I am going to see the Mark Knopfler concert tonight in Philadelphia.  I never saw Knopfler before and love his music.  However I'm a little scared that I will be disapointed.  Here is why.....I have seen his set lists throughout the tour and it is pretty much, give or take a few songs, the exact same list.  Considering Mark Knopfler has tons of great songs why doesn't he make set lists with more variety.  For instance my favorite Knopfler song is 5:15 A.M. Going there I know there is absolutely no chance of him playing it.  If he would play a wide variety of songs throughout this tour I think I would be much more excited heading out to see him.  In fact if I went through the entire concert not hearing any Dire Strait or any of his popular songs I would be perfectly happy with that.

Am I the only one that thinks like this for instance this set list would be great for me, yet I know he will not play any of these songs:

Such songs as; 5:15 A.M., Devil Baby, Behind with the Rent, Rollin' On, Beachcombing, Baloney Again, Old Pigweed, and Postcards.

There is one thing in common with all of these songs, there is no thrashing guitar solo, and I'm totally okay with it.  He is just as good as story telling, his voice is one of my favorities to listen to.  The problem is I know there will be a snowballs chance in hell he will play any of these songs.  I guess that's why I love seeing the Grateful Dead so much, you never knew what you were going to get but regardless you knew it was going to be good. 

Thoughts?  

After reading this post I think it came across a little too negative, don't get me wrong I'm looking forward to the concert and from the other posts I just read everyone has positive things to say.  I just want to know there is some potential for him to play a variety of songs that he hasn't played during the tour yet.  However that potential doesn't seem real. 

Travis:

I am going to see the Mark Knopfler concert tonight in Philadelphia.  I never saw Knopfler before and love his music.  However I'm a little scared that I will be disapointed.  Here is why.....I have seen his set lists throughout the tour and it is pretty much, give or take a few songs, the exact same list.  Considering Mark Knopfler has tons of great songs why doesn't he make set lists with more variety.  For instance my favorite Knopfler song is 5:15 A.M. Going there I know there is absolutely no chance of him playing it.  If he would play a wide variety of songs throughout this tour I think I would be much more excited heading out to see him.  In fact if I went through the entire concert not hearing any Dire Strait or any of his popular songs I would be perfectly happy with that.

Am I the only one that thinks like this for instance this set list would be great for me, yet I know he will not play any of these songs:

Such songs as; 5:15 A.M., Devil Baby, Behind with the Rent, Rollin' On, Beachcombing, Baloney Again, Old Pigweed, and Postcards.

There is one thing in common with all of these songs, there is no thrashing guitar solo, and I'm totally okay with it.  He is just as good as story telling, his voice is one of my favorities to listen to.  The problem is I know there will be a snowballs chance in hell he will play any of these songs.  I guess that's why I love seeing the Grateful Dead so much, you never knew what you were going to get but regardless you knew it was going to be good. 

Thoughts?  

Trust me...you won't be disappointed! The songs that you have doubts about going into the show are the songs that you will be remembering and playing for weeks on end after the show. "Fish and the bird" sounded much better in concert than the studio version did. "Marbletown" was one of the highlights of the night...a beautiful song with Mark, John and Glenn doing a wonderful acoustic jam towards the end of the song. "Song for Sonny Liston" was absolutely phenominal. "Speedway" was...well.."Speedway"...the only way I can put it because Mark and the Band made you feel like you were literally at the racetrack!!

Enjoy the show and let us know how it all went down!               

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Doctor parkinson declared Im not surprised to see you here
Youve got smokers cough from smoking, brewers droop from drinking beer
I dont know how you came to get the betty davis knees
But worst of all young man youve got industrial disease

if you've never seen knopfler before, what difference would it make to you to play a different set list? it'll all be new. go with an open mind and enjoy the show.

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"The freaks'll stay together, they're a tight old crew. You look at them and they look at you."

Hey Travis,

I hear what you're saying - there's a particular side of Mark's art that resonates most with you.

If I were to pick my own dream setlist, the tunes you mentioned would head it up, so I'm right there with you. To share with you, I didn't start paying attention until his solo work came out.

But since this is Mark's tour and there is a fan base from all eras, one might consider that he could be trying to pull together a setlist that makes him happy as well as one that might have a broad appeal.

Anyway, enjoy the show. You'll love it.   

 

PS: Let us know, tomorrow, how you're feeling about it...if you would. 

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kami-kam

"if you've never seen knopfler before, what difference would it make to you to play a different set list?"

