Dire Straits — Rockpop in Concert, Dortmund, 1980

Full concert film of Dire Straits at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, Germany, on 19 December 1980, for the television show Rockpop in Concert broadcast by ZDF. This capture catches Mark Knopfler’s band in the middle of the Making Movies tour, the album having been released two months earlier. On stage, the line-up brings together Mark Knopfler (lead guitar, vocals), John Illsley (bass) and Pick Withers (drums), joined for this tour by Hal Lindes (rhythm guitar) and Alan Clark (keyboards). The live concert runs through a stage-ready repertoire: “Once Upon a Time in the West,” “Down to the Waterline,” “Lions,” “News,” the essential “Sultans of Swing,” “Tunnel of Love” and “Solid Rock.” It showcases Knopfler’s signature fingerpicking guitar style, between rock, blues and melodic refinement. This 1980 live concert film is a valuable document of Dire Straits before the global success of Brothers in Arms, at a pivotal moment when the band was expanding its line-up and sonic palette. A reference capture for lovers of British rock and electric guitar.