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Mark Knopfler  

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Mark Freuder Knopfler was born on August 12th 1949, in Glasgow, Scotland (UK). He is a rock and blues-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter.

Mark is well recognized for his role in band Dire Straits, who formed in 1977, where he was the lead guitarist and vocalist. The band broke up in 1995 where Mark decided to embark on various other projects. This includes being in other bands including, the ‘Notting Hillbillies’.

However, after the break up of Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler propelled straightforward into a solo career. In 1996 e released his debut album, titled, ‘Golden Heart’. Following the success of his debut album, Mark had a breakthrough in the year 2000 once he released his second album, named, ‘Sailing to Philadelphia’.

The Scottish artist impressively also collaborated with the likes of highly regarded singers, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Chet Atkins. Furthermore, the talented Mark also went on to produce various albums for singers comprising of, Tina Turner, Randy Newman, and Bob Dylan. In addition, he has scored the music to several films, including Local Hero, The Princess Bride, Comfort and Joy, Cal, Last Exit to Brooklyn and Wag the Dog.

The Glaswegian picked up great success and released further albums including, ‘The Ragpicker’s Dream’ in 2002 and ‘Shangri-La’ in 2004. A tour was to follow, however, unfortunately a motorcycle accident resulted in the tour being postponed for a whole year.

Mark Knopfler was positioned 27th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

Live reviews

Casa cheia no Estádio Municipal de Oeiras para o regresso de Mark Knopfler a Portugal em mais uma etapa do Festival EDPCoolJazz. Apesar de trazer um disco novo, o concerto foi bem distribuído pelos discos mais recentes a solo, ficando a segunda metade reservada para passagens gloriosas por alguns dos maiores hinos dos Dire Straits.

Depois de ter passado por Alvalade e Faro com os Dire Straits, Knopfler já visitou o Porto, Cascais, duas vezes o Pavilhão Atlântico e duas vezes o Campo Pequeno. O regresso foi em Oeiras onde deu o seu concerto em nome próprio com alinhamento mais equilibrado e bem conseguido. Visivelmente bem disposto, muito comunicativo e seguro que as escolhas musicais para esta digressão não desiludem nem fãs nem nostálgicos ocasionais.

Apesar de ter editado um novo disco recentemente, Mark já assinou mais discos a solo do que com os Dire Straits, o concerto não é focado em temas novos. A primeira metade da noite é dedicada a três canções de cada um dos seus dois últimos álbuns.

«Broken Bones» de «Tracker» abre da melhor maneira o alinhamento que segue com três músicas do penúltimo disco, o duplo «Privateering». «Corned Beef City», «Privateering» e «Hill Farmer's Blues». Uma sequência que mostra a excelência dos músicos que acompanham Mark, uma viagem por sons tão próximos do blues, folk e country como dos ambientes celtas pontuados por flautas ou gaitas de foles e violinos. Depois, volta a «Tracker» para tocar «Skydiver», onde mostrou empenho em ter a plateia a cantar consigo. Nunca tínhamos visto Knopfler tão orgulhoso de uma composição nova como esta noite. «Laughs and Jokes and Drinks and Smokes» fechou a viagem pelos dois registos mais recentes. Pelo meio não passou despercebida uma visita ao baú, uma maravilhosa recuperação instrumental de «Father and Son» recuperada da banda sonora de Cal de 1984.

Tempo para deliciar os fãs com arranque imediato para «Romeo and Juliet» e a sua guitarra prateada a luzir. Sem pausas e já com a guitarra vermelha e branca a terminar esta primeira passagem pelos Dire Straits, ataque ao hino «Sultans of Swing». Telemóveis ao alto, cabeças em baixo e algum air guitar para acompanhar o tema que deve ser um dos grandes responsáveis por Knopfler continuar a encher estádios em 2015.

O acompanhamento vocal do público às notas de saxofone em «Your Latest Trick» comprova o acerto da escolha do tema do célebre disco «Brothers in Arms».

Com o público conquistado, Mark Knopfler partia para as últimas três canções antes do encore. Promoveu duas músicas de discos a solo mais antigos que há muito pediam para figurar entre os grandes clássicos do guitarrista. «Postcards From Paraguay», do disco «Shangri-La», tem como introdução lenta a apresentação individual da banda. Em crescendo arranca para uma festa tropical instrumental própria de uma noite de verão.

Segue-se «Speedway at Nazareth», de «Sailing to Philadelfia», uma cavalgada instrumental poderosa que fica mesmo a pedir a entrada do épico «Telegraph Road», digno de fechar o alinhamento em grande estilo.

O encore foi mais um rebuçado para o nostálgicos, «So Far Away» em versão monocórdica e um final instrumental com o grandioso «Going Home: Theme From Local Hero».

Não houve «Brothers in Arms», nem «What it Is», presenças habituais em alinhamentos anteriores mas ficámos a ganhar com a interpretação de «Your Latest Trick» e «Telegraph Road» a soarem melhor que nunca. O mesmo já não podemos dizer de «Sultans of Swing» ou «So Far Away», por exemplo, a perderem pedalada com o passar do tempo, embora sempre dignas.

