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Rating: On a warm summer evening among the evocative Roman ruins of the Teatro delle Terme di Caracalla, the Scottish guitarist retraces his solo career where he always follows that personal sound style in which simplicity and smoothness have always been the essential ingredients: an alternation of country explorations tinged with rock and enchanting blues sounds that are held together by a simple and direct poetry, expressed in all its essence in the magical evocation of the always fascinating music of that group that all those present (despite the "sultan") have always carried in their hearts: the Dire Straits!
When talking about Mark Knopfler, one cannot overlook the peculiar organizational machine of the musician's artistic activity, which indeed includes the recording and publication of an album, but also the promotion that has its imperative focus in concerts. It is no coincidence that even more so after embarking on his solo path, Knopfler has almost always favored the month of September (from 2000 with SAILING TO PHILADELPHIA until PRIVATEERING of 2012 it went just like that), to release the albums made, kicking off the concert activity with the following spring, capable of reaching—even including short recovery periods—even the now imminent autumn, concluding the entire cycle within a year. Whether it's a coincidence or the offspring of the precise organization referred to, by glancing at past calendars of the live performances held in the capital by the guitarist, it cannot escape notice that the date of June 13 for the 2010 GET LUCKY tour, was repeated exactly three years later in the 2013 PRIVATEERING tour, just as for the DOWN THE ROAD WHEREVER tour on July 21, 2019—even if we're talking about a second night—, the concert took place on the same day four years earlier during the TRACKER tour.
Leaving aside observations of perhaps purely encyclopedic nature capable of arousing only the curiosity of a few and moving on to the music, it must be said that the two Roman dates (July 20 and 21) were sold out, demonstrating that despite Knopfler's unique solo path, the public has always been faithful to him even after the dissolution of the Dire Straits in 1993.
On a warm and pleasant summer evening, the Teatro delle Terme di Caracalla, hosting a polite and diverse audience, reveals itself as a perfect place for the performance of Knopfler's second Roman date. The visual impact is dominated by the Roman ruins standing in a wide open space where a purity of atmosphere with bucolic references is evoked, waiting to be fully embraced. A simplicity reaffirmed by the announcement made by a picturesque and multicolored presenter (as if we were at a boxing match) with a Union Jack adapted to a shirt, and the subsequent stage entrance of Mark and his faithful band at precisely 9:15 PM. A growing and enveloping rhythmic base heralds “Why Aye Man” (which in 2002 preceded the pastoral THE RAGPICKER’S DREAM of 2002): simple and enveloping where the hinted vibrations of the leader's guitar only serve to excite a ravenous audience capable of appreciating one of those tracks able to gain even more acclaim in live settings. The colorful electric blues of “Corned Beef City” (slang for the city of Dagenham) has the task of translating into notes a situation of discomfort that saw the working class in the '30s, moving between unemployment problems and related poverty. “Sailing To Philadelphia” remains a cornerstone for melodic beauty of an entire discography, and the interpretation of drummer Ian Thomas (obviously together with Mark), while lacking the audacity to replace that of James Taylor immortalized on the eponymous album, is nevertheless capable of expressing uncommon intensity and making the imaginary conversation between the two astronomers Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon almost real, who went down in history for having marked the boundary that resolved, from 1763 to 1767, a dispute among the British colonies between the American states of Pennsylvania and Maryland, known precisely as the Mason-Dixon line. The revival of “Once Upon a Time In The West” from the famous COMMUNIQUÉ of 1979 (which was undeservedly mistreated by much of the press of the time, as it was seen as nothing more than a partially successful cloning of the eponymous and flawless Dire Straits debut!) generates unanimous consent in the audience who sings the lyrics of a text that whether liked or not has also become history. A seductive keyboard carpet and the pizzicato of the Dobro introduce “Romeo and Juliet”, enchanting from the first note to that final solo that everyone knows and longs to make their own. Probably it wasn't easy to choose the two tracks to present the latest musical effort DOWN THE ROAD WHEREVER, settling for exceedingly relaxed atmospheres such as “My Bacon Roll” (pleasantly catchy and flowing) and “Matchstick Man” (touching and essential at the same time), both greeted with respectful silence during performance and applause at the end. For the band introduction that over the years we have been accustomed to hear as an interlude between the Caribbean rhythms of “Postcards from Paraguay” (also present tonight in a fiery and captivating version), for this tour it is offered to the public as a real moment of presentation to the affectionate audience who seems to appreciate a presentation rich for both the latest arrivals Graeme Blevins (saxophone) and Tom Walsh (trumpet) as much as for the veterans Guy Fletcher (keyboards), Richard Bennett (guitars, bouzouky), Jim Cox (piano), Glenn Worf (bass), Ian Thomas (drums), John McCusker (violin), Mike McGoldrick (flute and whistle) and Danny Cummings (percussions and vocals). The evocative “Done With Bonaparte” (taken from the excellent GOLDEN HEART of 1996) maintains that aura of simplicity that “Heart Full of Holes” (from KILL TO GET CRIMSON of 2007) tends to spread even more through “She’s Gone” (from that METROLAND, Mark's last soundtrack of the passing millennium) where the sweetness of the trumpet in the finale foreshadows and the recognizable intro of the splendid “Your Latest Trick”. More Dire Straits with the compelling arpeggiated chord sequence of “On Every Street” and a frantic version of “Speedway At Nazareth” with a wonderful alternation of warm lights on the Roman ruins, followed by the indestructible “Money For Nothing” (complete with reworked and still winning introduction) and the farewell of “Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero”.
Another musical journey comes to an end after nearly two hours, in which past and present moments of the glorious musical journey of the Scottish guitarist have alternated amid the applause of those present. A show devoid of scenographic gimmicks even if the historical ruins surrounding the stage did not make us feel their absence, ensuring that a performance where direct and unadorned music dominated, triumphed over the unforgivable disappointment foretold—as already happened in the aforementioned Get Lucky tour,—the absence of the historic “Sultans of Swing”. An excessive stubbornness that has always characterized both the artistic and professional life of our own one might think, but Mark has always let us decide: take it or leave it. And by coming here tonight we've already made our choice.
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