Mark Knopfler

Fair enough - I tend to prefer not hearing what's going to be played - though some variations on the set lists from gig to gig would also create such a sense of surprise :)

I love Mark Knopfler and I love his music, but sense of surprise?  He rarely mixes his song choices throughout a tour.  This is the one criticism I have about his tours.  The man produced over 100 solid songs, no one would be disappointed if he excluded: "Sultans of Swing", "Romeo and Juliet", "Speedway at Nazareth"...However the crowd would go nuts if he surprised us by throwing in uncommon songs like "Behind the Rent" or "5:15 A.M."

This one seems easy to me.  We all have our favorite song we wish would get played, some like to stand on the principle of free speech, but if Mark requests no set lists be published, then shouldn't that issue simply be done?  I'm a big fan of his, and I don't see the rationale behind not respecting his request, regardless of what I think about it personally.

Helpful to have the official statement. Personally I enjoy knowing what will be played - it increases my sense of anticipation and enjoyment of the show but my respect for Mark and his wishes and for my fellow MK fans who prefer not to know in advance, mean that I am more than happy to abide by Mark's wishes here.

Kevin

I love the sence of surprise that's why i avoid every forum !! I don't even wanna know a song...till my first gig ( May 30)
OK it can be boring for people who wanna know but to me it's Perfect !!!!

I agree 100% with what Travis said. Of all the great songs he has to choose from why does he play the same ones year after year? Granted he will usually throw in a couple of new ones each tour but the core show remains the same. That being said I still love the man and will see him every chance I get but when I hear the opening notes of Romeo & Juliet it signals my restroom break run.

GB

For me this is a wise decision. I prefer do go to any concert without knowing what´s going to be played.
I´ve seen Mark and Dire Straits for seven times and no one of this concerts disapoint me about the set list.
Until 27 July in lisbon, i´ll be there.

I respect Mark and his feelings about this - however - his request is tinged with a drop of naïveté, in that the wired world we live in makes it next to impossible to keep set lists, or chat about songs played, out of the public domain. Music is a passionate pursuit, and most loyal fans are curious and inquisitive regarding tours and shows. This is particularly true in Mark's case as both Guy and Richard (thankfully) keep very detailed internet tour diaries that are very popular with loyal fans worldwide. Travis said it best above (and with no offense to Mark), but the only "sense of surprise" possible is for the casual fan who is not going to check websites, diaries, or tour logs on a regular basis. Any loyal MK fan that follows tours and goes to multiple shows understands that Mark constructs a very basic set list that remains pretty static throughout the tour.

No complaints here - that's just what it is.....
JS

Well, if you wanna something to be a surprise, you need more than "no knowledge" to make it a surprise, specially when all the people who read the forums in this sites were at shows in previous tours. The best thing to create a sense of surprise is surprise the audience, not to play between 75% and 80% the same than the previous tour LOL

Totally agree with mark, however, as for the songs played on  tour, I agree with those who say it should be mixed up a bit, telegraph road, great song, but what about sticking the odd straits song we have not heard for a very long time, the list for that one is endless, also, As much as I am a massive fan, I do feel a bit bored sometimes during the live shows, is that blasphemy?

The real surprise here would be Mark mixing it up night to night, and not playing a core of at least half his set that has been played tour after tour after tour.  What It Is, Why Aye Man, Sailing to Philly, Sultans, R&J, Speedway, Telegraph Road, BIA, and So Far Away - these have all been played umpteen times before - and that's half the set.  Unlike some who long for a 25 year old DS set, it's Mark's new work that keeps me interested in him.  Why does he keep writing new material if not to play it out live?  Six shows into the new tour, and not a night yet with So Far From the Clyde?  That's a travesty, considering its easily one of the best from his latest release.  My favorite tour of recent years was the Roadrunning outing with Emmylou - precisely because we got a lot more new material.  Mark should trust that his audience is ready to hear more of his new work live.  We're the ones still buying the CD's after all.

Hey people, you are revealing the setlist!!!!!