A caminho dos 66 anos, MarkKnopfler está impecável em palco e atingiu quase a perfeição na escolha equilibrada de um alinhamento onde se percebe que tem tantos clássicos a solo como aqueles que deixou nosDireStraits. Isto é proeza só ao alcance de alguns.

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Still a bit gobsmacked with how good Mark Knopfler and band were last night. It’s all a product of Mark’s brilliant songwriting, arrangement, playing, production, and most of all his imagination. Mark is a storyteller in the truest sense and he inhabits his characters to a depth not unlike Kate Bush or Tom Waits. I often feel like he understands American and world history better than most of the natives.

His band are monsters on their respective instruments, and in most cases that’s three or more instruments each. The tour lineup includes Mark Knopfler (guitar, vocals), Guy Fletcher (keyboards), Richard Bennett (guitar), Glenn Worf (bass), Jim Cox (piano, organ, accordion), Ian Thomas (drums), John McCusker (violin, cittern), and Michael McGoldrick (whistles, uilleann pipes). Nigel Hitchcock (saxophone).

This band can cover any genre and create any dynamic. Majestic is a great old venue (I’m deliberately not talking about the seats), and the sound was excellent. High marks for the Dallas audience as they all seemed to be real Knopfler fans and not just the socialites that sometimes inundate these shows (not looking at you, ATT PAC).

Another really cool feature of this and the last few tours is that Mark offers the board recordings on little guitar shaped USB sticks a few months after the show. As this was a great performance (even according to Richard Bennett on his blog), this live recording should be a keeper.

There is something so wonderful about Mark Knopflers style of guitar playing. His style along with the tone of his guitar makes his music instantly recognisable.

A ‘Music Makers’ evening with Mark Knopfler was an amazing example of his talents. A tiny stage housed Mark and 5 other musicians. This was’t a conventional performance, it was laid back and personal. Very different to the stadium performances he used to do with Dire Straits. They started off with a simple instrumental before playing ‘Sailing To Philadelphia'. Then the story telling started, he told the audience about how he came to be a musician and how his musical talents evolved. Stories of his childhood made the audience smile and laugh and the performance of each song brought about a hearty applause.

He performed a range of songs and described what inspired them, he even gave the audience a little guitar lesson, showing how he created the riffs and gave an insight into the songwriting process.

He played big hits such as ‘Sultans of Swing,' Juliet’ and ‘Brothers In Arms’, as well as a number of folk tracks that he said were a big inspiration to him as he began as a musician. All in all it was a wonderful evening! The stories he told were Interesting, funny, and insightful and the performances of his songs were flawless.

It's always great expectations for a Mark Knopfler concert. He's been generating amazing music for a long time - it's hard to believe that it's been 37 years since "Sultans of Swing" and those fancy, memorable licks - and gone in more than a few interesting musical directions, from Dire Straits rock to Scottish country folk.

The show in Milwaukee on Wednesday night gave his fans a sample of his (and his band's) incredible versatility and four-decades long catalog.

(The set list is posted here: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/mark-knopfler/2015/riverside-theater-milwaukee-wi-3f43543.html).

His band has expanded to 8 members now. His introduction of bass player Glenn Worf (who grew up in Madison and attended UW-Eau Claire) drew a loud applause.

Mr. Knopfler's banter was funny and informative. In reference to Milwaukee being the home of Harley Davidson and his fondness for motorcycles, he announced he was "still growing up."

As expected, it was an evening of outstanding music, the eclectic mix chosen from an amazing career of innovation and creativity. It's not a stretch to say he remains one of the finest living guitarists.

Four time Grammy award winner Mark Knopfler OBE is one of Britain's most critically acclaimed artists having been awarded the Edison Award, the Steiger Award and the Ivor Novello Award. At the age of 65, he continues to tour globally to his loyal fan base.

Mark has enjoyed a successful solo career since the release of his debut album 'Golden Heart' in 1996 following the demise of Dire Straits. His set lists now accumulate his extensive solo work, a variety of Dire Strait's greatest hits and covers by his many collaborators such as Emmylou Harris and Chet Atkins.

The audience is delighted with a performance of 'I Dug Up a Diamond', Mark's track with Emmylou.

Part of the appeal of seeing Knopfler live is to witness his incredible guitar playing abilities, his fingers move at lightening pace during a Dire Straits cover 'Romeo and Juliet'. By a blistering finale of 'Our Shangri-La' the audience have been well and truly schooled as to why the artist has been awarded by so many esteemed organisations.

Since I am a gigantic Dire Straits fan, I really wanted to go to Mark Knopfler's concert, even though his new music isn't like his songs back from the Dire Straits time. I have to admit that some of his new songs weren't for me at all, but a few of them were cleverly made and give his bandmembers (and Mark himself of course) a wonderful chance to showcase their talents. Some of his bandmembers played up to 5 different instruments during the show!

I was also glad that he performed a few Dire Straits songs, including his legendary 'Sultans of Swing' with his infamous guitarsolo at the end.

All and all it was a fantastic show and I enjoyed very much, even though my cousin and I were pretty much the youngest fans out there with our fifteen years of age!

Mark Knopfler is obviously still really good at what he does and he found himself a band with members equally as talented as him!

This is the second time I've seen Mark Knopfler and both times he has been fantastic!

