MARK KNOPFLER : LJUBLJANA 2019

 

Disc One (66:54)

  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 (58:32)

  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. So far away
  8. Going home

Label : MarkKnopfler.com

Venue : Arena Stožice, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Recording Date : June 29, 2019

Quality : Soundboard recording (A+)

Concert Review (The Rocktologist) : As if the title of his latest album wasn’t telling enough, the Down the Road Wherever tour sees Mark Knopfler further improving his already vivid role as a rootsy rocker and reflective balladeer. Tracing a line that embraces his fondness for American music, Knopfler get’s the show on the roll with “Why Aye Man”, and immediately there’s trouble brewing. A light is seen bristling from one of the spectator’s cell phones, clearly irritating the guitarist, who calls out a number of times for it to be turned off. Tense moments, and as the distractor finally dims away into oblivion, a clearly pleased Knopfler dives into “Corned Beef City”. Thankfully, the mood improves even more for “Sailing to Philadelphia”, and is close to completely hassle-free through “Once Upon a Time in the West”. Just in time we might add, as Knopfler’s distinctive guitar tone mushrooms with an otherworldly combination of power and grace. Nine solo albums in it still seems impossible to bypass Dire Straits material as a setlist centrefold. A poignant mood is set by Knopfler’s gorgeous appropriation of “Romeo and Juliet”, it’s emblematic emotional charge further enhanced by heart-melting Graeme Blevins saxophone. A double sized slice of the new album is presented in the form of “My Bacon Roll”, before Knopfler self-effacingly explains his hitchhiking days that inspired “Matchstick Man”. Both are beautifully moving pieces, showcasing the musician’s insightful storytelling. “Done with Bonaparte” is routinely included in the set, but one of the evenings definitive moments simply must be “Your Latest Trick”, with Knopfler’s voice rummaging lower than usual, but with extra depth. The music here is incredibly picturesque, and so atmospheric it makes your spine shiver. In a complete turn of temper, “Postcards from Paraguay” is a joyous anarchic spectacle that stirs the crowd into a frenzy, making Ljubljana look more like back alley Asunción than wanna be central Europe. “On Every Street” dims the lights once more, before “Speedway at Hazareth” evolves from a timid animal burning with anticipation, to a thermonuclear hell-horse in a display of virtuoso song building. The band are recalled for a follow up in the form of “Money for Nothing”, which leaves bodies moving and throats sore. It all climaxes with “So Far Away”, after which “Going Home” once again recalls all the glory stacked in Mark Knopfler’s rear view mirror, all that magic that’s very much alive today.