At the end of April, Mark Knopfler kicked off his World Tour 2019 with a handful of shows across the Iberian Peninsula. On May 6, the Dire Straits co-founder arrived in France to perform a show at Floirac’s Arkea Arena. During the Monday night showcase, Knopfler mostly stuck to his solo discography. However, as an encore, the famed guitarist and vocalist offered the tour debut of Dire Straits’ “Brothers In Arms.”
During the show, Knopfler played a few selections off his latest album, last year’s Down The Road Wherever, including “Nobody Does That,” “My Bacon Roll” and “Matchstick Man.” However, the majority of the setlist was drawn from across his vast solo catalog, with tracks ranging from “Done With Bonaparte” off his 1996 solo debut Golden Heart to selections off semi-recent releases 2012’s Privateering. During the show, Knopfler also drew from Dire Straits famed songbook, performing four songs — “Once Upon A Time In The West,” “Romeo And Juliet,” “Your Latest Trick” and “On Every Street” — by the best-selling rock act during the main set.
For the encore, Knopfler returned with a pairing of Dire Straits tunes. First, the guitarist performed “Money For Nothing,” a single off the iconic rockers’ fifth studio album. Next, he performed the tour debut of the title track of 1985 album, offering a shimmering and patient rendition of “Brothers In Arms.” The show ended in full with “Going Home,” the Knopfler-penned theme for the 1983 film Local Hero.
Watch Mark Knopfler perform “Brothers In Arms” for the first time this tour below, courtesy of David Starosta:
