Mark Knopfler is easily one of the greatest guitarists of all time. How he can finger-pick such complex riffs, so fast without tying his fingers in knots beats me. That whole album is a masterpiece.

Terry Williams was in Beast Mode on the drums! Damn!!

The first time I watched this live version I cried like a baby at how brilliant the end is after the breakdown. It’s almost unbelievable. Kinda makes you feel great to be alive. It’s hard to explain. What a genius Mark Knopfler is.

No matter how many times I see this I'm excited! The ease in which he plays, the fun he's having. The grins he gets on his face!!!

Terry Williams was incredible on the drums. About as good as it gets!

Mr Knopfler wrote the words, music, arranged it, sang and played his guitar as only he can. A masterpiece from a genius. TELEGRAPH ROAD next please also a masterpiece from a genius. Well done ❤️

The drums in this are far more intense. That's what brings it alive.

One of the greatest live performances captured any genre anytime. The drums are so killer

The Brits turned out some fantastic musicians in the 60's ,70's and 80's .

The vocals are so relaxed and casual with a storm going off behind

It's 2023 as I watch this!! And this performance is over 40 years old. When I heard this song for the first time it this version in the late 80's!!!

Mark Knopfler's playing, and his guitar tone... Classy, with restraint and nuance, and yet also emotionally expressive, and engaging to listen to. He's like the un-cut, full-strength dope for music geeks.

*Terry Williams's father was in the audience and watching his son perform for the very first time in his life. As a result Terry Williams was amped up and playing far faster than normal and driving all of the other musicians to keep up. That the other five were able to perfectly sync their performances to his speeded up drums and cymbals is a testament to the musicianship of all 6 of them. This is EASILY one of the BEST live rock 'n roll performances of ALL TIME.*

The drummer is epic.

I remember my earliest memory of this song im born 1981 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 :)

"Telegraph Road" is one of their most intricately woven tunes. That live version is my favorite Dire Straits.

Sublime. Shout out to Terry Williams on drums. He used to be in a band called Man, great band. Yes the crowd were wholeheartedly part of the essence of the gig. Why? Because they were there, present in that moment and not recording it for later.

MK makes his guitar do the singing his face says it all, a 20C musical genius

They really gave the crowd a show, for sure!

The drummer is from Wales, the second guitarist is American, the bass player is from South of England, the keyboard player and Mark are from the North East.

And this is at least 45 yrs old and Mark can still make that guitar sing now .

I used to go and watch Mark Knopfler with his band in Newcastle, before he formed Dire Straits . . . Mark is a musical genius.

Loved your reaction. Yeah thats Mark Knopfler. The best guitarist in the world. Im so glad I got to see them perform in Copenhagen around 1987. We were actually told by the venue to remain seated at all times during the concert. At the second song we were ALL off our seats and ON our seats dancing.... "slightly" encouraged by mr Knopfler himself. After all they couldn't throw all of us out. So we were up there dancing throughout the concert -everyone! And Sultans is the best Dire Straits song ever ♥️ Cheers Susan

I am an old git and I saw them on this tour... You were quite right about the crowd being a part of it... Did you notice how the clapping started all by itself.? No-one in the band had to start it off. And it was a time before mobile phones took over from audience participation... (yeah, I know... my little soap box - allow me, I'm old) Keep on Rocking.

From a technical point of view this is as perfect as music gets. No click tracks in the guitarists ears. No metronome in the drummer's ear. No plectrum used by Mark. Just finger plucking that guitar. Not a note or beat out of place. No repeated chorus then verse. It's all totally different from what goes before it. It's quite incredible and isn't something you will ever see today in modern music. It's a musical masterclass. It's the closest a live performance can be to perfection and it was performed a long time ago when technology wasn't there to aid them. Pure musical talent.

Mark Knopfler is not only a musician, singer, but producer and wrote songs for Tina Turner's mega Album .. Private Dancer.

It's always so funny to watch young folks realize how much popular rock music has regressed in terms of musicianship and quality. To a lot of younger music fans, it's almost unfathomable to comprehend the difference in demonstrated musical talent in rock music 30+ years ago compared to today.

Mark can make his guitar into a vocalist. And that Terry on those drums....? Oh Yes. Epic.

Did you know that Mark Knopfler also composed and performed the soundtrack of a few movies? My favorite among them is The Princess Bride.

The McEnroe reference is hilarious. I couldn't _not_ think this, either. hahaha Outstanding performance.

This is a sensational performance. Knopfker is a legend

Dire Straits is my all time favorite band. I was fortunate to see them live twice. At both concerts everyone sat attentively carefully listening to each note because at a Dire Straits show you there to see and hear brilliant musicians do their thing. Given your love of analysis, something you do better than most reactors, I urge you to listen to "Telegraph Road" from the same show. That song really lets pianist Alan Clarke shine and the words/story are ripe for your analysis.

