September 21, 2019
Comerica Theater
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix was one of the lucky cities to have been chosen as a stop for Mark Knopfler. This was nothing short of a great concert from start to finish. The stage was filled with incredibly talented musicians which kept the capacity crowd at Comerica theater engaged throughout the night.
The night was filled with a variety of old and new including several songs from his days with Dire Straits. The evening opened with a great version of “Why Aye Man” which featured Graeme Blevis (Saxaphone) and Tom Walsh. (Trumpet). “Sailing to Philadelphia” and “Once Upon a Time in the West” were next up and in some was were better than the original. They also did a fantastic version of “Romeo and Juliet” which is a personal favorite only to be outdone by “On Every Street”. For a true fan of Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler this darn near the perfect night.
Mark bantered with the crowd between songs and told stories from back in the day. He also spoke highly of his band, some of whom he has played with for decades. He joked that he is only able to “Play one instrument while between all of them, the band can play 49 at the moment”. You got the sense that each and every person on the stage enjoyed being there and you could feel the love and respect they had for Mark.
The encore included his signature Dire Straits classic “Money for Nothing” which kept the crowd on their feet and the finale was a the upbeat “Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero”. This was yet another bucket list item for me personally and I would rate this concert as one of the top concerts I have ever seen. Mark Knopfler may or may not tour again, but I am so glad he made it to Phoenix this time around.
See all of our photos from this concert here.
