MARK KNOPFLER : GDANSK 2019

 

Disc One (68:01)

  1. Why Aye Man
  2. Corned Beef City
  3. Sailing To Philadelphia
  4. Once Upon A Time In The West
  5. Romeo And Juliet
  6. My Bacon Roll
  7. Matchstick Man
  8. Done With Bonaparte

Disc Two (59:39)

  1. Heart Full of holes
  2. She's Gone/Your Latest Trick
  3. Postcards From Paraguay
  4. On Every Street
  5. Speedway At Nazareth
  6. Money For Nothing
  7. Piper To the end
  8. Going home

Label : MarkKnopfler.com

Venue : Ergo Arena, Gdansk, Poland

Recording Date : July 11, 2019

Quality : Soundboard recording (A+)

Review : Another professionally recorded show of Mark Knopfler and his band, live in Gdansk. Recommended.

Concert Review (Trojmiasto) : There was no "Brothers in Arms" or "Sultans of Swing," but Thursday's performance by Mark Knopfler at Ergo Arena was still a full-fledged encounter with one of rock music’s greats. It was one of those concerts you don’t just attend — you experience it. Great musicians have the right to be a little capricious, and on Thursday, Mark Knopfler took full advantage of that right at Ergo Arena. Neither "Brothers in Arms" nor "Sultans of Swing" — two immortal rock anthems — were played. These timeless songs are instantly associated with the former Dire Straits frontman, even by those with only a passing interest in music. This is probably why there were a few disappointed fans after the concert. Some had waited years for the chance to hear these tracks live. Right before the encore, I personally witnessed the growing anticipation among concertgoers around me. "He’ll play them any moment now," they assured one another. Sadly, he didn’t. As consolation, the British artist delivered a crowd-pleasing "Money for Nothing" and ended with "Going Home." Still, it would be unfair to say that anyone's time or money was wasted — every fan of Knopfler or lover of quality rock would surely agree. Knopfler came with a well-thought-out concept and executed it with clockwork precision. True to the name of the tour (and his latest album), Down the Road Wherever, he took the audience on an unhurried and subtle journey through his musical career, choosing songs that hinted at a variety of geographical destinations. There was a trip to Eastern Europe with "Done With Bonaparte" (though it sounded distinctly Celtic), and into the heart of America with "Once Upon a Time in the West." The band headed into bustling metropolises with "Sailing to Philadelphia," to working-class British neighborhoods in "Corned Beef City," and off to more distant places in "Postcards From Paraguay" (featuring a brilliant samba-style rhythm section) and "Speedway at Nazareth." Two classics from Dire Straits’ rockier catalogue also made the cut: "Romeo and Juliet" and "Your Latest Trick." Knopfler and his band played exactly as one would expect from a living rock legend — perhaps even better. Visually, the concert was minimalist, but no one really expected pyrotechnics from this artist. His interaction with the audience was limited but warm. The frontman shared a brief story about hitchhiking in his youth and assured the crowd that despite his age, he had no plans to retire — he simply loves his job too much. Musically speaking, the concert — lasting over two hours — can easily be called a memorable live experience. Knopfler played with ease and natural flair, performing songs that were polished to perfection without unnecessary showmanship. Of course, this was thanks in no small part to his talented band of ten instrumentalists, who played not only classic rock instruments but also the zither, bouzouki, cornet, and Irish bodhrán (which shone especially during "Done With Bonaparte"). You didn’t need to be an expert in stage presence to see that Knopfler and his band genuinely enjoyed their time on stage. And so did the majority of the roughly eight thousand fans in attendance.