Mar 20, 2005 12:22 PM
4685 Views
(Updated Dec 02, 2012 04:42 PM)
It is said that when it comes to Guitaring,Jimi Hendrix is GOD*! For most of us who have not have the electric Hendrix experience, Mark Knopfler took us that much closer to God on March 5, 2005 in Mumbai at the MMRDA grounds, Bandra-Kurla complex.
My preparations for the concert started one month prior to March 5th. After spending an hour contemplating whether to opt for the 2500 ticket or the 1000 one, I finally decided that 2500 is the way to go as I wanted to hear & SEE the Master LIVE - Up, Close & Personal! HSBC offered a 10% discount to Card-holders and my partner-in-crime Sreekanth was kind enough to book the tickets on his Card. In fact, we must be among the very first buyers!
Having done that, it was an agonizing wait until March 5. For guys like me, it was really a 20 year wait(itch!) to hear him live. To me, the early 80s was dominated by MJ's Thriller, Madonna's Like a Virgin and the ubiquitous Money for Nothing by Dire Straits. Having a very gruff voice myself, MK was among the few singers with whom I could sing along without sounding way out of sync! Of course, his guitaring transports the listener to a different plane the special sound that stimulates the senses and simultaneously soothes the soul. SURREAL!
The original DS Band in 1978 comprised of Mark Knopfler(Vocals & Lead), his Brother David Knopfler(Guitars & Vocals), Pick Withers(Drums) John Illsey(Bass) & Alan Clark(Keyboards)
Of course, as with any Band that lasts, chopping and churning are inevitable. The present Band comprises Richard Bennett(Guitars) Chad Cromwell(Drums) Glenn Worf(Bass & Double Bass) Guy Fletcher & Matt Rollins(Keyboards) & of course MK.
As D-Day arrived, my friend Sreekanth & I reached the grounds at 1745 itself(though the concert was scheduled to start at 1930 only.
There was a queue a mile long. Fortunately for us, it was the Rs.1000 ticket one. As expected the 2500 queue was pretty small. We were frisked rather thoroughly(reminded me of what happens at some Airports abroad!) No Food & drinks allowed into the venue(not even water!) Of course - No booze or fags permitted! Subsequently I could spot a few people with fags as well as miniature bottles! So much so for the security measures!
Once we were inside, we will immediately glad we opted for the 2500 ticket. The 1000 ticket holders were a mile away from the stage and packed together like a can of sardines. Whats more - a row of scary looking guys in commondo gear manned the barrier between the two enclosures? to ensure that nobody gate-crashes! We quickly made ourselves comfortable just 20 feet from the stage and in a straight line from where MK normally stands. The crowd around us was pretty decent and well behaved. There were quite a few 35-40 year olds(who must have been teenagers when DS were around!) There was this family in front of me who had flown down from Delhi( on Air Deccan!) esp for the concert The Family comprised a 60 year old Granny, her Son, Daughter-In-Law and an 8 year old kid(who squeezed his way ahead to the first row and was the most enthusiastic kid present) Shows the kind of universal appeal his music has.
There was some crap music being played which was barely audible and nobody paid any attention to it anyway. The Band Members / Sound Engineers were checking the instruments & connections in an amazingly professional way.( No Mic Check 1-2-3 / 3-2-1?!) They did it quietly using torches and on low volume.
At 1935 hrs all the band members took their respective positions, MK made a quiet entry at 1940 hrs(with a Les Paul Guitar) and we were on the stairway to Heaven with Why Aye Man! The next was Walk of Life(He switched to a Fender Strat) and the crowd went wild!
The fact was that most of us were not familiar with MK?s non-DS work. So when the crowd heard some of the DS hits being played, they became delirious. Of course, some die-hard fans knew the lyrics of ALL his songs.
After "Walk of Life" we had "What it is" and Sailing to Philadelphia. Then the evergreen Romeo & Julliet. The crowd was by now thoroughly enjoying themselves. Before we could recover from Romeo & Julliet, they quickly stated playing Sultans! The highlight of the night was that he improvised quite a bit in both Romeo & Sultans. The Sultans end piece was the second best one I have heard in a long time(The one he did with Eric Clapton was the best) Amazing outro? we were hoping it never ended. Mark had a wry smile on his face as he was also undoubtedly enjoying himself.
MK used at least 20 of his guitars? sometimes 2-3 in one song! Each perfectly tuned and sounding better than the other. What was also heartening to watch was the unassuming nature of the band members. It is a reflection of their maturity. One Joker screamed, Mark you are getting old to which a young girl told him, Lets see if you can even stand for 2 hours when you are 55?! Needless to say, all of us had a hearty laugh.
After Sultans, they played Done with Bonaparte, Song for Sunny Liston, Donegon's gone, Speedway at Nazareth, Boom like that, Baloney Again, Telegraph Road, Brothers-In-Arms. The band made a predictable exit leaving the fans screaming for more! The first encore comprised Money for Nothing, and So Far Away and another exit! They concluded with Going Home in the second encore and it was time to go home.
A stunned, quiet crowd made its way to the exit gates. A few were heard cribbing that they did not play Calling Elvis or Heavy Fuel or Your Latest Trick( All DS hits!) Perhaps MK should swallow his ego and return for a DS special. Lets face it. He is plugging his new album Shangri-La and this IS the Shangri-La Tour. We must also recognize that he has grown as a musician and respect his new work.
The organizers of the show need special mention. The arrangements were superb! I hope DNA Networks bring others like Santana, Eagles, Clapton etc to India soon and we get an opportunity to listen to these greats. Now that would be NIRVANA!