An evening with Mark makes a large venue feel like a pub gig due to his warm vibes and friendly banter. Over the course of his career, Mark has gained a reputation as one of the finest guitar players of all time and this shines alongside his world class band.

Together Mark and the band execute the latest songs with energy and precision, whilst his golden-oldies such as 'Sultans of Swing', 'Local Hero', 'So Far Away' and 'Telegraph Road' have been given a new, but fantastic lease of life due to the addition of folk instruments from the likes of John McCusker and Mike McGoldrick.

I can't recommend a Mark Knopfler gig enough to both old die-hard fans and new music lovers a like.

Mark Knopfler show was incredible. He is simply "in my opinion" the best guitarist, loved to see his hand gliding on the cords. He also as a great band and it was super that he let them have their own moment of glory during the show, so cool! I was very happy with his list of songs for the show, I know he said we could ask for a song but they will not give a damn and frankly it was not necessary as he made a great range of popular songs from Dire Strait time to now and all of My best songs were there Wouhou! Place des Arts Salle Wilfrid Pelletier is the best as it is not too big and everyone is close enough to see the band, and the sound was going strait to the heart, what a feeling. Great show to remember for a long time. Many Many thanks to Mark Knopfler and is band.

Mark Knopfler - Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 10/13/15

From the moment Mark and the band took the stage, musicianship stood center stage. Mark flowed through the setlist effortlessly covering new and old and even dipping into the far past with a couple of Dire Straits selection. His guitar prowess was front and center but the talents of the band members were highlighted throughout. Each musician played multiple instruments and flowed from jazz to rock to Celtic influences. The acoustic instrumentation was clear even at subdued volumes. If you were a Mark Knopfler fan you went away satisfied as Mark came out for two encores.

Great concert.

It's not Dire Straits but it's not meant to be. However he does indulge the audience with Romeo and Juliette, Sultans of Swing and a belter of a version of Telegraph Road. Some of the best and most effortless guitar play I have had the privilege to witness. The band are all extremely talented and provide great support to a great artist. If you want Dire Straits you are many years too late, if you want an outstanding guitarist having a good time and sharing it with a relatively small audience then you will have a great evening.

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Mark Knopfler

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Mark Knopfler's New Album 'One Deep River' Out Now

This is his tenth solo studio album.

One Deep River, the eagerly awaited tenth solo studio album from Mark Knopfler, has just debuted.

The new LP offers an unstoppable flow of future Knopfler classics, with their customarily learned lyrics and refined guitar textures. They draw on a lifetime of genre-crossing ingredients and influences in blues, folk, rock and beyond.

Produced by Knopfler and his longstanding collaborator of more than 40 years, Guy Fletcher, One Deep River was recorded at his state-of-the-art British Grove Studios in London. The band features Knopfler on guitars, Jim Cox and Guy Fletcher on keyboards, Glenn Worf on bass, Ian Thomas on drums and Danny Cummings on percussion, Richard Bennett on guitar, and newcomer Greg Leisz on pedal and lap steel; Mike McGoldrick provides whistle and uilleann pipes, and John McCusker plays fiddle, while the Topolski sisters Emma and Tamsin add backing vocals. All songs are written by Knopfler.

Leading into release, Knopfler shared three album tracks, “Ahead Of The Game,” “Watch Me Gone” and “Two Pairs Of Hands.”

The new album adds to what has already been a busy year for Knopfler. In January, the Mark Knopfler Guitar Collection was auctioned at Christies, with several of the guitars selling for record breaking sums. Last month, Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes released a spine-tingling reworking of his song, “Going Home (Theme From Local Hero),” by a who’s who of legendary guitarists for the Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America.

Knopfler has teamed up with Brian Johnson, the singer from legendary rock band AC/DC, to make a new six-part TV series for Sky Arts entitled “Johnson & Knopfler’s Music Legends.” The two friends take a fascinating look at the history of popular music alongside various special guests including Tom Jones, Sam Fender, Carlos Santana, Cyndi Lauper, Nile Rodgers, Emmylou Harris and Vince Gill. The series will air on Sky Arts starting April 25.

ONE DEEP RIVER TRACKLIST

1. Two Pairs Of Hands

2. Ahead Of The Game

3. Smart Money

4. Scavengers Yard

5. Black Tie Jobs

6. Tunnel 13

8. Watch Me Gone

9. Sweeter Than The Rain

10. Before My Train Comes

11. This One’s Not Going To End Well

12. One Deep River

BONUS VINYL TRACKLIST (IN BOX SET)

1. Dolly Shop Man

2. Your Leading Man

3. Wrong’un

  BONUS CD TRACKLIST (IN BOX SET)

1. The Living End

2. Fat Chance Dupree

3. Along A Foreign Coast

4. What I’m Gonna Need

5. Nothing But Rain

About Mark Knopfler

Mark Knopfler, singer-songwriter, record producer and composer, is one of the most successful musicians the U.K. has ever produced and is often cited as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. He first came to prominence in the 80s as leader of Dire Straits, who created many of the signature songs of the era. Knopfler broke up the band in 1995 and set off on a new path as a solo artist. In the ensuing years, Knopfler has released nine solo albums of sophisticated rootsy rock and has continued to tour the globe with his band. Over the years, Knopfler has written the music for several films, including Local Hero, Cal, The Princess Bride, Last Exit to Brooklyn and Wag The Dog and has played and recorded with a number of artists, including Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Emmylou Harris, Tina Turner, Randy Newman and Chet Atkins.Knopfler was made an OBE in 1999 and was given the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Ivor Novellos in 2012.

