Dire Straits: On the Night

I really liked this DVD. It took a long time to get it upon its release (almost two months), but it is more than worth the wait.The production value is very high. There is a nice opening sequence where the band and roadies arrive at the venue, and get ready to put on the show. The DVD uses this sequence to introduce the players, showing them getting off of busses, walking down corridors, and other mundane predatory actions. Knopfler walks out to a very enthusiastic crowd and after a few seconds of thunderous applause launches into the first song. I was very happy (as a guitar player myself) that many of his solos were shown in close-up detail. I like little things like that, seeing how he works to get that sound. I will not go over every song, but just be sure, there is not a single piece of filler here, although there would be a couple of songs that might be considered MIA. I could not imagine seeing B.B. King in concert without his performing "The Thrill is Gone", so seeing Dire Straits and not having them perform the break through "Sultans of Swing", the song that introduced them to the world is a bit strange. Oh well, you can't have everything. There is a good mix of rockers, softer more mellow songs and plenty of opportunity for Knopfler to let the other members of the band show off a bit. Overall, a great performance.The one weakness that requires me to go with 4 stars rather than 5 is the fact that this is a medium that can offer so much more in terms of sound. That this is not offered in some form of 5.1 is a crime. I love concerts on DVD when you hear the crowds behind you and the music hits from many angles. If I gave this basic two-channel stereo rendering a 5 star rating, it would not be fair to the other DVDs out there that earned their 5s with terrific audio engineering. If this was a 1980s VHS tape, it would be a 5, but for a DVD introduced in the year 2005, two-channel stereo can't be given a perfect score for a concert performance.

I had the privilege of seeing Dire Straits three times during their "On Every Street" tour, from which this DVD was taken. I have previously seen the VHS and cable broadcast versions of this concert, and while there is more material found elsewhere, the quality of the DVD production is substantially better, although it is a bit of a travesty to see a Dire Straits show without "Sultans of Swing," as others have pointed out.It pains me to give any Dire Straits production less than five stars, but I gave this DVD four for a couple of reasons, the most obvious being the obviously questionable editing of the set list. My other reason is a bit more related to this particular tour: the band got away from their roots and became a mammoth production with up to nine people onstage in some of the numbers which, for me, tended to obscure the music in some places (I got particularly tired of the excessive pedal steel guitar work on many of the songs.) That's personal preference, of course, and others love the larger orchestrations.Overall I think this is a good DVD, although it really doesn't capture the energy of Dire Straits in concert as well as some other productions, including the much earlier, and generally superior, "Alchemy," which will hopefully be released on DVD soon.

I was a fan of Dire Straits and had seen them back in the 80s but was seated too far too enjoy it. I've got a couple of concert DVDs of Knopfler on his own (and obviously older) and while the music is fantastic, he acts as if he's bored on stage and thus is boring to watch (except to see his virtuoso guitar playing). Since this video is probably around 25 years earlier, you can see when he put more energy into his performance and looks like he is enjoying himself. The camera work is excellent and of course the music is magical. The crowd in this large, beautiful stadium go wild when DS first come out and after they finish an incredible version of Calling Elvis, I can say if I was there I would have been happy if they said "Good night" afterwards and went home just after playing this opener! A percussion solo on the first song? Who does that?!! Incredible. Then they come back with a rousing version of Walk of Life that gets you right back on your feet again. Thank goodness they play some slower songs to be able to catch your breath. They really beef up most of their rockers here so be prepared to do some dancing because these guys rock when they get going. MK's favorite steel guitarist adds some amazing solos himself. Possibly the best live DVD I've got of several bands.

Easily one of the greatest Dire Straits concerts ever. A very young Mark Knopfler, and the rest of the band. One very endearing aspect of this band is the innate chemistry between the different members - they smile at each other, and the overall environment on stage seems very relaxed, pleasant and enjoyable. They really enjoy playing together. The energy of the band is evident, but most important of all - the music! You could listen to this concert with your eyes closed, and enjoy every moment of it - probably more. These guys can play. Knopfler's Sprechgesang - not quite singing, not quite speaking, is a unique way of imbibing emotion into the most ordinary of words. His guitar of course is really adding another 'voice' to his music. These guitars are all abut "tone". This concert is no different in that regard. One of the best renditions of 'Solid Rock", and "Local Hero". That last one will have you with either a very sad, and heavy heart, and/or tears welling up in your eyes - so moving is the rendition!One of the drawbacks of the production, is that it is very simple: you get to either play a specific song, or the entire concert. We have been spoiled by other productions, which have background material, featurettes, and so on. None of that here. I also wish the concert was available in a Stereo rendition. You get a Dolby Digital version of the concert. Concerts are seen with the band performing in front of you, not all around you. The producers screwed up in that regard. Exceptional sound quality, though, and you can really hear the guitars wail. If you enjoy Knopfler, you'll love this concert.