I enjoy seeing such bands as the Grateful Dead and Phish.  I think one reason why I, and others as well, enjoy seeing these bands live is because you never know what your going to get.  I have absolutely no clue what there next song will be, it makes the show so much more exciting when they hit the first notes of a song you love but totally weren't expecting.  Does this make sense or am I on my own with this one?  Like I said before, don't get me wrong I am looking forward to the show.  My wife is going with me and he is probably the only artist both of us like.  I have been trying for years to get her to see Dwight Yoakum, she literally gets mad when I put him on.  Needless to say we both love each other and I think it will go down as a memorable experience.  Even if I already know the songs he will play going into it.

if you enjoy seeing bands because you never know what you're gonna get, why'd you read the setlists? I've seen phish and the dead (with pigpen!) and when they were on, they were awesome. when they weren't they were awful. knopfler chooses songs for his tours and practices them to get them to his liking. he then hones down the setlist with few variations. the result is the tightness of the band. i believe it was described as "IT" in a previous thread. the dead would stumble upon "IT" every now and then. every knopfler show from 1979 to present has been "IT." you'll see. i'm envious.

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"The freaks'll stay together, they're a tight old crew. You look at them and they look at you."

"if you enjoy seeing bands because you never know what you're gonna get, why'd you read the setlists?"

Well at the time I didn't know Knopfler played such a tight setlist, that only became aware to me that the setlists were very similar as I saw a couple of them.  

"I've seen phish and the dead (with pigpen!) and when they were on, they were awesome. when they weren't they were awful. knopfler chooses songs for his tours and practices them to get them to his liking. he then hones down the setlist with few variations. the result is the tightness of the band."

Well these are two different approaches.  And you are certainly correct pertaining to Phish.  I have seen some very good shows and seen some pretty bad shows.  On the side I was getting very tired of seeing Phish because of the fan base.  What are the odds of there being obnoxious drunks or potheads at the show tonight?  The fanbase of fans at Phish shows just got terrible, as well as Trey himself.  It's good to hear that Knopfler and the band are really tight and there are some variations to the songs played on the CD's, I'm looking forward to that. 

fanbase tends to be older and more appreciative with a lot of people having already reached their life quota of foreign substances. larger venues tend to be louder and rowdier, but you never know. in nashville, smaller, you could hear every nuance in mark's guitar work. in boston, some guy was screaming "he's a God." luckily he passed out before long. you get what you get.

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"The freaks'll stay together, they're a tight old crew. You look at them and they look at you."

Well chappalachia the fanbase was much different than the fanbase I am use to seeing at Phil Lesh or Phish shows.  My wife and I drove in with our Plymouth Neon, let's just say my car was on the cheaper end in our lot.  What I really enjoyed about the people who attended were the complete respect for the band.  When the band would turn down the volumne the fans would respect Knopfler and the other artists by remaining silent.  Of course you have your drunk guys screaming here and there, but overall it was amazing to see the respect everyone had for the band and each other.  On the side I thought it was a little odd how everyone was sitting down through most of the concert.  I didn't want to block the view of those behind me so I didn't stand up, however I was fighting every urge. 

Overall the sound was very good, much better than any concert I saw at the Tweeter Center in N.J.  Only complaint was I felt the bass needed to be turned up, especially during Hill Farmers Blues, which on the side was my favorite song to see live.  This is where I know I'm different but that was my favorite song of the night for me.  While I know the set list was programmed I didn't feel the show was a cookie-cutter performance, so my fear never came true.  I am glad I attended the show and will for sure come again when he is in the Philadelphia region.  However I will make sure to get lawn tickets where I can dance my ass off :)   

Travis, I hear you about the repetitive setlist, and my favorite bands have always been the ones whose setlists were completely unpredictable....Grateful Dead, Phish and Panic.  And btw, if you haven't seen Panic with Herring, do yourself a favor.

 I had looked at the setlists previously and knew what to expect coming in, but like you, I'd never seen Mark live before so even when I saw the song coming, he far surpassed my expectations.  Tonight in Charlotte was an awesome experience...just as it was seeing bands like the Stones, Who, etc. when we knew what was coming and often times, in what order.

 It is what it is though, and the jam bands will always do it a little differently, and yet we should also appreciate seeing icons like Mark even when it's premeditated.

 See you on the road when Phish comes back in a year or so...

