Radio City Music Hall New York, NY June 29, 2005 2 hrs 15 min 1 Why Aye Man 2 Walk of Life 3 What it Is 4 Sailing to Philadelphia 5 Romeo and Juliet 6 Sultans of Swing 7 Done with Bonaparte 8 Song for Sonny Liston 9 Rudiger 10 Boom, Like That 11 Speedway at Nazareth 12 Telegraph Road 13 Brothers in Arms 14 Money for Nothing 15 So Far Away 16 Our Shangri-La Stage Layout: Matt’s organ and piano are on the left. Chad’s full drum kit is center stage toward the back. Guy’s area is to the right. Richard’s guitars, bouzouki, and pedal board are in front of Guy. Mark's two orange Marshall 4x12 stacks are center stage just in front of the drum kit. Mark’s pedal is center stage out front. At 8:45pm, the lights come down, and dark figures emerged from the wings. Mark appeared last, dressed in black with white shoes. With his rimless glasses and graying hair, he looked damn good. 1 Why Aye Man The lights turn dark blue. The organ and bouzouki provided a dramtic introduction. The crowd was on its feet. The band kicked off the show with a dynamic version of Why Aye Man - a perfect opening number. The band was tight. Mark was in good voice, and his playing was as great as ever. He had the Les Paul on for this one. Chad's drumming was powerful, and Richard provided a nice off-beat strum on the bouzouki. The quiet bridge was amazing: "Nae more work on maggie's farm, Hadaway down the autobahn." Mark's long solo was stunning. This is such a great song. 2 Walk of Life The band moved right into a spirited version of Walk of Life, with Mark providing a nice Nashville Strat guitar sound. 3 What it Is One of Mark's best solo songs, What it Is kicked in with an energy that was amazing. Mark's guitar lines and solo were flawless. When the band brought it down for the final quiet verse, Mark's voice reached out across Radio City: "There's a chink of light, there's a burning wick, there's a lantern in the tower. Wee Willie Winkie with a candlestick still writing songs in the wee wee hours." 4 Sailing to Philadelphia And then the band moved seamlessly into another of Mark's finest songs, Sailing to Philadelphia. On this night, he brought the tempo down just a bit, creating a more soulful impassioned feeling. Mark was playing the red Strat; Richard was fingerpicking the accoustic. At the chorus, the lights moved out into the audience implying flight or voyage, and Guy and Glen joined Mark on the harmonies. The crowd stood and applauded. This is such a great song, and the audience was letting Mark know how special it is. I like how Mark handled the alternate verses, originally recorded with James Taylor. He altered the melodies just enough to convey a second distinct voice. The song ended with a well-deserved standing ovation. 5 Romeo and Juliet And then Mark walked back into the darkness. A beautiful piano and organ instrumental opening set the stage. Mark emerged, a flash of light reflected on his National, and everyone knew what that meant. The now-famous open tuning guitar picking of Romeo and Juliet brought everyone to their feet again. This was incredible. His singing was great. Chad's drums were like rolling thunder into the choruses. This was a powerful rendition, ending with Mark's beautiful guitar solo. The standing ovation at the song's conclusion lasted several minutes, with Mark ackowledging the crowd in genuine appreciation. 6 Sultans of Swing And then Mark picked up the red Strat, and the band broke into one of the best versions of the classic Sultans of Swing that I've ever heard. The singing and playing were incredible. Mark's hands were on fire as he offered up his now-famous guitar lines to a grateful audience. At the song's conclusion, the standing ovation lasted at least two minutes. Again, Mark seemed truly appreciative of the reaction - waving a towel at the crowd. 7 Done with Bonaparte The lights came down, and in the shadows, the crew shuffled the equipment around. When the lights came back up, Chad’s small drum kit was up front on the left, Glen was holding his double bass next to him, Mark holding his National again, and Richard, standing next to him, holding his bouzouki. The small ensemble broke into Done with Bonaparte - a nice swinging rendition. I think Mark and the crowd needed a break in the energy level, and this gave everyone a chance to kick back and enjoy the music. 