Photo Credit: Murdo McLeod

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Mark Knopfler on the end of Dire Straits: ‘Maybe I should have kept playing, let it get as big as Brazil’

Reluctant to coast on old glories, the guitarist is about to release one deep river, the 10th in a series of soulful and virtuosic stand-alone albums.

Mark Knopfler has released a series of soulful and virtuosic stand-alone records, of which One Deep River is the 10th. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod

Mark Knopfler was never a reluctant rock star. In the glittering, go-go 1980s, he had the time of his life leading Dire Straits to the top of the charts with monster hits such as Money for Nothing and Romeo and Juliet . Over time, though, the novelty wore thin. Once you have sold 100 million records and played 248 concerts in a single year, as Dire Straits did touring their 1985 behemoth Brothers in Arms, the thrill starts to go. He is glad he got off the juggernaut when he did. In the end, megafame was not for him.

“It suits some people. You can get used to the scale of it. I don’t know if I ever really did. What happens there is that the gig becomes an event. There’s a different energy,” he says.

Knopfler is speaking from his home in London, where he is promoting his new solo album, One Deep River. He cuts a cheerful, inquisitive figure: ask him a question and he may (very pleasantly) shoot back with one of his own. There is little of the strutting guitar hero about him: it is hard to reconcile this softly spoken individual with the stadium overlord in the neon headband from Dire Straits’ Money for Nothing video.

That track, with its blistering guitar intro and backing vocals by Sting , represented the commercial high-water mark for Knopfler and Dire Straits. It was also the beginning of the end, as he discovered when taking it on the road. Night after night, he would look out at the vast audiences coming to see the band and wonder if it was too much of a good thing.

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“If you’re playing events all the time – some great blown-up festival, some great inflated thing, then you are losing something as well,” Knopfler says. “That’s how it seemed to me. Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe I should have kept playing, let it get as big as Brazil.”

Dire Straits: Mark Knopfler on stage with John Illsley in 1991. Photograph: Mick Hutson/Redferns

Dire Straits broke up for the first time in 1987 and finally called it quits in 1995, after which Knopfler focused on his solo career. He is in no mood to go back – when Dire Straits were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, in 2018, he was the only member not to attend.

Reluctant to coast on old glories, he has released a series of soulful and virtuosic stand-alone records, of which One Deep River is the 10th. It is a contemplative listen, more Romeo and Juliet than Money for Nothing.

Recorded as he was about to turn 74, it is also an unapologetically wistful reflection of his upbringing in Blyth, a coastal village outside Newcastle, and his early years in London, when he was just another guitarist trying to break into the music scene. “There’s always going to be some autobiography there. Maybe there’s a bit more than usual,” Knopfler says.

He singles out the autumnal track Watch Me Gone, in which he reflects on leaving home in pursuit of fame and fortune: “I knew there was something/ And I knew there was no choice.”

“Watch Me Gone – there’s a big splash of the autobiographical about it,” says Knopfler. “The cover [of the LP] – that’s me crossing [Newcastle’s iconic Tyne Bridge] and leaving, me going down to London. You’ve got to be ready to leave and fall in love with the big city.”

Mark Knopfler at the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/Mercury

Traces of folk music are sprinkled through the record. Knopfler explains that he has a lifelong love for Irish music and for Irish culture in general. As a teenager he devoured James Joyce and later crossed paths with Seamus Heaney . In 1984 he went one better by composing the haunting score to Pat O’Connor’s Cal, a social-realist drama filmed in Drogheda starring Helen Mirren and a young John Lynch.

“I met Seamus Heaney a couple of times. He liked my stuff. He sent me a book, The Spirit Level. He said, ‘Keep your spirits high,’ which was a wonderful thing. I was very touched by that. Irish literature meant a lot to me as I was growing up. It started when I first started to read adult books: Irish books were right in there. Finnegans Wake, Ulysses, all of those books.”

Irish writing has been a “fantastic gift to the world,” Knopfler says. “I was reading Edna O’Brien books. Irish novelists from the very beginning, it seemed they were part of the picture for me. And Irish music. Because I’ve been listening to so much Van [Morrison] , the folk music – Van knew it all. One of my favourites has always been The Chieftains [with whom he collaborated on their 1995 album The Black Veil].”

He speaks warmly, too, of Rory Gallagher, the great Cork blues guitarist who would spend his career in the shadow of Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix but is today regarded as their musical equal. Knopfler has always been a Gallagher fan and recalls seeing him blitzing through one of his famous solos while headlining in the north of England in the late 1970s.

“I’d seen him play in Leeds before Dire Straits [had formed]. I’d been out to see Rory and loved him,” Knopfler recalls. “I was so totally into the blues anyway. I was completely on a blues trip. That was my trip more than folk music, more than anything. I was hanging out with Steve Phillips [the blues guitarist with whom he would play in the Notting Hillbillies) a lot and listening to a lot of electric blues. And because of Steve’s record collection I was getting into a lot of county blues.”

