What are your thoughts on MK & his band touring in the future ? (is it the end)

[peterromer]

What are your thoughts on whether we will see MK & his band touring after the next album is released ?
(yes, I assume there is a next album)

Personally I think he will do a "farewell tour" without calling it such a name, but I just dont think he will continue so much more. We all know he said it was the end the last time he toured.
Of some reason he stopped saying it. Maybe he changed his mind, maybe he felt in a better shape or it was something else that kept him wanting to experience it.  :-)


   



 

[qjamesfloyd]

Those comments from Mark were pre-covid, now with no live events for such a long time, I am sure he will want to do one more tour, I presume his new album won't be out until next year, so he could tour again in 2022 I don't see why he wouldn't call it a farewell tour, if he does there will be a deluge of fans wanting to see him one last time. If it is the last tour then so be it, Mark has given so much in his liver performances over his career, he has nothing left to prove, as long as he keeps making new albums I will be happy.

[straitsway75]

Hope that Mark will tour for the next 30 years, but I think that not will tour again because I saw him 2 years ago too tired.i  I suppose on  a little race in few cities, like London of course, Paris, Berlin,Rotterdam, Zurich, Rome and Barcelona with an UK little band for the new album. I don't think in 2 hours show but in a set like Prince Trust 2009.

[ds1984]

Mark already did it in Barcelona in 2019.

If you attended that night it was obvious it was a goodbye speech.

[border_reiver]

Mark already did it in Barcelona in 2019.

If you attended that night it was obvious it was a goodbye speech.

Which was changed and rescurrected in Gothenburg. 

[Love Expresso]

I would prefer a live blu-ray box with 2008 to 2013 live stuff over another tour. I really hope he won't tour again but does maybe a couple of RAH shows instead. A good example was 2002's Knopfler and friends. Great and longer nights. With more and extensive rehearsals before, those shows could be a real farewell.

LE

[MagicElliott]

Truth be told, I think Mark should come and play in my church (as it can seat about 350-my lounge isn’t big enough) with Guy, John, Mike and Danny (plus a bass player of their choice.)

I think he has a future playing small gigs in my hometown……please

[Love Expresso]

I am astonished that people still expect him to tour. I think that is totally unrealistic. It's two, probably three years since the last one, it will not get better but worse with his condition. It would be wise to realize that at some point, it is over. He is too old, period. It might sound harsh to say so but it's reality. These guys are all the same. They just cannot stop it.

One or two last good (!) albums would be more than to dream of and a total bonus for every fan. Not that I really would expect any surprises. From my point of view, it will be going on with recycling his own stuff and lack of inspiration, disguised with many guest musicians and a variety of "new" styles like on that last Whatever album and Guy getting more and more responsibility in producing a good sounding, but thin echoe of what once was great and original. For me, Tracker is his legacy with 2 minutes Heart of Oak being so much better and superior over those 80 minutes of that what followed.
An album with songs like that, River of Grog and maybe Pale Imitation would be all that I would think of being appropriate. Less is more sometimes.

So in a nutshell about the topic: is it the end? Yes, it is and already since a while back.

LE

[Knopflerfan]

I cannot see a 'tour' at all to be honest and in some way I hope he doesn't...perhaps a handful of 'one off' concerts perhaps but then confined to one location (ie) Royal Albert Hall

I cannot believe people thinking he may tour again, I mean the 2019 concerts were a bit choice if you get my meaning and he was clearly struggling to play...

[Knopflerfan]

I would prefer a live blu-ray box with 2008 to 2013 live stuff over another tour. I really hope he won't tour again but does maybe a couple of RAH shows instead. A good example was 2002's Knopfler and friends. Great and longer nights. With more and extensive rehearsals before, those shows could be a real farewell.

LE

Good call LE! a few releases from the eras you state as they were awesome!

[Jules]

I don't foresee a tour like the last ones in the future... Maybe something like the Emmylou Harris one, with selected dates in Europe and North America, something smaller.

At the end of the last tour he said that he would keep doing that until he fells, but after the pandemic, maybe he changed his mind, but he also wants to keep playing and knows that there are a lot of people working around his tours and musicians are very aware of that, and those people had suffered the most for the pandemic. Doing small scale tours would work for him to play his songs again without too much travel and also would work to keep all the crew works going on.

[qjamesfloyd]

After the On Every Street tour, Mark said he wanted to scale the touring size down, but as the solo tours went on, it started getting bigger again, not as big as the Dire Straits tours though, but no he could scale it all down again, no more arena's, only small theatres, 3 - 4,000 seats, not as many venues, he did seem really happy playing the likes of Ronnie Scots with The Notting Hillbillies so that could be the way to go, of course this is also about ensuring the tour makes money so it is a fine line. But with Mark anything is possible, so I will wait and see.

[superval99]

I would love to see MK on tour again, but I really can't see it happening and in my heart I hope it doesn't happen.   The 2019 tour was excellent, but he had a lot of support in the band.  I enjoyed the concerts I attended immensely, but I felt 2019 would be the last tour.   

From 2015 to 2019 there was a great physical change in Mark and the earliest there could be another tour would  probably be 2023, by which time he would be almost 74, so I hope he retires gracefully, ending on a high.  A new album every two or three years would be something to look forward to, though.

[Jules]

After the On Every Street tour, Mark said he wanted to scale the touring size down, but as the solo tours went on, it started getting bigger again, not as big as the Dire Straits tours though, but no he could scale it all down again, no more arena's, only small theatres, 3 - 4,000 seats, not as many venues, he did seem really happy playing the likes of Ronnie Scots with The Notting Hillbillies so that could be the way to go, of course this is also about ensuring the tour makes money so it is a fine line. But with Mark anything is possible, so I will wait and see.

Actually, with the demand he has, I can see him playing but not at small theaters, but big arenas... A small european tour playing just the big ones so it's economically viable, in the UK, the Brimingham arena, the O2 in London, the Leeds arena, the Metro Radio in Newcastle, the Sporpalais in Antwerp, the Ziggo in Amsterdam, Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, that kind of places where he can sell a lot of tickets in just one night. That would do it short and economically viable.

That in the case he wants to do a short tour with his nowadays band. If he wants to do it really smaller, three or four dates at the RAH would be awesome and enough, but I don't think he can do that with his Nashville cats...

[hunter]

The way Mark chooses to tour, it would be impossible financially to play only a few, small venues. I don't think Mark is keen on six-hour bus drives any more.