8 Song for Sonny Liston Several band members left the stage. The lights went down again, and after some stage shuffling, they came back up on Mark seated next to a small table with a cup of tea. Accompanied only by acoustic bass, Mark broke into the Les Paul picking riff of Song for Sonny Liston. I think the boys needed a break, so this was mainly MK. 9 Rudiger The boys came back on stage. Mark spoke a few words to the crowd - something about never playing the song the same way twice - and then moved into the moody introduction to Rudiger. Mark's vocals on this one were so expressive, gentle, tender, sad, even pained. Written in the tradition of Private Investigations, Rudinger has always been a personal favorite. 10 Boom, Like That With everyone back in their original positions on stage, Mark broke into the riveting guitar lines of one of the highlights on Shangri-La - "a song about junk-food" - Boom, Like That. This one was high-energy, with a biting guitar solo. 11 Speedway at Nazareth Softly at first, the band started their Appalachian-sounding instrumental introduction to this masterpiece of musical drama. The pulsing electronic sounds mimicking a stockcar engine joined the acoustic instruments. People in the audience began to stand - they knew what wascoming. Then the drums. Then Mark's voice. Slowly, verse by verse, the song built in intensity, mirroring the mounting tension of a stockcar race. When Mark launched his solo, he had the guitar mimick the shifting of gears. The drums boomed above it all. And Mark's spirit sailed above the audience in a magnificent solo that seemed to rise higher and higher. The crowd was going nuts. The final crescendo brought everyone to the brink, and then stopped in its tracks - creating, perhaps, the haunting image of a stockcar crashing into a wall. Thank you Mark Knopfler. It doesn't get better than this. Or does it? 12 Telegraph Road The unmistakable introduction to Telegraph Road has been burned in my consciousness for over 25 years. The first time I heard it, I thought it was a masterpiece. My opinion has not changed since then. Mark began the song with his National, and then later switched to the Pensa, with its beautiful tone. The song lasted about 14 minutes. The boys walked offstage. The audience gave a three-minute standing ovation. My hands were sore from applauding. My voice was gone. And then came the encores. 13 Brothers in Arms When the lights came up on Mark, he was wearing a fresh t-shirt, and holding his Les Paul. Guy moved over to Matt’s stool to play the B3. Matt picked up his accordion. The sounds of thunder rolled across the audience. Everyone was standing. And then, "These mist-covered mountains..." For a songwriter who's written so many classics, he must be particularly proud of this one. I first heard him play this in 1985 in this same hall, and tears welled in my eyes, it was so good. Nothing should sound this good. It sets the bar too high for all that follows. I called my brother Frank in Albany on my wireless phone for the third time and simply held it up for him to hear. He listened the entire 7 minutes. Mark's guitar solo at the end cannot adequately be described in words. Beautiful. 14 Money for Nothing The crowd remained standing for the classic Money for Nothing - played with energy and intensity. 15 So Far Away The band left the stage, and after several minutes of standing ovation, came back on to do this one from Mark's glory days. I would have preferred something elese, from the ones that got away (see below). 16 Our Shangri-La Finally, the evening came to an end with the title track of Mark's new album. This was a nice coda to a great concert. The boys walked offstage, and the house lights came up. It was 11:00pm. Mark's selection of songs for this tour is excellent - a true representation of his talent and career. But with the kind of catalog of great songs that Mark has compiled, it's inevitable that he'd leave out some of his finest work. So, for future reference (in case Mark's reading this), here's my wish list for alternating songs. Tunnel of Love (alternating with So Far Away) Love Over Gold Calling Elvis On Every Street Darling Pretty Golden Heart (alternating with Done with Bonaparte) Silvertown Blues (alternating with Money for Nothing) Devil Baby A Place Where We Used To Live (alternating with Sonny Liston) Back To Tupelo Wild Theme / Going Home (just for another encore) I first heard Mark's voice and guitar in 1978 in a car, on my way to a Bob Dylan concert (of all things). The song was Sultans of Swing, and I thought it was a new Dylan song - a much improved Dylan at that. Mark quickly became my favorite guitarist, songwriter, and singer, and has remained my favorite for over 25 years. I've seen each of his tours in the USA since the early 1980s. In concert, as well as in his recordings, he has never disappointed. His is a unique talent, and I hope he knows how much we all love his music. And I hope you enjoyed this review. It was a great show. RJ