One point that has not been made here is that, for me, a benefit of a changing set list is that the band, in my experience, is much more into it than when they are playing a "robotic set list."  By this, I mean that instead of playing a song for the 46th time on a tour, in almost the exact same place, so that it really is formulaic for the artists, when things are shaken up -- different songs, different orders -- the artists work harder, concentrate more, enjoy the variety, and try to "nail" it.

 For example, I have seen Clapton many, many times.  On the most recent tour with Steve Winwood, he seemed much more energized and focused to be playing songs that he doesn't usually play and hasn't played in a while, plus new arrangements or working them through with Winwood.  Clapton seemed to be having a better time, and working hard to perfect a song and get the nuance, rather than playing his standard rendtion of, say, After Midnight, for the 100th time and seeming a little bored with it.

 Another obvious example is Springsteen.  He changes about 1/3 of the set list every night, and as to the other 2/3, he frequently re-orders the songs, or re-works them.  Clearly, this keeps his band on its toes (they have been quoted as saying so) and having a great time.  They are all smiling, having a great time, pushing themselves and the music and each other.

 The notion is that musicians are people too, and like playing certain songs more than others.  Instead of thinking, "Oh God, not this one yet again," a varied set list lets them think "Wow, I love playing this one and we haven't played it in such a long time", etc. and get into it. 

I LOVED the concert, it was brilliant! Must've been the best live performance I've ever seen, and I mean it! Furthermore, I don't mind it at all that there isn't much variety during the whole tour. Next one will be different, and I quite like to know what'll happen. You have expectations of some songs, interested as to how they will sound live, and all the songs exceeded my expectations greatly! I don't really see the problem, as normally you'll only visit a concert during a tour once, maybe twice... And it is true that Mark has made a lot of great songs, and given his professionally, he therefor has the ability to choose from many.. And the set list this time has been extraordinary and it all fitted wonderfully. I really enjoyed the songs from the Ragpicker's Dream album! I did miss Postcards from Paraguay, as he played it in the beginning and I was expecting to hear it, but that''s quite all right, I don't really mind. Who knows, perhaps next time?!

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"The birds up on the wires and the telegraph poles
They can always fly away from this rain and this cold
You can hear them singing out their telegraph code
All the way down the telegraph road"

"My darling boy, all of my sunshine and all of my joy"

wborner619:

One point that has not been made here is that, for me, a benefit of a changing set list is that the band, in my experience, is much more into it than when they are playing a "robotic set list."  By this, I mean that instead of playing a song for the 46th time on a tour, in almost the exact same place, so that it really is formulaic for the artists, when things are shaken up -- different songs, different orders -- the artists work harder, concentrate more, enjoy the variety, and try to "nail" it.

 For example, I have seen Clapton many, many times.  On the most recent tour with Steve Winwood, he seemed much more energized and focused to be playing songs that he doesn't usually play and hasn't played in a while, plus new arrangements or working them through with Winwood.  Clapton seemed to be having a better time, and working hard to perfect a song and get the nuance, rather than playing his standard rendtion of, say, After Midnight, for the 100th time and seeming a little bored with it.

 Another obvious example is Springsteen.  He changes about 1/3 of the set list every night, and as to the other 2/3, he frequently re-orders the songs, or re-works them.  Clearly, this keeps his band on its toes (they have been quoted as saying so) and having a great time.  They are all smiling, having a great time, pushing themselves and the music and each other.

 The notion is that musicians are people too, and like playing certain songs more than others.  Instead of thinking, "Oh God, not this one yet again," a varied set list lets them think "Wow, I love playing this one and we haven't played it in such a long time", etc. and get into it. 

It's not as if the band didn't enjoy themselves this tour! They are already talking about the next one and Guy Fletcher as well as Richard Bennett mentioned it more than once that this tour has been amazing 

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"The birds up on the wires and the telegraph poles
They can always fly away from this rain and this cold
You can hear them singing out their telegraph code
All the way down the telegraph road"

"My darling boy, all of my sunshine and all of my joy"

Hi,

If you look back to the later Straits tours through GH;STP; and Shangri-la,MK has always played a pretty rigid setlist with maybe a couple of variations and as Mark chooses the setlist himself,it must be the way he likes to do things and I for one have no complaints.

Guy also said on his forum,the band were always changing things and trying new arrangements as the tour progressed, to make the songs even better,I think that has come through particularly on "Marbletown","True Love will never fade" and "Telegraph Road".

Regards

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"You only get one life, this I know.
Gonna get my licks in now before I go".