It's good to see a review by someone musically smart. Great reaction

I find myself coming back to this channel every day, not necessarily because I recognises or particularly enjoy certain songs you react to. I am generally surprised on how well you analyse these songs by identifying the instruments or reading the lyrics. Your channel really shines where others do not. Keep up the great content! 👍

He's a fairly subtle drummer but gets the job done. Some of that kick drum work in this is fantastic.

Mark is one of the top 5 greatest guitar players of all-time!!!

This is the best live track I've seen so far from Dire Straits :)

7:33 Funny that you've mentioned "Miami Vice" because there was an episode, one of the best ones of the entire show, called "Out Where the Buses Don't Run" and at the end of this episode where they're driving to a specific location at night time "Brothers in Arms" is playing in the background and it was a very quiet but also thrilling moment :) Greetings from Germany!

I was lucky to see the band five times, magical times, it’s great seeing the reactions of a new generation seeing and hearing them live, love it!

I don't think I'd heard the live version before. That drummer was going OFF! That was the highlight for me, and I LOVE Dire Straights and Sultans of Swing. Industrial Disease is my fave Dire Straights song.

Definitely adds a whole new level of energy to the studio version. His vocals are more slurred, but that guitar solo!

It's the clean tone of that lead that always draws me in.

Mark knopfler is just super amazing. Playing the guitar and singing at the same time. Most performers are lucky to do one thing well. Mark uses different fingers to pick than anyone else. Why he isn't included with other great players is beyond me.

Damn I love his drumming so much near the end. Wow. And that bass guitar line is great as well.

I just came on your reaction here while searching for some Dire Straits video's I may have not seen and here I am. I greatly enjoyed your take on the group. They bring you right in with their enthusiasm and keep you by their musicianship. Mark is amazing at how he gets so much tone from just fingerpicking. I could watch a 10-minute closeup video of his technique. The drummer sets the level for all of them. Great reaction. Subscribed today.

Spot on Sayed, multiculturalism is so important there are hints of cajun/creole, jazz, blues, and even old school Broadway musical sounds in there, all that with hornsnor strings it's very clever.

The drummer is on fire in this. Sultans of Swing, Alchemy Live is widely considered one of the best rock performances of all time. Mark Knopfler is a great guitarist. You should listen to him and Chet Atkins on the Neck and Neck album.

They don't just transform the studio version, they obliterate it.

I loved every second of that

Knopfler keeps the 'wah pedal' ON, banjo picks without a pick. Unique. Thanks for this, it's wonderful to hear you so articulately enjoy something that stirs so many .🤩😁

I saw this in Sydney Australia during their Alchemy World tour They were Great!

Telegraph Road, Once Upon a Time in the West and Tunnel of Love are also great from Alchemy live

I am so pleased you did this one. I think it's outstanding!! Just like comfortably numb from Pink Floyed live.

Knopfler = Button maker...Precise to the point of extreme....Purposeful and functional! (Like his music)

loved your analysis. recognized all the contributors even the audience

This is one of the best songs for cruising

If you already think the drummer here is great, you should also check out Telegraph Road from the same Alchemy concert. A beautiful piece of music where at the end you think they want to kill their instruments. Also one of the great Dire Straits classics...

You need to do Telegraph Road from the same concert.

Good: I'm glad that you know the studio version, firstly

Popular guitar at the highest level

Love Dire Straits. Love your commentary and reaction. Would LOVE for you to check out "Telegraph Road"!! It's an epic journey.

He never looks at the guitar, he's the best of all time

Terry Williams on drums

🇨🇦 Pro-tip : Always react to the Live version when possible !

I’m also glad I came upon your reaction - thank you!!

One of the greatest live performances of all time.

I hope you keep doing Dire Straights songs - they’re brilliant. When you’re ready for a very sad one, please do Brothers in Arms. Mark Knopfler is one of a kind. ❤😊 (Mark’s actually from Scotland). 😊❤

Dire Straits went to the JJ Cale school of sound mixing, where there is so much going on and it's all in the wash. I don't know how JJ or DS do it, especially live, to have that genius wash sound but you can still everything, instead of parts, it's a whole.

Knopfler is amazing and he’s such a great talented guy that he even composed the soundtrack for the classic movie The Princess Bride. The dude is a legend and deserves every accolade!

I was lucky enough to see Knopfler when he was on tour with Clapton in '89. The encore was a Dire Straits set. Still one of the best shows I've ever seen!

It’s awesome! Best version ❤😂

"this is why cultures need to mix", couldn't say it any better.

Their early stuff has some of their best work on them. You should listen to the entire albums, especially the the first four. They really hit the "Wall of Sound" production values on the Love Over Gold album. But, the rawness and grit of the early works, like, Down to the Waterline are very cool too.

Fantastic live performance.

04:07 and thereabouts: Terry Williams plays those fills, Mark and his bass player look back at him in awe, look at each other and smile and know--this is going to be next level tonight.