A big New York Hello to all my "bretheren in arms" out there. I attended the 6/29 Radio City show. Mark and the band (Guy, Danny, Glenn, Matt & Rich)were terrific. Bonaparte, Boom & Shangrila were a few of my favorites. (See Dave's Wolf Trap review for the set list) Special thanks to Tennissuze and Tim for their help. Also to previous reviewers that shared their knowledge of the instruments. I certainly hope we can catch the show again soon, (maybe this fall?) A very memorable evening of entertainment.

Great show. Band was very relaxed and clearly enjoyed playing together. Great new treatments of some of the older material, in particular adding accordion to Walk of Life and Bonaparte, and the small-stage version of Sultans. This is my fourth time seeing MK/DS over a period of twenty years (going back to the BIA tour stop at Radio City in '85), and they get better every time. And as Guy mentioned on his website, the versions of the songs change to some extent at each show. I have heard mp3's of the shows from Warsaw and Rome, among others, and there were definitely differences between those versions of a number of the songs and the versions played last night, particularly Sultans and Telegraph Road, both of which were outstanding. I would have liked to hear more of the newer material, as it always comes to life when MK plays it live. Unfortunately, it seems the unions were not cooperative. So ironic, as in my line of work we often talk about how much tougher it is to do business in UK and Europe because of the tougher unions and stiffer labor laws there. I guess they know what's important in life. I have one somewhat minor issue with this year's tour, which is really a suggestion for the next one. I don't care if the set list stays constant for the entire tour. I think a relatively small number of fans go to more than one or two gigs on each tour. I do, think, however, that a large percentage of the fans who come to an MK show will come to see him every time he comes to (or within a couple of hundred miles of) their town. As part of that group, I'd be interested in hearing some new versions of other tunes in the catalogue the next time MK tours (and I hope we don't have to wait another four years for that). The catalogue is so deep - not just DS material, but also Golden Heart and the screenwriting work. I saw the STP tour in 2001, and all of the pre-STP material that was played last night was also played at that show. Obviously, there are a few songs that everyone wants to hear and should never be left out - Sultans, Telegraph Road and (for the kids) Money for Nothing - and these songs do change from tour to tour (and as mentioned before, from night to night). I'm sorry I didn't get to hear Mist Covered Mountains or Local Hero, which I understand were played at some of the gigs abroad (thanks again, unions). I think it would be interesting to see the band do more of that material, or new renditions of, say, Love Over Gold or Darling Pretty, instead of, for example, So Far Away. This band is more than up to the challenge. Anyway, that's my 2 cents, and I'd be in Massachusetts tonight if I had the time, notwithstanding the gloomy weather forecast. Thanks to MK and the band for another memorable night and for the excitement of anticipation of the show.

excellent

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!! FLUID BEAUTY IS WHAT CAME OUT OF MARK'S GUITAR GREAT CROWD-16TH ROW SEATS(LATER DOWN TO THE 6TH ROW!!) TELEGRAPH ROAD,ROMEO-JULIET,BROTHERS IN ARMS, AND BOOM LIKE THAT WERE SHOW STOPPERS!!! MARK IS TRULY ONE OF THE MOST UNDER APPRECIATED, LEAST PRAIZED GUITARISTS IN THE HISTORY OF ROCK N ROLL. KEEP PUTTING OUT THEM ALBUMS AND I'LL KEEP SHOWING UP FOR THE GIGS!!!!

Saw both NYC area concerts on the consecutive nights (NJPAC and Radio City). Set list was the same (I think), though they played about 8-10 minutes longer @ Radio City. Review: WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Been waiting for years to see him again, and the wait was WELL worth it. Had the luck of landing 2nd row seats, center, right on the aisle (plenty of dancing and yelling room) and my ONLY regret was that the show is now over. Glad I can type this because I have nearly no voice today. Telegraph Road on both nights was the best moment, but all the songs were fantastic. Thought Sultans of Swing was better at Radio City, but I had no compliants with the Jersey show other than the realatively dead (ok, I'll be nice: polite) crowd. The Radio City crowd was MUCH better, from the start. Wish I could have gotten on stage just to shake MK's hand and thank him for a great night of fun and incredible music. Can NOT wait to see him again, and again.