Diese Konzerte wurden gefilmt kurz bevor die Dire Straits sich auflösten. Irgendwie merkt man es auch in diesen Aufnahmen. Sie wurden vielleicht einen Tacken lustlos aus zwei verschiedenen Konzerten an unterschiedlichen Orten zusammengeflickt und die Setliste ergibt für mich auch nicht 100% Sinn. Es gibt hier musikalisch nichts zu meckern. Alle spielen gut, aber irgendwie kommt es nur sporadisch zusammen. Die Magie von „Alchemy“ fehlt lap Steel Spieler ist ein Virtuose, den man bewundern kann, aber es verändert z.T. Den Charakter der Stücke in einer nicht immer ganz gelungenen Art. Für mich ein Stück Musikgeschichte, dass ich gerne gesehen habe, aber wahrscheinlich nicht öfter wiederholen werden.

Ci troviamo all'inizio degli anni novanta e i Dire Straits compiono l'ultimo giro del mondo prima del definitivo scioglimento. Siamo ai tempi della tournèe di On every street, ultimo disco da loro realizzato, che ci restituisce un gruppo tecnicamente impeccabile ma anche stanco; del resto gli Straits erano scoppiati già ai tempi del Brothers in arms tour, mastodontico ma anche massacrante (circa 300 concerti in un anno). Non è quindi un live all'altezza di Alchemy, uscito 10 anni prima ma vale sicuramente l'acquisto per molti motivi: in primis la perizia tecnica dei musicisti sul palco (ormai i DS sono Mark Knopfler & John Illsley + sessionmen di passaggio), poi la scaletta che a parer mio risulta persino interessante nonostante punti molto più sui nuovi successi che sui classici (tanto per essere chiari mancano sia Tunnel of love che Sultans of swing) ma questo, ripeto, non lo considero un dramma: solo l'esecuzione di Brothers in arms, eterea e intensissima, vale l'acquisto del dvd. Mark alla chitarra è sempre eccelso ed un gradino sopra gli altri che pure, ripeto, non sono certo gli ultimi arrivati. Qualità video così così e audio solo stereo ma quello che conta e la musica e sotto questo aspetto questi signori non hanno mai deluso.

Forse uno dei live più riusciti dei Dire Straits, con molti dei pezzi più famosi, un pubblico caloroso e un mixing veramente ottimo!Pubblicato nel 1993 in VHS rivede la luce in DVD nel 2003, con notevoli miglioramenti e pulizia sia all'immagine che al suono.Il concerto proprone in Tour "On every streets" di cui è stato rilasciato anche un disco.Veramente ottimo, bello e spettacolare!Tracce:"Calling Elvis" - 10:25"Walk of Life" - 5:06"Heavy Fuel" - 5:23"Romeo and Juliet" - 10:05"Private Investigations" - 9:43"Your Latest Trick" - 5:35"On Every Street" - 7:01"You and Your Friend" - 6:48"Money for Nothing" - 6:28"Brothers in Arms" - 8:55

Technisch gibt es, wenn man das Alter dieser Aufnahme berücksichtigt, nichts auszusetzen. Nur leider scheint das schlechte Wetter die Band dazu verleitet zu haben, alle Stücke besonders schnell zu spielen! Zwar spielen viele Musiker live dynamischer als im Studio - aber hier schadet es vielen Titel deutlich.Der ältere Konzertmitschnitt "Alchemy Live" ist zwar hinsichtlich der Bildqualität schlechter - aber musikalisch weit besser.

Gran bel dvd con i Dire Straits in forma smagliante. Mark Knopfler è al meglio e ci regala una esibizione epica di pezzi che hanno fatto storia. La sua chitarra "parla". Veramente un gran bel concerto, assolutamente da avere.