Mark Knopfler Gears Up for 2019 World Tour
Mark Knopfler announced plans for an all-new headlining tour, set to bring the former Dire Straits front man to cities across the US next summer!
The 28-date trek gets underway on August 16 in Mashantucket, CT, before setting out to hit a slew of cities including New York City, Indianapolis, Nashville, Minneapolis, and Portland. A final performance at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre will wrap things up on September 22.
The tour will be in support of his upcoming tenth solo album (and first in three years), Down the Road Wherever, and will feature the guitarist performing alongside an expanded 10-piece band.
“My songs are made to be performed live,” Knopfler recently shared. “I love the whole process of writing them alone and then recording them with the band, but ultimately the best part is playing them to an audience live. I enjoy the whole circus, traveling from town to town and interacting with this group of players is a total pleasure. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Down the Road Wherever is due for release on November 16.
Who Is Mark Knopfler?
Known as one of the most celebrated British musicians to emerge in the 1970s and 1980s, Mark Knopfler rose to prominence as the guitarist and leader of the roots rock group Dire Straits. His songwriting and skilled guitar work paved the way to success for the band, making them an international sensation. In a world where punk and new wave were introducing their own techniques, and metal music was taking guitar solos in loud and unpredictable directions, Knopfler’s clean and nimble picking proved there was still room for traditionalism in rock and roll.
Dire Straits became one of the best-selling music acts in the world, with record sales of over 120 million. The group spent over 1,100 weeks on the UK albums chart, ranking fifth of all-time. Dire Straits split in 1988, regrouping in 1991 before disbanding again in 1995 after Knopfler launched his solo career full-time. The band was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
As a solo act, Knopfler has recorded and performed with several of the biggest names in the music industry, including B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Sting, James Taylor, and Steely Dan. Aside from his award-winning career as a singer/songwriter, Knopfler has also lent his talents to record producing and composing film scores for movies like Local Hero (1983), The Princess Bride (1987), Cal (1984), Wag the Dog (1997), and Altamira (2016).
A four-time Grammy winner, Knopfler holds three honorary doctorate degrees in music from universities in the UK. He is the recipient of the Edison Award, the Steiger Award, and the Ivor Novello Award. His fingerstyle guitar playing has earned him the title of one of the greatest guitarists of all time, with Rolling Stone ranking him number 27 out of 100. To date, Knopfler has released ten solo albums, ten soundtracks, and produced five albums for artists including Bob Dylan and Randy Newman.
