Mark Knopfler @ The Odyssey Arena 20/05/2010

May 31, 2010 No Comments

As legendary guitarists go, Mark Knopfler has most definitely staked his place in the hall of fame. For many, Dire Straits were defined by the signature Knopfler twang and vibrato, which raised them above the ranks as an outstandingly unique act and genre wise, one of the most influential masters of merging styles – country, blues, jazz, you name it.

Hence, the crowd could barely contain their excitement awaiting the legend to enter the Odyssey stage, which was full to the brim with various guitars – fenders, 12-strings, biscuit resonators, banjos… etc

Perhaps slightly surprisingly, they weren’t all for Mark. The show opened with about seven folk musicians playing a beautiful Celtic arrangement… maybe this is the support act, I wondered…

Then, in quite a dramatic fashion, the centre of the stage which was shrouded in darkness lit up gradually to reveal the man himself, sitting on a swivel chair, clutching a bright red Stratocaster. One lick was all it took for the audience to cheer with ecstatic delight… quickly followed by hushed awe.

What followed was extraordinary. The first third of the set carried a lush irish flavour, with Knopfler acting as a kind of conductor, occasionally adding little flourishes of straits-esque lead guitar and vocals over a mesmerizing band, including a pitch perfect flutist, knee jiving Elvis Costello look-alike rhythm guitarist, ridiculously talented accordion player and thundering percussionist.

After six songs of Celtic with added Knopfler, I began to wonder if we were going to hear any Dire Straits.

But that pessimistic thought soon vanished. The band took their first break and Knopfler shared a little banter with the crowd, “Unfortunately I won’t be jumping and kicking as much as I used to… quite liking this sitting business though!”

A roar of laughter flowed from the audience but even that didn’t hide the overbearing sense of tension and anticipation. And Knopfler knew it – clearly a master at the art of teasing.

He finally gave in and began a stunning rendition of Romeo and Juliet half way through the set. The audience went wild as if they’d been waiting several centuries to hear Dire Straits live again. Quite cleverly, there were no longer seven or eight musicians on stage. Just four – like the old days!

A curtain opened to reveal one of the greatest treats ever witnessed at a live concert – a camera angled from the head of Knopfler’s guitar, showcasing his breathtaking finger dexterity and mind-blowing improvisation.

One Straits classic led into another: Sultans of Swing – by far the highlight of the night. The camera view of Knopfler’s iconic solo was worth the admission price alone – I found myself transfixed, hypnotized and overjoyed, before feeling gutted when the song was over, wishing I could have rewound time itself and watched what I’d just seen a few dozen times more.

Knopfler soaked in the feelings of relief and appreciation from the audience by quipping, “Sultans of Swing, as much fun to play as it always was!” Another cheer erupted, followed by a bluegrass and folk section with all the band members back on stage, including some exceptional flute, fiddle and accordion accompaniment.

The encore was however a little disappointing. On the plus side, we got to hear Love over Gold and then, knowing the final song was coming, the audience shouted out names of Dire Straits songs.

And while what we got was still mesmerizing, my friend summed it up, whispering into my ear, “The Celtic version of Money for Nothing!?”

Nope… just Celtic… full stop. Regardless of the anti-climax though, it was still a phenomenal gig – with a band who covered more genres than Dire Straits themselves ever did, all the time sounding like the best in their field.

Post-Encore, the audience stamped their feet, baying for more but the lights came on, signifying something a little saddening: Was that the last time we’ll get to hear Dire Straits or rather Mark Knopfler live in Belfast? I hope not – what a sensational night it was.

- The Editor

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