There were parallels between Knopfler and Gallagher – virtuosos who grew up far from the bright lights of the music business. Gallagher was never interested in fame. Knopfler shared the outlook. He also wasn’t intimidated by the stars he would later cross paths with – including Bob Dylan , whom he name-checks, alongside Van Morrison, on Watch Me Gone, singing: “Well, maybe I’ll hit the road with Bob/ Or maybe hitch a ride with Van.”

Knopfler nurtured those dreams of hitting the road with Dylan when he was desperate to get out of northeastern England and make something of himself. Just a few years later his wishes came spectacularly true when Dylan asked him to produce his 1983 album, Infidels.

Knopfler was honoured. But he was never intimidated by Dylan. He was not afraid to be blunt with his collaborator, something the American came to appreciate. “No, I absolutely wasn’t [overawed],” Knopfler says. “Bob had a lovely regard for me and I for him.”

He has maintained friendships with many artists with whom he has crossed paths, which came in handy when he decided to rerecord his 1983 solo composition Going Home (from the soundtrack to Local Hero) for the Teenage Cancer Trust charity.

“Rerecord” is an understatement. He has assembled an Avengers-style line-up of musicians to play on the track, including Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen , Slash , Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood , Pete Townshend, Peter Frampton, Sting, Brian May, Joan Jett and David Gilmour. Drumming is courtesy of Ringo Starr and his son Zak. The record, credited to Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes, also features the late Jeff Beck , who recorded his part shortly before he died last year .

“The first person who was in was Pete Townshend, possibly because Pete was connected with the charity. Then Eric Clapton was in the next day. Everybody was playing great – David Gilmour all of a sudden, then Jeff Beck and all sorts of people. Frampton sent in a whole thing from America. Then Ringo and Zak, they added a whole bunch. Everybody was great – Sam Fender, Sting, everybody piled into it.”

The Dire Straits story is one of rags to riches on fast-forward. In 1977 Knopfler started the band with his brother David and their friends John Illsley and David “Pick” Withers. They broke through within a few months when their playful debut single, Sultans of Swing, was championed by BBC Radio London. They soon had a record deal and Sultans of Swing became a hit in the Netherlands, followed by North America and, finally, the UK. (It fared well in Ireland, too, reaching number six in the charts.)

Later, as the cash was rolling in, it became popular to write Dire Straits off as rock dinosaurs. (Sultans of Ping mockingly took their name from Sultans of Swing.) But the group’s origins were hardly glamorous. Sultans of Swing was about a Dixieland band whom Knopfler saw in an empty pub in Deptford, in south London. Far from a display of rock’n’roll arrogance, it was a portrait of failure.

“Sultans of Swing was one of those songs where he says, ‘Thank you, good night, we are the Sultans of Swing.’ And when he says that, they couldn’t have been less the sultans of anything,” Knopfler says.

“A shabby little chap in a dirty sweater – he looked like a geography teacher. There was nothing Sultans of Swing about them or the pub either. It’s funny. It was so nonglamorous – and the name is so glamorous. Beautiful name and this very unbeautiful look that they had. I think sometimes a situation song like that will present itself.”

A few years later the gods would gift him Money for Nothing in much the same way. It is written from the perspective of two blue-collar workers watching rock stars on a bank of televisions in an electronics store and complaining about the musicians and their easy lifestyles.

“The lead character in Money for Nothing is a guy who works in the hardware department in a television, custom kitchen, refrigerator and microwave appliance store,” Knopfler told the critic Bill Flanagan. “He’s singing the song. I wrote the song when I was actually in the store. I borrowed a bit of paper and started to write the song down in the store. I wanted to use a lot of the language that the real guy actually used when I heard him, because it was more real.”

Artists sometimes grow to loathe their biggest hit. Knopfler never felt that way about Money for Nothing. “I’ve got great fondness for it, because I’ve got a great fondness for that bozo character,” he says, referring to the ranting TV salesman. “He gave the song to me, from what he was saying. So I kind of love him. ’Cos he was hilarious. I was laughing as I was writing it down.”

Dire Straits is part of his past, but he will always be proud of his achievements. “It’s what I wanted. To make a few dreams come true was pretty incredible. It’s given me some incredible times – me and John [Illsley]. It’s been incredible,” he says.

Knopfler never ran away from his legacy. Until he retired from touring, in 2019, he always gave the audience what it wanted and was dutiful about playing their favourite Dire Straits songs. He feels that not doing so would be to fail to uphold his end of the bargain with his fans.

“If we’ve got to play Brothers and Arms or something, it’s a big moment. You are reminded why people are there. If you’re playing the intro to that you know your band had better be up to it, right there. You’ve got to play it as well as you damn well can. You owe it to people. It’s the sort of song where you feel you can’t brush it off to one side. You’ve got to believe it and play it.”

One Deep River is released by Mercury on Friday, April 12th

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Mark Knopfler

Legendary guitar supremo who founded Dire Straits in 1977 and subsequently led them to chart success across the world. The multiple Grammy award more...

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Past Events

Here are the most recent UK tour dates we had listed for Mark Knopfler. Were you there?

