You have just witnessed one of the greatest guitar players of all time

Yes, the son is right. The drummer made all the difference in this live performance. This kid is smart! He knows music.

Mark Knopfler wrote the words, music, arranged it, sang it and played his guitar as only he can. This whole magnificent performance is from his genius alone. Incredible TELEGRAPH ROAD next please from this same concert, its got to be this concert. Again all from him. You ain't heard nothing yet. Long may he reign...

I believe this Alchemy Live performance was in 1984. What's so amazing about this group is each member is a consummate musician. And they work together so beautifully. This live performance has been touted as one of the best ever. I would be hardpressed to disagree with that. Mark Knopfler was a musical genius and he was surrounded by the best of the best.

My Dad actually got me into Dire straits. One of the best band to ever exist

Mark and his 61 Stratocaster are magical in this

Sultans of Swing might have both the best Drum performance and the best guitar performance ever in a song. Incredible.

One of the best bands of all time. Mark is the most unique guitar players of all time. No one plays with his style

Terry Williams is just amazing on the drums in this video. Certainly one of the best rock performances ever performed.

Although I'm a guitar guy, I really love how the drums stood out throughout the entire performance.

The drummer was extra excited because his parents came to this live performance. Seems like I read it was their first time hearing the band live.

Stunning guitar from Mark Knopfler, no matter how often you hear it, it is just as good.

He made that guitar cry and sing. And at 4:16 you see even mark is impressed with Terry's drumming, like he didn't expect it to be that full on.

Dad I wanna congratulate you for having such a brilliant son...and surely you're also a brilliant parent.

I'm watching one of Britain's greatest guitarists and I am just sat here thinking "Damn that drummer is good!" 😀

The drummer's parents were sitting in the audience. How proud they must have been.

One of the best live performances ever

One of the best and most uplifting live performances I've ever seen. The part where Mark plays the sadly mournful guitar is beautiful, and genius.

Mark Knopfler Lead guitar Hal Lindes Rhythm guitar John Illsey Bass guitar Terry Williams Drums Alan Clark Keys And guest for these shows, Tommy Mandel, Keys

What blows me away is that he taught himself how to play guitar, and ended up creating his own unique finger picking style, in a Rock Band!!!

I went to a couple of their concerts brothers in arms was the most memorable concert I’ve ever been to in 40 yrs

Drummer's (Terry Williams) dad was in the audience, and Mark Knopfler told him to go all-in to impress the old man. And now we have one of the best live drummer performances!

Love over gold is one hell of an album.

Good music is appreciated by all generations!

As much as I love the guitar work by Mark Knopfler... the DRUMMER was absolutely spot on. There is NO comparison between the record version and this live version. The live version beats it..... hands down. Great reaction, guys.

I mean the guy is fingerpicking!! Fantastic tone and technique, surely one of the best guitarplayer ever! And the drums on this one, yeah!!! Busy night... 🙂

Brothers in Arms is amazing, maybe the greatest song to ever discuss the folly of war.

The drummer Terry Williams is tremendous . But , Mark Knoeffler plays with no pic. Plays with his fingers . A guitar 🎸 god ! He’s among the bestq that ever was .

Sadly I never saw Dire Straits but I did see Mark Knopfler in concert a couple of times in 2019. Like many of us he's put on some weight and lost some hair, but it's still magical to see him live on stage. My big regret was that he didn't do this song! I watch every reaction to this video I can find, as I can watch this endlessly and not get bored, and I love seeing other people encounter it!

Your son is very smart, dad.

One of THE best live performances ever! Incredible guitar and incredible drums!

Right....Now for telegraph Road from the same live album (alchemy live). It will blow your mind!

Mark is 76 now. Born in 1949.

That concert was one of the greatest jam sessions ever. Telegraph Road is a must. Thanks guys.🤟😁

Telegraph Road, from the same concert, is a good one

To play the clean, on a clean tone like that is not easy…no distortion to hide behind…every little eff up is heard, and he nails every single note beautifully

Terry Williams is a God on the drums!

without doubt one of the best if not the best live album ever ! Mark is 73 now and is still " the business " !!

This is from the Alchemy tour, when they were at the top of their game. The drummer deliberately stepped it up, taking the rest of the band with him, to great effect.

M A S T E R P I E C E !

I love seeing young people react to this! I think this should be part of the kids curriculum! Kids should watch & get a real chance to enjoy music & creativity & art in it's purest form! This is a masterpiece & people just don't know it. Young people should see what real music & real talent & see genius at work. In a digital age, real life as it was, needs to be appreciated

Yes Ethan! Awesome drums!!!!! This live version is amazing to put it mildly, I’m sooo glad you did this live version, you both obviously we’re lovin’ it!!! Thank you guys! Great reaction… good insight Ethan!