Mark is a serious 'next level' guitar player

Thanks Syed for playing the live version of the song I didn't know this existed I've been a big fan of Dire Straits since the late 70s and wouldn't have otherwise heard this live version I didn't know they were good live. Just as I believe Stevie Ray Vaughan had a lot more to offer live than in the studio version I suspect it's the same with Dire Straits they've got that musicality there's a lot of bands I don't enjoy listening to live but I'm going to add this one to my list thanks again, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Keep up the good work. Speaking of live versions there's other live versions of Stevie Ray's Texas Flood that will simply Amaze you compared to the live studio version. I know you'll get to it eventually I hope you enjoy it.

His voice is somewhat Dylanesque... Great prformance

Now you have to do Telegraph Road from the same concert it shows off the whole band more

That's was rock all about, best live performance ever. Terry Williams performance is otherworldly. The harmony and fun of the boys really comes across

Knopfler is one of the best musicians ever. Especially when it comes to lyrics. Check out "don't crash the ambulance" or "postcards from Paraguay" off of his album Shangri-La.

I don't normally long very long guitar solos but THIS ONE I LOVE (I love Dire Straits, ANY way) because it has so much energy AND because the guys are moving around, etc I saw Eric Clapton live once a LONG time ago, and yes, he's an amazing guitarist but I have to tell you it was the most BORING concert I have ever been too. Eric would go on these 20 minute or so guitar solos and he never moved, had his eyes closed the entire time, and never engaged the audience at all. It was like he was alone at home playing. Very stoic and eyes closed most of the time. I couldn't WAIT for it to be over. It was NOTHING like Dire Straits long solos, and it didn't really feel that long at all.

As a guitarist and singer myself, I can assure you how incredibly difficult it is to sing and at the same time really synchronously play a completely different melody and a completely different rhythm on the guitar, swinging the whole thing as much as possible. But Mark Knopfler doesn't just play any fills while he sings, he sings very nyancially and lyrically, while he creates a second voice with the guitar that answers and paraphrases his singing. He doesn't repeat himself all the time, but introduces a variation into almost every interaction between vocals and guitar, many of them so beautiful that you could create a dozen songs just from them (which would definitely happen today). An absolute genius, surrounded by a brilliant band, yet humble and down to earth.

I loved this when it came out. It had a different feel from everything that was on the radio at the time.

How far away is todays music Love the sultan's

From somewhere in the Newcastle region I believe. I've heard said that the song was written after Mark witnessed the Australian group The Easybeats in concert on the Uni circuit in the late 60s. George and Harry were members of the group (George Young and Harry Vanda). After the group folded these two went into partnership writing songs for new Aussie talent and also for themselves. George is the older brother of Angus and Malcolm Young of AC/DC. Easybeats top well known song is 'Friday on My Mind'. Harry and George recorded under the name Flash in the Pan. Check out 'Down among the Dead Men' and 'Hey, St Peter'. Mark must have been impressed by what he saw and heard to write this song - If the story I retell is true??? Cheers Syed✌

Damn, I mean just DAMN!!!

Outstanding live version of the song. I found it mind-blowing when I came across it last year. His finger dexterity surpasses the album version is the thing that kills me. It's so damn good. The blonde guy on his right is his brother I learned. For some reason he left the band soon after that but he's like the Energizer Bunny of fun in this video and I love it from start to finish. You're right everybody's having peak fun, it's astounding and man that drummer is from another world it's so good.

That blond kid on rhythm guitar is killer. He took over the lead during the part when Mark sings, 'And Harry doesn't mind'. The drummer isn't just being a time keeper. He plays the drums like a real instrument. Yes, the drums are an instrument, but maybe you know what I mean.

Sometimes but very rarely everything comes together and it all falls into place and the gods smile down and you can do no wrong this is one example it just doesn,t get any better than this performance

Definitely epic the checkout Mark playing with his fingers man there's no pics in his hands

The intro part to the second part of the final solo (which is not on the studio version) is something that I used in totally different songs in parts because it generates a totally spheric atmosphere.... it is out of this world. Not too difficult (or else I could not play it) but it has a magic to it that is unbeatable.

A different drummer than the studio version makes the difference. Picks up the pace of the song.

I can sum this performance up in three words: Poetry in motion.

The dude on the "bongos" is actually one of the two keyboard players. There is one on each side of the drummer. They have at least four keyboards each. They both can play more than one keyboard at a time. Listen for them if you can take your ears of the guitars for a moment.

I guess, it's Mark Knopfller's mastery of finger picking a Fender Stratocaster. He's gotta be top 20 guitarist ever. I loved this in 85. Master!!!

On your statement of the fusion of music styles, you should check out the songs "Scream" and "Boca" from Dreamcatcher. The videos are subtitled as well (just click on the cc button in the video).

I love a great Jam. Thanks.

Fantastic.

So agreed with you on cultures! Every one has its own contributions to genius.