• May 30 2019 Birmingham, Resorts World Arena Down The Road Wherever Tour Mark Knopfler
• May 29 2019 Manchester, The AO Arena Mark Knopfler
• May 28 2019 London, The O2 Mark Knopfler
• May 26 2019 Glasgow, The OVO Hydro Mark Knopfler
• May 24 2019 Dublin, 3Arena Mark Knopfler
• May 22 2019 London, Royal Albert Hall Mark Knopfler
• May 21 2019 London, Royal Albert Hall Mark Knopfler
• May 19 2019 Newcastle upon Tyne, Utilita Arena Newcastle Mark Knopfler
• May 18 2019 Leeds, first direct arena Mark Knopfler
• Dec 01 2018 Glasgow, SEC Snow Patrol, Tom Grennan, Mark Knopfler, Amy Macdonald, Kyle Falconer, The Snuts …

Mark Knopfler image © Derek Hudson 2018

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Mark Knopfler on the Most Patient and Wistful Music of His Career

M ark Knopfler is a tough guy to pin down. A reluctant sultan of swing, if you will. Fame? He can’t think of anything good about it; in fact, he eschews it instinctively. But he’s been in its shadow since Dire Straits debuted their self-titled album of lyrical portraits in 1978 — he was their sole songwriter and de facto leader until their breakup in the early ’90s — cementing it further with 1985’s epochal Brothers in Arms and a steady collection of solo outings in the subsequent decades.

Knopfler’s lineage now includes One Deep River (out April 12), an elegant record that’s a culmination of everything we know and admire about his style. “I’m always thinking about another crowd, another arena, another place, another time,” he tells me, “and another reality.” This type of geographical osmosis is at the core of Knopfler’s work, which has reverence for the past as much as the future. His rich, fluid guitar playing is just an added bonus. But if you try to compliment him on it, you might be met with a laugh: “I didn’t know what I was doing. At least I was there.”

Song you’ve grown to respect more

If you were to look at the last tour set, it would be anything that was still part of the picture. “Brothers in Arms” or “Romeo and Juliet” perhaps. “Sailing to Philadelphia.” They survived the trip. It’s quite nice to be able to go on playing those songs because you’ve written them and they mean a lot to people. So I don’t just skate over them; I try to find something in there that’s new and interesting. You try to get the most out of songs and they take a lot of playing. If you try, the song will try, too. Surely you never know if you will survive the trip. When you set out to write something, you never say to yourself, “Oh, this is going to be good all the way.” Nobody knows that. It’s like a love affair. You don’t know, for sure, where it’s going. I’ve been lucky a few times and had some things that stuck.

Another part of the fun is touring, which I’ve got to contemplate now as being something that’s over and done with. But I’m not scared of that, I’m quite happy about it, because what it means is that I’ll have more time to write. The first stage was getting used to having a guitar and then getting used to the idea that maybe I could play a little bit as a guitarist. And then, getting used to the idea that maybe I could write a song. And then thinking of myself as a songwriter is probably the last thing. I’m still adjusting to that and what I’m hoping to be able to do is write a couple of good songs before I quit.

Song that took the longest to unlock

There are definitely some that hang around in the junkyard out the back in bits, and before you can make them into a finished thing, they take their old time. One song took 16 years. Other songs can take 16 minutes. It took a long time for “Rüdiger” to arrive because I wrote the lyrics without changing a word right after John Lennon was assassinated. I wrote about an autograph hunter, “Rüdiger stands in the rain and the snow.” We went to Germany and that’s where I saw him, met him, and I was obviously thinking about the shooting in New York City. But for the music to arrive good and ready, it took years. In my case, there doesn’t seem to be a hard-and-fast rule about that stuff, and I never panic about it because I know it’ll turn up eventually.

That’s what it’s like, certainly, for a boy who’s got the scrapyard of a mind that I have. You find that you know certain things about boy things — like bicycle badges, just useless information. You have things in your head that stay there until you need them. And then you come out with this useless stuff occasionally. It’s kind of general knowledge, I suppose. I have a friend and we just sit and quiz each other on music and rock-and-roll records. We take enormous winnings off each other, which are all forgotten about as soon as we start playing. We give each other clues if someone’s struggling, but it’s great fun. It’s amazing how much rubbish a mind can retain, isn’t it?

Most collaborative Dire Straits song

I think we’d probably be making up a spoof song about somebody or just having a laugh and taking ideas from the floor. It wouldn’t have been anything serious. Writing, for me, is a solo affair and I never could write in a recording studio. Now I’ve got a studio of my own and I can’t write in it either. Go figure. I like recording studios for recording purposes only. I would write on the road and I would write in hotel rooms. What I’m looking forward to is having more time to write at home and seeing what happens there, just trying to write like a writer instead of snatching the moments here and there or late at night. It feels more civilized to me. In a hotel, you might see me walking down a corridor carrying a chair with no arms because there’s not one in my room, so I’ve found a dining chair somewhere and I’m bringing it back so I can put it at the desk and work on a song.

