Another Huge Fall Show

Another huge show lined up for the Fall features Bob Dylan + Mark Knopfler. The two artists stormed Europe last fall on a very successful tour that sold out nearly every stop.

Here are the US dates:

Oct. 13 – Seattle, Wash., KeyArena At Seattle Center
Oct. 15 – Portland, Ore., Rose Garden Arena
Oct. 17 – San Francisco, Calif., Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Oct. 18 – San Francisco, Calif., Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Oct. 19 – Berkeley, Calif., Greek Theatre
Oct. 20 – Sacramento, Calif., Power Balance Pavilion
Oct. 22 – Santa Barbara, Calif., Santa Barbara Bowl
Oct. 24 – San Diego, Calif., Valley View Casino Center
Oct. 26 – Los Angeles, Calif., Hollywood Bowl
Oct. 29 – Broomfield, Colo., 1stBank Center
Oct. 30 – Broomfield, Colo., 1stBank Center
Nov. 1 – Grand Prairie, Texas, Verizon Theatre At Grand Prairie
Nov. 2 – Tulsa, Okla., BOK Center
Nov. 3 – Omaha, Neb., CenturyLink Center Omaha
Nov. 5 – Madison, Wisc., Alliant Energy Center Mem. Coliseum
Nov. 7 – Saint Paul, Minn., Xcel Energy Center
Nov. 8 – Milwaukee, Wisc., BMO Harris Bradley Center
Nov. 9 – Chicago, Ill., United Center
Nov. 12 – Grand Rapids, Mich., Van Andel Arena
Nov. 13 – Auburn Hills, Mich., The Palace Of Auburn Hills
Nov. 19 – Boston, Mass., TD Garden
Nov. 20 – Washington, D.C., Verizon Center
Nov. 21 – Brooklyn, N.Y., Barclays Center

Get your passes to hang with these two icons today.

Member Review: Mark Knopfler

Longtime BPD member Tootsweet checks in:

Mark Knopfler, now 60, wowed us with his fluid finger-picking guitar style, laid-back, easy, no-fuss manner, and seven "master musicians," as he called his touring band.

The group - who included a flute player, fiddler, accordion player and at least two mandolin players - easily finessed whatever was thrown at them - rock, country, Celtic, and bluegrass.

Interestingly, Dire Straits percussionist Danny Cummings is now Knopfler's drummer.

And while there really wasn't a showman among them - Knopfler was the evening's undisputed star - he proved to be a generous leader, happily sharing the spotlight during longs jams and solos, like during Sailing To Philadelphia, where he and multi-instrumentalist Tim O' Brien traded verses.

Touring in support of his latest solo album, 2009's Get Lucky, the Scottish-born, British-raised Knopfler kicked off the night with the Celtic-tinged Border Reiver from that disc on a stripped down stage where the biggest effect all night was a backdrop of stars in the sky.

But he didn't delve too much into the record for the remainder of the evening only performing two other songs - the title track, and the poignant show-ender Piper To The End.

Instead, it was a mixed bag of songs from both his time with seminal '80s band Dire Straits, who split up n 1985, and varied older solo material like such highlights as What It Is, the bluegrass-feeling Prairie Wedding - which The Del McCoury Band has since recorded - Marbletown, and Donegan's Gone, and the rocking showstopper Speedway At Nazareth complete with strobe lights.

Still, it was the one-two punch of the Dire Straits signature songs Romeo and Juliet and Sultans Of Swing, which struck the biggest chord, the latter prompting the first standing ovation of the night for Knopfler's staggering solo, and So Far Away From Me, which prompted the second ovation during the encore.

After the show, Knopfler commented to me "They were very sweet to me". Didn't he understand how sweet he had been to us?

BPD, I can't thank you enough for allowing me to spend time with this guitar legend.

Toots, happy to oblige.

You too can get to be beside your favorites. Join BackstagePassDirect today.

Get Lucky with Mark Knopfler

Here's an early heads-up for virtuoso Mark Knopfler's US tour dates next year in support of his latest effort, entitled Get Lucky.

Apr 08, 10
Moore Theatre Seattle, WA
Apr 10, 10
Keller Auditorium Portland, OR
Apr 11, 10
Hult Center for the Performing Arts Eugene, OR
Apr 13, 10
Paramount Theatre of the Arts Oakland, CA
Apr 14, 10
Wells Fargo Center For The Arts Santa Rosa, CA
Apr 15, 10
Pechanga Resort & Casino Temecula, CA
Apr 16, 10
Pantages Theatre Los Angeles, CA
Apr 18, 10
Dodge Theatre Phoenix, AZ
Apr 20, 10
Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre Denver, CO
Apr 21, 10
Midland Theatre Kansas City, MO
Apr 22, 10
Fox Theatre Saint Louis, MO
Apr 23, 10
Chicago Theatre Chicago, IL
Apr 24, 10
Riverside Theater Milwaukee, WI
Apr 25, 10
State Theater Minneapolis, MN
Apr 27, 10
Michigan Theater Ann Arbor, MI
Apr 28, 10
University of Buffalo Center For The Arts Buffalo, NY
May 01, 10
MGM Grand at Foxwoods - MGM Grand Theater Mashantucket, CT
May 02, 10
Warner Theater Washington, DC
May 04, 10
Orpheum Theatre Boston, MA
May 05, 10
Count Basie Theatre Red Bank, NJ
May 06, 10
United Palace New York, NY
May 07, 10
Tower Theater Upper Darby, PA

These may be the Dire Straits frontman's only stateside appearances next year as he has a huge Euro-tour on the books.

If you've never seen Mark, you're missing out. He is one of the great guitarists of our time. Visit BackstagePassDirect to request your passes today.