Word: sonny
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Dates: during 1985-1985
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...this is not to say that the Dire Straits show wasn't cool. "Money For Nothing" (previously considered here as Knopfler's worst composition) turned into a long grungy blues jam on a Steinberger. "Wild West End" was a nice--if obvious--choice to let second guitarist, Jack Sonni, do some mellow jamming. "Private Investigations" came off terrifyingly well, although probably more due to the volume than anything else. And "Romeo And Juliet" and "Why Worry Now" were the tear-jerkers of the show. All in all, they proved that Dire Straits may be the world's tightest rock band...
...bright spots on the excitement front are the two new touring members: saxophonist/flutist Chris White and the above-mentioned Sonni. White has a good sense of when to play dirty and when to play clean, a sense of controlled mistake that this group of mostly Brits definitely needs. Also, he has a nice habit of walking over the grand piano to get to the other side of the stage. Sonni gives the ax men their mobility, inciting bassist John Illsey to dance and Knopfler to smile, while slipping in some pretty nice guitar licks himself...
...Sonni certainly shrugs a lot, too. A year ago, he owned a guitar store in Greenwich Village, the only distinction of which was that a certain British rock star used to shop there. Because said star (whose last name happens to be Knopfler) runs through rhythm guitarists like Ex-lax through Ronald Reagan's digestive tract, Sonni joined up and became a juke-box hero and heir apparent and all that good stuff...
...case, Sonni adds a bit of amateurism--and thus excitement--to the band, something it needs if it wants to last as an arena headliner in this country. Personally, I hope Dire Straits doesn't. They were much more fun and comfortable when they were a good British blues band who played 20-minute songs...
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