Mark Knopfler Down the Road Wherever Tour

Context

The Team

L-ISA Brings New Creative Freedom to the Mark Knopfler Tour 

Renowned music artist Mark Knopfler hit the road in 2019 with a large ensemble of a ten-piece band to support the release of his new Down the Road Wherever album with an epic show. The tour started on April 25, 2019, in Barcelona, Spain, included 86 concerts in two legs, and ended on September 25, 2019, in New York City. 

The Challenge

FOH engineer Dave Dixon describes a discussion that happened from Mark Knopfler’s last tour, “He asked me to pan a guitar, and I bravely – or stupidly – said over the mic during soundcheck that I couldn’t do that in an arena as half the audience wouldn’t hear it – which was due to the limitation of a classic left/right system, having to mix primary in mono. When you’ve got 11 musicians on stage, that’s not an easy task.”

The Solution

When Dave Dixon heard about L-ISA and understood what the technology is all about, he realized that it was exactly what they needed to fulfill Mark’s vision. An L-ISA system allowed Dixon to have newfound freedom to open up the mix. Dixon states, “I can now open up my mix to put instruments left, right, backward, forwards, or anywhere in the scene, knowing full well that the audience is actually going to hear it. I was also looking for a system to cover the excellent dynamics within his arrangements and his vast past catalog, capturing all the nuances of the instruments and Mark’s storytelling vocals. The K series from L-Acoustics accommodated all of that inside and outside, at the festival sites, arenas and theaters.”

The L-ISA system allowed for flexibility in different arena sizes and provided better efficiencies in deployment to keep the tour loading in and out on time. 

System pictures

The Result

A UK newspaper publication, The Times, gave the show glowing reviews, stating: “Five-star review, marveling at Knopfler’s continued mastery of the guitar, as well as the number and diversity of instruments the band plays. Those mesmeric fills and effortless, mellifluous riffs adorned every song, most strikingly on a spellbinding rendition of Brothers in Arms.”

Project photos