Song with your favorite character

I haven’t had the chance to think about it, so I’m sure I’ll be wrong. But I quite like the optimist in Jeremiah Dixon from “Sailing to Philadelphia,” as opposed to Mason’s pessimism and apprehensiveness. Mason seemed to have this fear about the enormity of where they were in this vast unknown wilderness of savages and what was going to happen to them. Whereas, Jeremiah would have a glass of wine with the ladies quite happily and just get on with the business of mapping out the Mason-Dixon Line. You identify with certain characters more than others — you just like them more. I think that happens to authors, because things you create do tend to start going their own way. Certainly a song does. When you’ve written a song, the song just says, “Well, see you,” and goes off down the road, just like a little figure you’ve created. When you have children, you realize it’s quite similar to that in some ways. There’s something enormous about it.

I find that I don’t have to love these characters. In fact, sometimes it can be the opposite. They can kind of scare you as well. They can be somebody whom you actively disagree with, or they can be somebody different from how you think you are. I’m not saying I’m in that Randy Newman bag. I mean, I’ve worked with Randy, adore him, and love his songs, but I’ve become much more interested in his direct, soulful style rather than identifying with some horrible individual. It’s great the way Randy could do that — you could identify with a war criminal , write about a war criminal, and try to understand what it’s like to be that. I wrote about a character like that for Dire Straits in “The Man’s Too Strong.” That’s the only time I’ve done it. I don’t think I could write a song as an executioner now. I don’t think it would interest me. I’d rather be able to write a song like “You Are My Sunshine.” To me, it would be in many ways superior. Take “Nobody’s Darling but Mine,” by Merle Haggard. I’m busy, unsuccessfully, trying to create something like that.

Song whose meaning you discovered after

In certain places you feel the ghosts. When I’m in Edinburgh, say, it’s a historic town, and a lot of my ancestors are Scottish so you feel them. The songs you sang when you were a kid, the scraps of those come back to life in your soul. History is in the cobblestones. When I’m in Rome playing at an arena, I feel it, like I’m playing the part of the gladiator. You connect with the place in a real geographical sense. I’m there from centuries before. Sometimes I’ll think of what places were, like with “Telegraph Road.” I’m thinking about what it was like when it was a little path going along the lake shore in Michigan, once upon a time. And now it’s 12 lanes of Texaco.

So it’s a different reality, but I like thinking of all of those realities at once, together. When “Sailing to Philadelphia,” came to me, I was reading Thomas Pynchon’s Mason & Dixon , but I was looking down on this modern accommodation of massive highways, chemical refineries, and big ships in the canals — thinking only in the blink of an eye, a few years ago, Mason and Dixon were getting barges out from the United Kingdom to this deserted place. There was hardly anything there. Now, it’s Philadelphia, and that all seems to have happened in a very short space of time. Then you start wondering what it’s going to be like in another 100 years. I’m always imagining a place in another time — either the way it used to be, the way it is now, or where it’s going and what it’s going to. I don’t know whether I can help it. I’m sure a lot of people do it. Because, also, America is such an evocative country. The language of it, the biblical references, the places, and the names. I get enchanted just reading lists of kids’ names from the South. It’s the promise of those names. The promise is always there, isn’t it?

Song that makes you feel most wistful for Dire Straits

There are certain songs that go with playing live. Playing “Going Home” at the end of a set, to a crowd anywhere in the world, people go bananas. It’s a fun thing for a band to experience. I suppose you get used to that happening, the big audience reactions and massive noises. It’s a thrill. “Wow, this is Madison Square Garden and people are going nuts.” Surely, that’s what you’re doing here. Otherwise, go home. It doesn’t mean anything to you. You’re in the wrong place. You got to want to be there and you’ve got to go looking for the source of it. So you become this little dragon slayer who’s got a nerve. Who do you think you are? You’re just a kid who doesn’t know anything, but without that, where would we be? I’m perfectly well aware that a lot of it is just blowing smoke. But you’re trying to figure out a way through. You stick around for long enough and after a while you get a bit more of an idea. I feel as though I’ve had a really blessed run with some great people. I wouldn’t ask for anything more than I’ve had.

Solo that doubles as the greatest endurance test

Some of the guitars are pretty hard to play. Playing the beginning of “Telegraph Road” always seems hard when you’re going from a spiffy electric to that old war horse. You’ve just got to brace your hands for an old guitar from the 1930s. So that’s all part of the challenge of that song, when the guitar itself doesn’t want to play pretty.

Learning to play those longer songs in different conditions — or shorter songs we extended for a live setting — before the modern lights came in was difficult. They got rid of the big old heavy lights, because if one of those dropped and hit you, you’re a dead person. And the new lights seem as though they don’t generate any heat at all. The old lights generated so much heat. We were always drenched when we came off-stage, literally soaked to the skin. Sweat would be stinging your eyes, so you learn to play with your eyes squeezed shut. I’m pretty sure I played a lot of that stuff without looking. That’s all part of the fun of it: figuring out ways around things. I remember someone putting a little note up at the front row that said, “More liquid gumption, please.” I was spraying the audience with so much sweat that it was stinging them . I always used to think, Only rock and roll could do this.

How working on one Steely Dan song affected your morale

It was very different from the way that I work. I was really pleased to have gotten to be there in the first place. I certainly wasn’t expecting to walk out at the end of that day and have anything on the record that they would keep. The story that I got from Gaucho ’s engineer was something like, “Man, you ought to see the guys crawling out of this place,” so I didn’t expect to emerge victorious at all. I’d gone through this period of loving Steely Dan records. I just heard “Any Major Dude Will Tell You” the other day. What a beautiful, beautiful thing. The music ends up affecting you and becomes part of what you are.