I too agree that that documenting the setlists would not deter me from going to see a show if I dont like it! However, I must digress that I prefer the surprise, but am concerned that the man himself feels compelled to play the older DS classics as if obligated by the DS fans coming to the show - what we need to do as a group is convince the band otherwise, as it's his new material that we've come to hear. So as sacrilegious as it may be, I'm fine with omitting BIA and SOS and replacing them with new "surprises" from his recent solo work.

Bonjour,
Il serait intéressant d'avoir des commentaires et des photos des passages de Monsieur Knopfler dans les villes où il fait ses concerts au fur et à mesure de son avancement dans les étapes !! enfin, celà me plairait de le suivre.
Sinon un concert n'est jamais deux fois le même, alors avec liste ou non, c'est toujours la joie et l'émerveillement de la surprise ! En tous les cas en ce qui me concerne.
Je vais le voir à Lucca (Toscane), si je pouvais j'irais aussi à Bercy ou à Nîmes ...... et je suis en Corse.

Even though I heard most of the songs millions of times, I still get goose bumps when I hear classics, whether from DS era or solo work. I personally think it would be totally weird if he would exclude songs that some people say are played on every tour - so they should be! Just look around yourselves when the intros start playing, feel the song and enjoy the moment.
I and probably 90% of core fans would be disappointed if we did not hear sultans of swing. It is a classic, he makes variations to it (and I love the stripped down version too), and it deserves to be played on every tour.
Cheers!

First time seeing him (or with Dire Straits for that matter) tonight so the surprise element will be there for me regardless. I don't have a problem with this policy, it's not like you can't find that information somewhere else on the web if you so desire.

In fact, in looking at the stelists from this tour, I see what many of you are saying in that there doesn't appear to be much variation between shows (he seems to just changeup a few songs midset from show to show)but that seems all the more reason to not care if it's posted or not. I agree with most that I prefer when artists (especially those I see fairly often) mix it up more but considering he's making a rare KC stop, I'm okay with him rolling at his 'standards' and the new album seems to be fairly well-represented so to me it's the best of both worlds.

i dont mind what mk plays although there is one tune id like to hear him play an old one from the dire straits days named "news" ya know he sticks to his guns,he takes the road as it comes, it takes the shine off his shoes... that will always be one of my favorites with the metronome drum beat at the end to finish it off- loved it always have, glad to see the old geezers back doing it again going to see them tonight with my best friend of 30 years craig, looking forward to tunes off the new album though and the chicago theater in all its splendor nice old place ceilings above seats beautiful like a chapel

oh yeah forgot something the old timer on the keyboards guy fletcher he has another cd out and its pretty good he seems to be on a roll writing lately way to go guy,the wind instrument addition very smart think the last time mark did that was golden heart hope its permanent or as long as these geezers last, danny on drums never saw a guy with a gut like that move so fast,glenn on bass, richard back again always nice to see the grey beard richard dont ever shave it, and if you get a chance guys check out sanfratellos pizza before ya leave town, one in glenwood,another in tinley park, deep dish and a bottle of samuel adams boston lager hardee har har

I can't understand why he would not want to play the best song from his new album - So Far From the Clyde. And he missed playing the best song from Kill - In the Sky. And he doesn't play the best song from Ragpickers - 5:15am. Time to drop the old standbys - Telegraph Road, So Far Away, etc. If he is going to play DS then mix it up - Tunnel of Love, something from Communique, heck, even Industrial Disease.

This is silly. People are more than free to discuss set lists and more than free NOT to read about them. Those who want to be surprised can be; likewise, ...

Notice someone said Mark had not yet played So Far From the Clyde on his Get Lucky Tour.
I am sure he will play this in Glasgow as it is his birthplace.  We will all be shouting for it.  One time when he played Glasgow he actually stopped playing and asked "what do you want me to play" and we, in audience, shouted out requests and he just went along with it and played song after song.  It was a great night.  I hope everyone who is going to the Glasgow concert takes along a Scottish flag, and I hope we hear some bagpipe music I have a feeling we just might. So looking forward to the gig

It sounds like we're all die-hard fans here.  I just saw MK in St. Louis Thursday night.  It is the first time I have been able to see him since the '91 "On Every Street" tour.  I have to say, I liked the mix.  More than 1/2 of the show is solo music.  I have the Roadrunning DVD & enjoyed it, too.  Bottom line?  We all have our favorites & he can't do them all.  If you've been fortunate enough to see him on every tour, then count your blessings, friends.  I was just as thrilled to hear songs from "Get Lucky" as I was from the Dire Straits catalog.  The 1st time I got to see him was in '85 on BIA.  So, I've seen him in 3 different decades & not once did I hear one of my faves, "Skateaway", but, not once was I disappointed in what I have heard & seen.  Carry on, Mark!

and I ask: when...when..when will you come with your show to Israel. We miss you.

