Ten years ago, on May 5, 2013, Mark Knopfler had a concert in Zagreb, Croatia. That was his third visit to Croatia after performing twice previously with Dire Straits in the summer of 1983.
At the time, Dire Straits played a sold-out concert in Zagreb. When Mark visited Zagreb in 2013, he was promoting his seventh solo studio album, “Privateering,” on his tour of Croatia.
In front of a crowd of 5,000 people, consisting mostly of middle-aged men but with some women in attendance, Mark delivered a convincing and predictably safe performance. He played several of Dire Straits’ biggest hits. He led for years as one of the biggest stadium rock bands. Also, he played as well as songs from his solo albums recorded in the past ten years.
The audience warmly received hits like “Romeo And Juliet”, “Sultans Of Swing”, “Telegraph Road” and “Brothers In Arms”. Especially due to a short film by the late cinematographer Gordan Lederer, which gave “Brothers in Arms” a special emotional meaning as a war song in Croatia.
Knopfler proved himself for the third time in Zagreb as a first-class and extremely emotional guitarist with a warm tone and refined technique. Although, his singing did not receive the same accolades. While he may have slowed the pace of the concert a bit too soon, there were still plenty of highlights for the audience.
The backing band was excellent and featured local musicians such as Marjan Brkic BRK and Hari Roncevic. Knopfler led them through traditional American genres like country and blues, which they masterfully combined with English and Scottish folk music.
Knopfler is best known as the “voice and guitar” of Dire Straits, for whom he wrote all of the songs. During their almost two decades of activity, they released six studios and three live albums, compilations, and 23 singles, and embarked on many successful tours. Their last tour was “On the Night,” after which the band stopped working. They released their final album, “Live at the BBC,” to fulfill their contract with Vertigo Records before disbanding.
After a successful career with Dire Straits, Knopfler decided to go his own way as an independent musician following the “On the Night” tour. He primarily wanted to prove himself as an artist. His style could be described as classic rock with a visible influence on country music. Also, in his music are some elements of Irish and Scottish folk music, and a slight blues touch.
As an independent musician, Knopfler has achieved moderate commercial success. His albums have been well-received by fans of Dire Straits. He enjoys a high reputation as one of the world’s best guitarists. He ranked 27th on Rolling Stone’s list and rock composers. The University of Newcastle and the University of Sunderland have awarded him honorary doctorates in music, and the British Empire awarded him an honorary medal in 1999.
Knopfler has held concerts all over the world, often with high attendance. He has performed twice in Zagreb. First, as part of the “Kill to Get Crimson” tour on June 9th, 2008. Then as part of the “Privateering” album promotional tour on May 5th, 2013, at the Zagreb Arena.
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