This was recorded in July 1983 in London at the end of the Love over Gold tour. It was mentioned that Terry Williams father was hearing him play for the 1st time in concert. Dire Straits is known for being one best live concert bands EVER, consistently out playing the recorded tracks. There is no over dubbing what you see is what you hear, the whole Alchemy Live album is a masterpiece. MK {no Pick }and fellow musicians were totally on fire.

3:47 “Doing quite all right, thank you very much.”

A master performance by the band especially Mark!

Literally took me bout 3 yrs to finally get done Mr.Knopfler’s right hand technique…the man’s a legendary guitarist

Fantastic reaction guys!! As a lot of people are suggesting Telegraph Road from the same concert is a masterpiece. I think it actually surpasses this would you believe. Best wishes from the UK.

The pride of Newcastle, England...

There is a brief moment in this clip where drummer Terry Williams is actually mouthing what Mark Knopfler is playing, note for note and still killing it on drums.

THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THE DRUMMERS DAD WAS IN THRE AUDIENCE BEST PERFORMANCE EVER

The pull off arpeggio is probably the most iconic ever. When this came out I guess I had never recognized them before.

Nice reaction gentlemen. Mark Knopfler is incredible guitarist who uniquely uses a finger picking style that we don't often hear in rock music. This style is found throughout country music famously by the likes of Earl Scruggs, Chet Atkins, Tommy Emanuel and so many others. This guitar stylings have its roots in folk and country music but there are a lot of techniques that Knopfler employs that give him a very unique sound and make his music very impressive. Telegraph Road is a must listen!

No question, Son is the rocker...Dad is not. This song is one of the greats and this performance may be THE greatest of all time!!! Son loved it, Dad was a little passive. I'm 76 and still get chills every time I see this video. I enjoyed the whole experience with both of you and think the fact that the 2 of you do this together is great. Facts...The song is from 1978, this performance is 1983, The singer/lead guitarist is Mark Knopfler and the drummer is Terry Williams. Both are among the greatest ever and were spectacular in this video. THNKS to both of you.

The studio version of this is one of the best songs for cruising. It's nice that you enjoyed it so much. What I love about this clip is how much fun they're having. Making a living like that wouldn't suck.🤑🤑 Shout out to the production crew. The filmography of this LIVE concert is incredible.🤩🤩

From Alchemy Live. I love this version. Mark Knophler tells the story of the evolution of a musician (Guitar George) with his guitar only during his solo. It's AMAZING!

Would have been nice to have seen Mark Knopfler jamming once with Peter Frampton

I agree with Junior there, they were the best. Find that talent elsewhere with Mark, the live drummer, pianist, well just all of the them together. Amazing talent and timing and a truly fantastic band. It's not even my favourite genre but I genuinely cannot think of better. Telegraph Road live is a journey to watch too. Great vid guys.

I heard recently, that Mark Knopfler is actually left handed. I love the way he looks into the camera and grins while he's playing an incredible riff, as if it was nothing at all. I see lots of people are recommending 'Telegraph Road' and while it's also a great track, I think this one is on another level, but that's just my personal view. I've always loved both 'Romeo & Juliet' and 'Brothers In Arms' and I'd love you guys to check both out at some time for all of us. Great reactions guys!

Terry Williams the Welsh wizard on drums

Terry Williams (the drummer) is loving it!

If everyone raised their children like this the world would be a better place Be so very proud of yourselves This is one of the very best reactions I have seen to anything! Firstly thank you both on your entertainment value as your enthusiasm for the music shone through but guys was I struck by this youngs man awareness of mind, perception maturity and inquisitiveness! As a father I found the chemistry between you wonderful to see Be proud of yourselves

Alchemy: Dire Straits Live was recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on 22-23 July 1983, the final two concerts of Dire Straits' eight-month Love Over Gold Tour promoting their album Love Over Gold. The concerts were recorded by Mick McKenna using the Rolling Stones Mobile unit. The recording was mixed at AIR Studios in London in November 1983 where Nigel Walker was the engineer. The opening track, "Once Upon a Time in the West" is preceded by an uncredited version of the "Stargazer" instrumental from the Local Hero soundtrack. "Tunnel of Love" is preceded by an otherwise unrecorded instrumental (actually faded in from the extended coda of "Portobello Belle", which was left off the album), already played on the 1981 tour, but here re-arranged to showcase Mel Collins' saxophone. It is followed by the brief "Carousel Waltz" intro and standard version of the song (with improvisation sections).

The drummer and the rhythm guitarist had changed from the album version by this performance. Terry Williams on drums is absolutely out of this world at this gig. They also had two keyboardists here. This gig was 81.

As said by lots of others Telegraph Road from the same concert is even better it showcases the whole band even more.

Oh I remember dire straits very well...bought the cassette tape and played it like no tomorrow...I thought their whole sound from Mark's voice to of course his guitar was so unique and unusual and I for one loved it right of the bat...to be able to play the guitar like that is one thing but without a pick...that's insane..and yes Terry on the drums killed it...great drummer that deserves more credit...yes sir..awesome jam.....