Best solo c d yet hope the live show in birmingham see you there john Isle of man

I agree that if we are lucky enough to get tickets then we should be happy with whatever Mark wants to do.  I have never been disappointed with his live shows he is always excellent and we love him.
I would love for him to do Are we in Trouble Now just for the ending, also Tunnel of Love for the same reason but as long as he does Going Home at the end I will be more than happy and he did that on last tour,everyone went mad.
Will be at Royal Albert Hall in June with hubby, two friends and our sons who have grown up loving MK and both play guitar.
Travelling over from Guernsey, lucky enough to have seats near the front... can't wait to see our idol.

This groan is called a song. It is sad. And there was time...

I am happy to see MK anywhere, anytime, playing whatever he wants, in whatever order he and his band decide. I don't think it matters if it is a surprise or the same old same old as the last three concerts, last three tours, or if he plays from this new album or from his first two!
It's just good music folks.

quite right too!

Please please insert So Far From the Clyde in the set list!

I have to say after seeing every Mark Knopfler Tour in the US with the exception of the “Real Live Roadrunning” over the last ten years I am completely un-enamoured with the set list for the current tour. I could go into great depth about this and I think I will
Lets first start with the KTGC tour. He only played two songs from that new album and in my opinion True Love Will Never Fade and The Fish & The Bird are two of the worst choices for a live show. That Album had so many great songs he could have played such as: The Fizzy and The Still, The Scaffolder’s Wife, Punish The Monkey, We Can Get Wild & Behind With The Rent just to name the best choices. How is it that he is not doing any songs from the last album on this tour given he did only two from KTGC last time out on the road? I am glad he is doing more from Get Lucky this time around but it seems in later dates (last week and this week) he has dropped Cleaning My Gun which is absurd as great as that song is. Additionally I would have loved to hear You Can’t Beat The House, The Car Was the One & Remembrance Day, another song he did early on and apparently dropped from the set list and added Prairie Wedding….are you kidding me probably the worst song on STP and that is such an great album! How about Silvertown Blues or Do America or Sands of Nevada if he needs a slow song in there.
OK now, do you think we can ever hear Boom Like that again??? Please? What about 5:15 which we never heard live.
Now for the million dollar question,  how many tours in a row do we need to hear the following songs:  Sailing to Philadelphia, Donegan’s Gone, Romeo & Juliet, Sultans of Swing, Speedway at Nazareth, Brothers In Arms, So Far Away and dare I even say Telegraph Road(although I will never get tired of hearing what I consider the seminal Dire Straits song live). Does anyone realize he has virtually done the same encore for the last three tours all of which included:  Brothers in Arms, So Far Away & sometimes Shangri La and once Money For Nothing on the Shangri La Tour.  I am so tired of Romeo and Juliet can’t we get another old softer Dire Straits song from Making Movies like Hand in Hand  and instead of Telegraph Road maybe It Never Rains which has a tremendous pounding jam at the end making a great finale. I understand doing Sultans of Swing, he has to do it for those who may have never seen him or Dire Straits live but I don’t think he has to do Romeo & Juliet, in my opinion it’s not even the 3rd best song on Making Movies. How about Wild West End, Lions or Lady Writer in place of Sultans of Swing. Does he feel obligated to do a song from each Dire Straits album (meaning Sultans, R&J and Telegraph Road) well what about Communiqué then? That album is neglected as well as On Every Street.
What I can’t understand is for a guy who just felt he had to break his band up after 1991 because everything became just to commercially over the top along the lines of rock star stardom generated by the over the top success of Brothers In Arms then why is it he feels so compelled to play three songs from that album on every single tour and sometimes a fourth although not recently(Walk of Life) and always feels compelled to play “the hits” it doesn’t equate to the philosophy he chose as solo artist. The guy is the furthest thing from any form of commerciality exemplified by the fact that he played only two songs from KTGC when he was on tour supporting a new album but really not promoting it all because he played virtually nothing from it!
I wouldn’t mind if he completely scrapped all dire straits material when on tour and played a whole bunch of things he never played from the solo albums. Or at least mixed it up a little bit by playing a few different DS songs instead of the same old ones every single tour. This set list is so predictable as exemplified by two other songs Marbletown and Hill Farmers blues, great songs and great live performances but he just played both of them on the last tour from The Ragpickers Dream! Coyote is another song I love from The Ragpickers Dream but if he is playing that now instead of Cleaning My Gun from the new album then why play Marbletown and/or The Hill Farmers Blues that makes three songs from the same album when the first solo album is completely neglected. I would love to hear Imelda or Darling Pretty or better yet Don’t You Get It is such awesome song that would be great live.
I am going to to the next two shows tomorrow in Jersey and NYC the next night and feel completely bored when I read the setlists on line from previous nights. It’s definitely time for Mark to change some things up plus the band has to be bored playing such similar set list over that past 7 or 8 years.

