The 2019 show Mark Knopfler always wanted to be his last gig: “A lovely way to finish”
Madison Square Garden: those three simple words conjure up a universe of grandeur, flashing lights, New York City, thousands of adoring fans, and the apex of a career. For most, it’s the symbol of reaching the very top; sell out a show in The Big Apple’s most esteemed location, and you can be smug for the rest of your life.
Recently, as music has become more accessible thanks to streaming, and as jobs and pastimes have shifted toward the digital realm and therefore have become ripe with silence (and perfect for rinsing your favourite album again and again), Madison Square Garden has become a more attainable concert space to sell out.
While music in the bygone era was more of a luxury, requiring countless hours at the local record shop, today’s algorithmic dissemination means appetite for shows has increased. Lately, Phoebe Bridgers staged a comeback show after almost seven years away at the huge venue and sold it out pretty instantaneously via a fan ballot.
Artists now need something new, something bigger, to aspire to, but this wasn’t the case in the heyday of Dire Straits. In 1985, they played the venue during their Brothers in Arms Tour, and on the special evening, saxophonist David Sanborn and Billy Joel made a guest appearance. Some seven years later, on their goodbye tour, billed as the On Every Street Tour, the London-formed band returned with another sold-out show.
It only makes sense that, as guitarist Mark Knopfler’s solo career took off, he had the same ambitions as his former band. Knopfler always preferred songwriting to performing, and so it wasn’t too long before he was looking to call it quits on public appearances in front of humongous crowds. Inevitably, there was only one place he wanted to end things.
“We ended at Madison Square Garden with Bonnie Raitt opening for us, and it was a lovely way to finish,” he told Forbes in 2024, looking back at his final solo tour, billed as the Down The Road Wherever Tour.
Up there as a solo artist on the 20,000-or-so capacity stage, Knopfler knew that the people standing next to him on his final show were just as important as the people standing in front of him. Raitt was a no-brainer, as he added, “I’ve known her for years, from the very first time we came to the States, Bonnie and I were linked up. So, yes, we go back a fair way, and it was delightful to be able to finish the tour there”.
His praise didn’t stop there, as he gushed, “I’ve always loved Bonnie. Of course, I loved Bonnie for years before we were even known about. She was on my turntable for a long time before the band was even heard of.”
Raitt opened up the show beautifully for the icon with a ten-song set, and later joined him on stage for a performance of their duet, ‘Wherever I Go’. Tying the whole thing (his solo career and beyond) into a bow, Knopfler’s three-song encore included ‘Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero’. What a way to bow out.