Mark Knoffler is considered one of the guitar “greats”- you can find video of him jamming with Chet Atkins… it’s worth the search !

Some people think this is a song by a swing band. It isn't. It's a song about a swing band by a rock band. This song was written about a band that Dire Straits saw in real life.

I'm so glad this was the live version you listened to. Best I've seen & heard! Showcases each of them. Terry was amazing on drums. He is in my "top 5" best drummers. I'm glad they did some focusing on him.

Fabulous group, I’d forgotten just how good they were ! Knopfler was just the greatest guitarist !

Terry Williams is a different drummer than the one you heard before. This was Terry's first tour with Dire Straits. He's great. Was in a body cast for most of his young life and learned to walk on his hands just to get around. His dad was in the audience to witness him play for the first time. Anyway, thanks for teaching about how to palm the strings. Mark has such a cool swag here.

I remember my earliest memory of this song im born 1981 italian/swedish and in 1986 i "danced " to this one my dad put my feet on his feet and told me to stay on and moved to this song in a dance. Ever since that i loved this kind of m usic and wow what a music. Amazing imean he could have picked alot of music but he made Dire Straits our music and mine. learning to dance by standing on my fathers feet ealry on actualy gave me rythm :)

The live version is simply fantastic -- they played at their best level of ability. The studio was very good but compared to this live version it sounds a bit tamed.

I love Dire Straits. Mark is such a great guitar player. Check out "Brothers In Arms" from Nelson Mandellas birthday concert or "Once Upon a Time In the West". Great reaction.

Pick Withers was the drummer on the album. Terry Williams, the best drummer no one has heard of, was giving it some at Hammersmith Odeon, London. This was filmed in July 1983, I was just 18, I was at The Odeon for this gig. You don't realise how good it was at the time, we're so lucky that the vision and sound engineers did a great job to get such a good recording. Terry's drumming as the thing that stood out for me. Now watch Telegraph Road from the same gig (Alchemy) its the encore and is amazing, but also different

Thanks "Father and Son" for this race and the good music by Dire Straits/ live- from Germany!

Your son nailed it! Good job

The drums are way more present in this version than in the studio one. It's also not the same drummer. As others already commented, Telegraph Road from the same live is a masterpiece.

You gotta remember, the studio cut had to stay around 3 minutes to get airplay. And this song got a LOT!

First heard this, I was maybe 16/17, was blown away with this song. The follow up took a few years, then Dire Straits were a global mega band. Keep searching out great music, both of you. You have a great dynamic.

In the middle, I just love those facial reactions ❤😊

Yeah Ethan 👍🏻👁️ Terry Williams on drumms are super in this Alchemy live version..And Mark Knopfler have a really good day to huuuuh it's almost unhuman ❤️🇸🇪❤️ THX for your reaction on Dire Straits 👍🏼🇸🇪👍🏼

Terry Williams is sure giving those drums a seeing to!

one of the best performances of Dire Straits and a absolutely great drum work on that.

Guys: the drummer here is not the guy that played in the original recording. This guy's fabulous.

Such an awesome song.

Great performance! Thank you!

Mark Knopfler was inspired when he composed this music and this guitar solo. Nice video guys! like of course.

The drummer here is Terry Williams. The drummer on the studio version was Pick Withers.

The Drummers a different level!

I recommend adding I Think I Love You Too Much from the Knebworth '90 concert to your list. Dire Straits are joined by a chap named Eric Clapton and hearing Mark and Eric trading solos on a brilliant blues song written by Mark is something to behold. Also check out Money For Nothing from the Music For Montserrat concert, which is Mark Knopfler post-Dire Straits with Eric, Sting and Phil Collins. I don't think more fun as ever been had at the iconic Royal Albert Hall!

Other great songs are Telegraph Rd., Tunnel of love and Romeo and Juliet all from the same live alchemy performance all are amazing

Of all the "pub rock" bands that came out of the 70's Dire Straits are probably the most popular. Another great band from that genre is Dr Feelgood, more blues-inspired, but wow, what energy, intensity and charisma on stage.

Hi Peeps! Like Larry, I never really got into Dire Straits, but there is no mistaking the impact that this song had on the music scene at the time of its release, and this certainly is an amazing live version. Thanks for the review! 😎😎

Recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on 22-23 July 1983, it was a double album called alchemy

They absolutely nailed it!

The live version in Wembley has a saxophone solo, it's beautiful

Silence master at work.

You should certainly also check out "Telegraph Road" from the same concert or the 1985 Wembley version of "Tunnel of love" The album version had Pick Withers on drums, he left after recording the 4th album and was replaced by Terry Williams you see playing here. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/h5eHo5VyuNfdqH0.html kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qZd_itak3JPIoqs.html

Way better than album in 1978❤❤❤

Such talented people. And all done for us