Hi everybody,

I Saw Mark in concert last week in Montreal. It was the third time in my life (one other with Dire Straits, one in solo). Let me tell you that I found that Mark is reaching perfection. Choices of song (except for "Coyote"...), musicians (so many Mark's old friends, arrangements, stage material, etc, everything was perfect! And the audiance was crazy! What a nice concert. Just one criticism: he played two hours, but we all wanted him to play one more ;-)

we all love MK, but while his studio music is still in evolution, I can not say the same in live tours. Come on... the setlist is..... well, hold my words. but prairie wedding? telegraph again? where is tunnel of love? sailing? what it is? and for god sake, done with bonaparte? In one word about setlist: DECEPTIVE!

Just saw Mark in Albany, NY at the Palace.  Everything about it was fantastic, especially the music.  I would NOT have wanted to know what songs were going to be played in advance...  I think that would have taken something away from the experience.

I just saw Mark in Philadelphia.  The concert was one of his best.  I have a concern about him.  He sat for the entire concert because of a "pinched nerve" and was helped off stage at the end. He likely has a herniated disc or lumbar stenosis.   I wish him the best and hope that this syndrome will resolve spontaneously as they often do.  He needs to rest.  That would be my prescription.

While it would be wonderful if the set list was Springsteen-like done on the fly from a bag of hundreds of songs...I've now been to the last two MK shows, remarkably similar, and it occurs to me that the reason is simple: The arrangements are so intricate that they take enormous professionalism to accomplish, thus these thinks must be worked out meticulously. It may be a weak excuse, but then again it does assure that the band won't get lost, confused or out of sync. This frees the musicians to fill the space with their own inspiration, because they know where the space is, how long it is and where it begins and ends.

This creates a freedom all its own, in other words, and I think it justifies the approach he takes.

And only those zanies who go from show to show would care, anyway, right? :-O

Dear Walt Bennett,
I appreciate your thoughtful comments on the set list. That said, I am curious as to what criteria you use to decide that those who see more than the number of shows you yourself have deemed appropriate would be considered "zanies"?

I've met one individual who has seen quite a LOT of shows, and far from being zany, he is remarkably intelligent, occupationally and financially adept, and open and capable enough to live a life that allows him a great deal of freedom.

If I sound defensive, it's because blanket statements may get easy agreement but do not necessarily reflect truth or insight.

Very best to you, sir.

I saw him on Sunday night, and as always, his shows still never cease to amaze me, and this is the 9th time I've seen him. No, I'm not a nerd or an anorak or a Zanie, I just have the greatest respect for the man, and at every concert, the crowd shout out songs they hope and want him to sing. At the end of the day he will always sing the "favourites" as that's what the majority of people want to hear, the old Dire Straits stuff as well as new stuff. To me, whatever he does sing on the night is ok with me. He was awesome.

Hi when is the new DVD been on sale would you let us no john iom

Hi, I got my copy from Universal Music direct if that helps.x