Well…FANTASTIC!!! Apparantly, the show was sold out & it looked it! I thoroughly enjoyed Bap Kennedy ( great sense of humor!) & his excellent guitarist James Walboure & hope to see them again. I have waited so long to see MK & Co. live & I, as was my husband & 2 best friends completely blown away by the show. I was originally told by RC that we might have an obstructed view because of the soundboard but that wasn't the case at all & we had a perfect center view. The sound was awesome especially "Boom…" & "Speedway".... (incredible lighting!!!!)…", my chest was actually pounding, it was unbelievable, to FEEL the music, to feel alive - the decibel level kept rising higher & higher, I'd like to know the level it crested at!! The other thing was the band's stage presence - it was so perfectly casual without distraction just as it should be…it all blended with ease…2 encores, standing ovations…fantastic…what incredible stamina they all have. The other highlight was Danny giving 2 children pair(or2?) of drumsticks & Mark gingerly shaking their hands after the show, the audience said , 'AW….' in unison - lovely. I hope I'll have another chance, in time, to see them again. Thank you MK & Co. for an unforgettable night in my hometown.

I'm not going to attempt to do a perfect job, but I'll try & recap last night's Radio City show. I took the Mrs., and our seats were up in the 2nd Mezzanine, but just slightly right of center. We were quite far away, but the sight lines were very good, and I wasn't so much there for the view anyway. I could see the stage pretty well, but it was hard to make out all the details. Didn't really matter, though. They were playing a very odd collection of music, I guess to warm people up. A bunch of Rolling Stones, then some '60s era Motown stuff, but nothing really in tune with MK. We skipped the shirts & hats - $30 for a plain t-shirt seemed a bit much. The place looked more than half empty until Mark showed up on stage. Bap Kennedy was OK - I thought he was kind of funny, but it was a weird sort of performance - him and another guitarist sitting on stools like they were in a coffee house or something. The music was kind of nondescript - sort of country, sort of pop, nothing terribly memorable. The other guitarist (? Holborn) wasn't bad, but a little rough. They did a half-hour set, then the set change. All of this was explained in an email I got from Ticketmaster, and they were correct almost to the minute. The boys came out at 8:50, went right into Why Aye Man, and just kept rolling. Mark's voice sounded like he was straining during a number of the tunes, WAM in particular, but on most of the others he sounded just like I expected. I thought the band was very tight - they seemed like they had it all down, and it was fabulous to listen to. I think the setlist was very similar to Dan's from NJ-PAC: Why Aye Man Walk of Life What it is Sailing to Philadelphia Romeo & Juliet Sultans of Swing Band Introductions Done with Bonaparte Song for Sonny Liston Rudiger Boom, Like That Speedway at Nazareth Telegraph Road Encores: Brothers in Arms Money for Nothing So Far Away Shangri-la He did add Shangri La as an encore, and I can't remember but I thought STP was further down the setlist. Someone else who was there may be able to correct my memory. TR was UNBELIEVABLE. I just love that song, and it was so powerful to see it & hear it in person. Overall the crowd (at least in my section) was pretty reserved - a few standing ovations, but no dancing and a lot of talking during the show. Not interfering with the show, but still a lot of talking. I had a great time, and I'm glad I got to see him in person again.

Setlist: 1. Why Aye Man, 2. Walk of Life, 3. What It Is, 4. Sailing to Philadelphia, 5. Romeo and Juliet, 6. Sultans of Swing, 7. Done With Bonaparte, 8. Song for Sonny Liston, 9. Rudiger, 10. Boom Like That, 11. Speedway at Nazareth, 12. Telegraph Road, encore #1 13. Brothers in Arms, 14. Money for Nothing, encore #2 15. So far Away, 16. Our Shangri-La. After waiting more than two years to see MK and the band for the first time, i am still flying from last night's mind-blowing performance. The songs were all played exceptionally well, all the guys looked like they were having tons of fun. Two songs of note were speedway and TR, both incredibly loud and unreal. Thanks to all they guys for an incredible show, please come back soon!!!