Mark Knopfler Live Review
Posted: July 20, 2005 11:53 am
From Billboard.com:
http://www.billboard.com/bb/livereviews ... 1000981499
Mark Knopfler / July 15, 2005 / Chicago (Auditorium Theatre)
There's often no accounting for popular tastes. But it's probably safe to say that were it not for the inimitable guitar stylings of Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits would never have become so massively successful.
Of course, Mark Knopfler's miles away from filling stadiums anymore, and he seems to prefer it that way. In fact, Knopfler's solo albums have been almost studiously relaxed, as if he's tired of producing crowd-pleasing hits and instead prefers to make music that pleases himself.
That's not to say his set at the sold out Auditorium Theatre in Chicago wasn't crowd-pleasing. Knopfler dipped frequently into the Dire Straits catalog for songs that satisfied the most stubborn fair-weather fans, familiar only with Knopfler's early days. As for Knopfler's solo material, even the most laid back song usually featured one of his trademark leads or licks, that precise humming tone more beholden to classic country music than the kind of power-chords that typically fill concert halls.
"Why Aye Man" and "What It Is" in particular stand up along with Knopfler's best Dire Straits material, while "Sailing to Philadelphia" and "Boom, Like That" were far subtler (musically, at least, though throughout the night his mumbled lyrics were virtually unintelligible) than anything he could have gotten away with during that band's mid-'80s peak. That holds especially for the songs played at the set's midpoint, when Knopfler led a pared-down version of his seasoned five-piece band though some even quieter moments from his most recent records.
In fitting with the night's mood, not all of the Dire Straits songs worked well. "Walk of Life" and "Money for Nothing" were too broad, too crass, compared to subdued, nuanced cuts such as "Sultans of Swing" and the still haunting "Brothers in Arms." Best were epics such as the ever romantic "Romeo & Juliet" and "Telegraph Road," indications that maybe he should have avoided some of those obvious "Brothers in Arms" hits in favor of less overplayed album tracks. Heck, "Making Movies" is full of them.
Yet the memory of Dire Straits never seemed foremost in Knopfler's mind. Instead he concentrated on the moment, settling so comfortably into middle-age mellowness that he didn't appear to care that the moneyed crowd (who could afford his pricey tickets) spent most of the evening sitting, relishing his playing rather than stiffly reliving their more energetic youth.
Like Knopfler, though, they did perk up when the mood struck. "Speedway at Nazareth" drew everyone to their feet, even if "So Far Away" ended the night on a particularly sleepy note.
Opening was Irish singer/songwriter Bap Kennedy, who repeatedly made his allegiances to Elvis and Hank Williams clear even if his music never quite reflected those influences. Rather, Kennedy played a pleasant but mostly forgettable brand of coffeehouse folk and country.
Here is Mark Knopfler's set list:
"Why Aye Man"
"Walk of Life"
"What It Is"
"Sailing to Philadelphia"
"Romeo & Juliet"
"Sultans of Swing"
"Done With Bonaparte"
"Song for Sonny Liston"
"Rudiger"
"All That Matters"
"Donegan's Gone"
"Boom, Like That"
"Speedway at Nazareth"
"Telegraph Road"
"Brothers in Arms"
"Money for Nothing"
"So Far Away"
-- Joshua Klein, Chicago
http://www.billboard.com/bb/livereviews ... 1000981499
Mark Knopfler / July 15, 2005 / Chicago (Auditorium Theatre)
There's often no accounting for popular tastes. But it's probably safe to say that were it not for the inimitable guitar stylings of Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits would never have become so massively successful.
Of course, Mark Knopfler's miles away from filling stadiums anymore, and he seems to prefer it that way. In fact, Knopfler's solo albums have been almost studiously relaxed, as if he's tired of producing crowd-pleasing hits and instead prefers to make music that pleases himself.
That's not to say his set at the sold out Auditorium Theatre in Chicago wasn't crowd-pleasing. Knopfler dipped frequently into the Dire Straits catalog for songs that satisfied the most stubborn fair-weather fans, familiar only with Knopfler's early days. As for Knopfler's solo material, even the most laid back song usually featured one of his trademark leads or licks, that precise humming tone more beholden to classic country music than the kind of power-chords that typically fill concert halls.
"Why Aye Man" and "What It Is" in particular stand up along with Knopfler's best Dire Straits material, while "Sailing to Philadelphia" and "Boom, Like That" were far subtler (musically, at least, though throughout the night his mumbled lyrics were virtually unintelligible) than anything he could have gotten away with during that band's mid-'80s peak. That holds especially for the songs played at the set's midpoint, when Knopfler led a pared-down version of his seasoned five-piece band though some even quieter moments from his most recent records.
In fitting with the night's mood, not all of the Dire Straits songs worked well. "Walk of Life" and "Money for Nothing" were too broad, too crass, compared to subdued, nuanced cuts such as "Sultans of Swing" and the still haunting "Brothers in Arms." Best were epics such as the ever romantic "Romeo & Juliet" and "Telegraph Road," indications that maybe he should have avoided some of those obvious "Brothers in Arms" hits in favor of less overplayed album tracks. Heck, "Making Movies" is full of them.
Yet the memory of Dire Straits never seemed foremost in Knopfler's mind. Instead he concentrated on the moment, settling so comfortably into middle-age mellowness that he didn't appear to care that the moneyed crowd (who could afford his pricey tickets) spent most of the evening sitting, relishing his playing rather than stiffly reliving their more energetic youth.
Like Knopfler, though, they did perk up when the mood struck. "Speedway at Nazareth" drew everyone to their feet, even if "So Far Away" ended the night on a particularly sleepy note.
Opening was Irish singer/songwriter Bap Kennedy, who repeatedly made his allegiances to Elvis and Hank Williams clear even if his music never quite reflected those influences. Rather, Kennedy played a pleasant but mostly forgettable brand of coffeehouse folk and country.
Here is Mark Knopfler's set list:
"Why Aye Man"
"Walk of Life"
"What It Is"
"Sailing to Philadelphia"
"Romeo & Juliet"
"Sultans of Swing"
"Done With Bonaparte"
"Song for Sonny Liston"
"Rudiger"
"All That Matters"
"Donegan's Gone"
"Boom, Like That"
"Speedway at Nazareth"
"Telegraph Road"
"Brothers in Arms"
"Money for Nothing"
"So Far Away"
-- Joshua Klein, Chicago
