Check Mark
Another checklist bit the dust Sunday night when I saw Mark Knopfler perform at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Va.
Of my 10 favorite guitarists, I’ve now seen all of them that are still alive (as well as Stevie Ray Vaughan before his tragic death). When you're talking about an "all-time" list, six out of 10 ain't bad.
Technically, I’d seen Knopfler before, when he was playing as a sideman on Eric Clapton’s 25th anniversary tour in 1988. He was good then, but he was fantastic on his own.
Knopfler’s always had one of the most killer guitar tones around, some of which can be attributed to the use of his bare fingers rather than a pick. A word I hear often describing his sound is “burnished,” though I’m not sure that does it justice. I’ve never been able to come up with a word that I find adequate. I know this: at its best, Knopfler’s tone gives me goose bumps. It can be as thick and heavy as summer in Memphis but maintain an expressive, vocal quality ranging from screeching kid to clucking hen.
Knopfler’s former group, Dire Straits, was a mainstay of my local rock radio station when I was growing up. His solo work, which includes several movie soundtracks, has been mellower overall so radio listeners don’t experience the pleasure of his company much these days. That’s too bad, because his playing is the definition of taste.
The show more than lived up to my expectations. Though it was billed as the Shangri-La Tour (title of the new album), Knopfler drew much of the show from his Dire Straits material, playing “Walk of Life,” “So Far Away,” “Money For Nothing,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Sultans of Swing,” and, my favorite, “Brothers in Arms.”I’m still in awe of what an artist can do with wood, wire and electricity. Truthfully, most of it is in the hands. It’s inspiring yet discouraging, too. After seeing a great one such as Knopfler play, I can’t decide whether to quit or practice harder.
The more I think about it, though, I’d like to give myself goose bumps someday. I think I’ll go plug in.
