While solo songs like “Corned Beef City” and “Privateering” were as passionately delivered as Dire Straits stunners “So Far Away” and “Romeo and Juliet,” Mr. Knopfler’s guitar was the constant lynchpin.
On some tunes he played “strictly rhythm,” but on others he made it “cry or sing.” When he traded arpeggios with saxophonist Nigel Hitchcock on “Your Latest Trick,” you could even hear the gasps of awe dart across the theater. They electrified the darkness; and each time Mr. Knopfler stoked another swell, it was as if the air came close to incinerating. Even Guy Fletcher, long-time keyboardist and collaborator, felt what was happening. He recorded this memory in his tour diary afterwards:
We took to the stage to a rare standing ovation! I’ve never seen that before here [in New York City]. The excitement continued throughout the show, the stage energy was intense, the fun levels were higher than ever and the crowd seemed to respond to every little musical nuance. Mark played and sang fantastically and the rest of us just rode the wave….
Photos by Rick Stachura. October 21, 2015.
Mark Knopfler on his Tracker Tour at the Beacon Theatre.
With Guy Fletcher (keyboards), Jim Cox (piano, organ, accordion), Richard Bennett (guitars), John McCusker (violin, cittern), Ian Thomas (drums), Michael McGoldrick (whistles, pipes, flute), Glenn Worf (bass), and Nigel Hitchcock (saxophone).