour, Mark is cleary suffering. And his hands are shaking a bit.
Mark is fat nowadays. Maybe caused by medicine.

Its a teory.
Maybe is "his way" of aging.

Sorry my por english

[quizzaciously]

As i wrote some time ago, i truly believe that Mark suffer from a kind of Parkinson. Or his back problems are huge from last couple of years. Back pain, if are a strong pain, makes simple tasks almost impossible to do.

On the last tour, Mark is cleary suffering. And his hands are shaking a bit.
Mark is fat nowadays. Maybe caused by medicine.

Its a teory.
Maybe is "his way" of aging.

Sorry my por english

Everybody ages differently, here in Russia we have a journalist who in his mid-80s is as smart and healthy as someone in his 50s, he looks healthier than MK. Also, this journalist beat cancer 2 or 3 times in his lifetime. Thanks, genes for all they do to us, you may be a vegetarian your whole life, never drink alcohol, never smoke, and still die at age 60. Or live a full life, enjoy everything and die on your 100th birthday. Life is cruel sometimes and this is something I think every time I see MK performing nowadays, though while visiting vineyards he's still the happiest man in the world

[Harald]

I have the same feeling Rolo, he's got some disease perhaps. It's very sad to look some of the performances from the 2019 tour as he's got sometimes lifeless long constant looks when he sings. I get impression he's dead inside as there's no that vibrant present anymore. Of course it can be his in pain like you said. Age of 71 is a lot but not that much that human's functionality deteriorates so much in general.

[Mossguitar]

Are we talking about the same MK? I don’t think he is sick, it’s not sad, he is not dead inside. He is getting old, and that’s all right. I hope he will continue touring as long as he likes. I’ll be there. I don’t care about him getting slower or anything. I just love his tone and the music. When I want the past, I have loads of recordings.

[qjamesfloyd]

I would say his back problems, whatever they are, is the main issue, after playing as long as he has, you don't just lose the ability, if that was the case he wouldn't be able to play great on record, which he still does, he can still play far better than most people anyway, and with more emotion than almost anyone. I am just looking forward to new music, if it is with different musicians this time so be it, the songs will still be written and played by him, and Guy will always be there, I know there is a good bass played called John Illsley too Mark must have enough songs written now for a double album again.

[herlock]

I'm afraid I don't agree about him playing better seated.  Perhaps the slower songs may be unaffected but the faster tunes certainly are.  You can see him visibly struggling into a variety of different uncomfortable looking positions when playing the faster ones.  He was clearly restricted.

Telegraph road Paris 2010 has one of the best end solos I've ever heard... The song lasted the full 14 minutes... and yet he was seated

[superval99]

I'm afraid I don't agree about him playing better seated.  Perhaps the slower songs may be unaffected but the faster tunes certainly are.  You can see him visibly struggling into a variety of different uncomfortable looking positions when playing the faster ones.  He was clearly restricted.

I attended four concerts from 2010 - Dublin, Manchester, Brighton and Bournemouth and they were all wonderful performances and "the faster ones" especially so.   I still listen to them and he was in no way restricted playing songs such as SOS, Speedway and Telegraph Road, all of which are amongst my favourites from any tour, either previously or since.