I think it’s easy to forget what that little chord sequence in “Time Out of Mind” means to so many people. You know, what living they’ve done with it or how they’ve used it to live. I must have played those chords a thousand times in the studio. What’s important is to try to get into the mind-set where you’re not thinking of that — you’re thinking of what it means. If you’re, for example, playing “Brothers in Arms” in a great big stadium in Munich where Adolf Hitler spoke, it invests it with something. So you’re thinking about history and where we are now, where we’re going, and where we’ve been. You get that historical perspective and it gives you all of these other perspectives, which I don’t think you can put a price on.

Mark Knopfler Tour 2024 : Unforgettable Musical Journey Ahead

Mark Knopfler’s 2024 tour will feature a mix of his classic hits and new releases. Fans can expect a memorable experience with his talented band and iconic guitar skills.

Known for his captivating stage presence, Knopfler’s tour is sure to delight audiences worldwide. Mark Knopfler, the legendary musician and former lead guitarist of Dire Straits, has announced his highly anticipated 2024 tour. With a vast catalog of hits from his solo career and time with Dire Straits, the tour promises to be a treat for music enthusiasts.

Knopfler’s soulful voice and masterful guitar playing have made him a household name in the music industry. As he prepares to take the stage once again, fans can look forward to an unforgettable performance filled with timeless classics and new favorites. Stay tuned for ticket information and tour dates to catch Mark Knopfler live in 2024.

Credit: ultimateclassicrock.com

Mark Knopfler Tour 2024: Unforgettable Musical Journey Ahead

Mark Knopfler Tour 2024 promises an unforgettable musical journey for fans across the globe. The initial announcement and release of dates have created immense excitement among music enthusiasts. The tour will cover notable cities and venues, offering enthusiasts a chance to experience Knopfler’s iconic music live. Fans can look forward to special editions and unique experiences crafted exclusively for them, adding a touch of exclusivity to the tour. The tour aims to create a memorable and engaging experience for all attendees, providing an opportunity to immerse themselves in the essence of Knopfler’s music.

Anticipating Knopfler’s Setlist Magic

Mark Knopfler’s highly anticipated 2024 tour promises to deliver a mesmerizing blend of classics and new tracks, creating an electrifying experience for fans. With the potential for captivating collaborations and guest musicians, enthusiasts can expect an unforgettable performance. For devoted followers, the live setting holds immense significance , offering a unique connection to the music that transcends the studio recordings. Knopfler’s masterful setlist curation and the energy of the live audience are certain to ignite an unforgettable concert experience.

Behind The Scenes: Tour Preparations

Mark Knopfler’s upcoming tour in 2024 is being meticulously prepared behind the scenes. Rigorous rehearsals and stage design insights play a crucial role in ensuring a seamless and captivating performance. The technical crew’s contribution is invaluable, as they work diligently to create perfection in every aspect of the show. Additionally, Mark Knopfler’s personal preparation rituals offer a glimpse into the dedication and commitment required to deliver an unforgettable experience to his fans.

Tour Highlights And Must-sees

Mark Knopfler’s 2024 tour promises a lineup of electrifying performances that are not to be missed. Fans can look forward to unique tour merchandise that will make for unforgettable mementos. Additionally, there will be opportunities for meet-and-greets with Knopfler, granting an intimate experience with the legendary musician.

Embracing Local Cultures On Tour

Mark Knopfler’s 2024 tour is set to embrace local cultures, integrating local music influences into performances. This will be complemented by special charity initiatives and local partnerships, showcasing a commitment to engaging with fans across different cultures.

Frequently Asked Questions For Mark Knopfler Tour 2024

When will the mark knopfler tour 2024 tickets go on sale.

The Mark Knopfler Tour 2024 tickets will go on sale starting next month. Keep an eye out for the official announcement on the ticket sales date to secure your seats for this highly anticipated tour.

What Can Fans Expect From The Mark Knopfler Tour 2024 Concert?

Fans can expect an exhilarating musical journey as Mark Knopfler showcases his iconic guitar skills and performs timeless hits along with new material. The concert promises to deliver a memorable experience filled with superb musicianship and captivating melodies.

Where Will The Mark Knopfler Tour 2024 Be Held?

The Mark Knopfler Tour 2024 will traverse various cities and venues across the country, providing fans with ample opportunities to catch this legendary artist live. Stay tuned for the tour schedule to find out if Mark Knopfler will be performing in a city near you.

What Is The Significance Of The Mark Knopfler Tour 2024 For Music Enthusiasts?

The Mark Knopfler Tour 2024 is a rare chance for music enthusiasts to witness the brilliance of a living legend live on stage. This tour marks a momentous occasion for fans to immerse themselves in the timeless melodies and masterful performances by Mark Knopfler.

As Mark Knopfler’s 2024 tour comes to a close, fans can look back on a series of unforgettable performances. With his captivating guitar skills and soul-stirring vocals, Knopfler proved once again why he’s a music legend. The tour was a celebration of timeless music that left a lasting impression on all who attended.

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