Random reflexions about Dire Straits tours

[Love Expresso]

Thank you, I see (ref. Pottel) "leave" was the wrong word and what I meant was excactly what Chris made clear in the first sentence. Of course, as a fan forum, we love facts but where there aren't any, it's like a room full of fans chatting (and speculating) about this and that and all kinds of things. That's the main difference to a music forum or official band forum. With that in mind, it's awesome and very appreciated what you and Ed do for us!

LE

[Love Expresso]

Chris, nowadays, ticket sales usually are done long before the tour starts, often more than a year before the first show, with bigger acts anyway. I wonder if Mark really thought that a possible "lower performance" of the band would affect ticket sales and not sold out shows. I know word of mouth is important but I would assume that the biggest chunk of tickets would have been sold months before?

LE

[Chris W]

No.
Even back then tickets went on sale a few months before the show.
I think maybe Mark and John felt deflated, playing odd venues to two thirds full crowds. They then projected their own feelings on to the rest of us and assumed we weren't giving it our all.
In the end, you don't get to be a successful freelance player  (like me, Phil, Danny, Chris White, Paul Franklin) unless you are extremely professional and a dedicated player. You don't sustain such a career by giving 50-75% when you feel like it.
On such long tours like McCartney and Dire Straits I had to play at 100% level on four hours sleep, with extreme jet lag, when I had a bad cold etc....
That is the job.

[Peter1981]

I think I said it before, but thanks again for the stellar job on the tour, Chris.
The On The Night record ( and VHS tape ) is what inspired me to get into music, and that has brought me so much in life so far.
Some of those version played (BIA, YAYF, OES) I much prefer over the album versions.
So thanks!!

[Chris W]

Thank you.

[Pottel]

I go away when people dispute my posts, people who weren't there, have never even been in a band or been on tour.

Overall, there is more wild conspiracy than facts on the forum, which is why Ed posted lengthy rebuttals and offered some very detailed info to you all.

The tour was the tour. A few wild conspiracies exist and although I haven't read the book, Phil Palmer's account seems to be exaggerated, probably because it makes for better reading and sells more books.
There was never a moment where Mark threatened the band members, or read us the riot act for not performing. there was a and meeting after one of the USA shows where he claimed we were under performing, but that was obvious (to us all) that he was frustrated about how the US tour was going, a very long segment with not many completely sold out shows.
The sausage incident was amusing to most of us. A couple of people were pissed off (nothing more) on the night and the next day it was basically forgotten.

to this day i do not know who stole that friggin sausage back then....pls enlighten us.(or rather me)

[Chris W]

I never knew.
Maybe a couple of band members with a couple of crew.
It happened during the show, so it had to be people not in the show at any point.

[wayaman]

I never knew.
Maybe a couple of band members with a couple of crew.
It happened during the show, so it had to be people not in the show at any point.

I think that Ed pointed to one person in one of his posts, can't recall if Jbaent's, Dusty's or at the answers thread, I remember exactly who was the one who ate the sausags, maybe it wasn't Ed who said it, don't remember exactly, but as far as I don't recall and don't have time to search myself, and I can't point to the source, otherwise the fury of the mighty LE would fall over me, I'm not telling the name.

Well, a clue, is someone that still worked for MK during his solo career.

[dustyvalentino]

Not the full post, but the relevant part...

New message by Ed:


Jabent , pop out to the local patisserie and get yourself some Lamb Merguez sausages and pretend your Peter McKay secretly gorging yourself on a sausage intended for your hero in some cold Canadian arena , not realising that you are committing the SIN OF SINS and putting your very livelihood at risk.

[quizzaciously]

Not the full post, but the relevant part...

New message by Ed:


Jabent , pop out to the local patisserie and get yourself some Lamb Merguez sausages and pretend your Peter McKay secretly gorging yourself on a sausage intended for your hero in some cold Canadian arena , not realising that you are committing the SIN OF SINS and putting your very livelihood at risk.

Gotta love how of all the tours, countries and changing musicians the biggest controversy in the band's history is who ate the sausage that made MK go bananas.

[wayaman]

Not the full post, but the relevant part...

New message by Ed:


Jabent , pop out to the local patisserie and get yourself some Lamb Merguez sausages and pretend your Peter McKay secretly gorging yourself on a sausage intended for your hero in some cold Canadian arena , not realising that you are committing the SIN OF SINS and putting your very livelihood at risk.

Thanks for saving my ass!

[Robson]

Not the full post, but the relevant part...

New message by Ed:


Jabent , pop out to the local patisserie and get yourself some Lamb Merguez sausages and pretend your Peter McKay secretly gorging yourself on a sausage intended for your hero in some cold Canadian arena , not realising that you are committing the SIN OF SINS and putting your very livelihood at risk.

Gotta love how of all the tours, countries and changing musicians the biggest controversy in the band's history is who ate the sausage that made MK go bananas.

I feel like I'm reading about this too often.

[Marijn]

The real reason that MK did the album and tour.

Ed told us that he thought BiA should have been the end.

And Ed has told us that he can't reveal the real reason so all we can do is speculate.

I heard the reason was that Mark kept his management waiting so long, all expecting something new. Then Paul Cummins spoke out that he would leave if nothing would happen anymore. I spoke with Paul briefly before the 1996 show at the Shepherds' Bush.
There's this story about the meeting at Tootsie's restaurant, where plans for both the album and tour were announced.

[Chris W]

Gotta love how of all the tours, countries and changing musicians the biggest controversy in the band's history is who ate the sausage that made MK go bananas.

I agree. It sells books obviously. On the tour it was completely forgotten 36 to 48 hours later.

[ds1984]

Anecdotal but fun.