Fake Straits

[Pottel]

it surely is not illegal, but also surely is a bit....dodgy. the promoter(s) knew very well what they were doing.
but on the other hand, people need to pay a little attention before buying tickets
i always learned, if something is too good to be true, it will almost always, not be true

[rmarques821]

it surely is not illegal, but also surely is a bit....dodgy. the promoter(s) knew very well what they were doing.
but on the other hand, people need to pay a little attention before buying tickets
i always learned, if something is too good to be true, it will almost always, not be true

Yes, it is illegal. Believe it or not, Dire Straits as a company is still active and registered in the UK, with Mark and John as incorporated officers.
It would be like you making a homemade Coca Cola drink and selling it as the real thing.

At the end of the day these guys will keep doing anything they can to squeeze a buck out of poor gullible people and the poor gullible people will be happy to hear " the World's Greatest Authority on Mark Knopfler trademark playing", or whatever vomit-inducing thing he calls himself.

[dustyvalentino]

Yeah, that sounds iffy.

Off topic, but I just had a listen to fairly recent YT clip of DSL, and I had forgotten how terrible Marco is as a singer and frontman. And the thick Italian accent does not help. It sounds like bad karaoke.

Truth.

As for the marketing, they will just blame the local promoters as they always have.

[peterromer]

I also translated the link and it clearly states DSL and Legacy.
I cannot see a huge problem here. Of course if there is a voice over stating DS it is an error that can be corrected.
But come on, they are great musicians that I personally would hope could come to Denmark one day.
Remember that MK earns money out of it, and they clearly fulfil a demand. 

 

[ds1984]

it surely is not illegal, but also surely is a bit....dodgy. the promoter(s) knew very well what they were doing.
but on the other hand, people need to pay a little attention before buying tickets
i always learned, if something is too good to be true, it will almost always, not be true

You are saying this but you are already a well informed fan.

For a casual person a Dire Straits reunion would not be something of "too good to be true" category.

The core question is are they enough confusing to make people thinking they will attend a real Dire Straits show?

[Brunno Nunes]

I'll leave the link to the website selling tickets for the DSL 2025 shows here in Brazil for anyone who wants to check it out. Just use the translator and anyone will see that they're not scamming anyone.

https://www.ticketmaster.com.br/event/dire-straits-no-quado listing-rj#:~:te gentext=Aclamada%20por%20reviver%20com%20autenticidade,de%20Janeiro%20ser%C3%A1%20no%20Qualistage.

Here's another link to a Brazilian page where it's clearly stated that it's a band with former DS members.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/rollingstone.com.br/amp/musica/dire-straits-legacy-anuncia-show-em-sao-paulo-data-ingressos-e-mais/

I myself attended DSL's performance in Brazil twice, in 2017 and 2019, and I didn't see anyone feeling cheated. I saw happy people celebrating DSL's music through a tribute band with former members.

The lie is happening elsewhere, I can guarantee that. If necessary, I'll reveal it.

You speak Portuguese, don’t you? It’s said out loud, Dire Straits, for the first time… the band can’t turn a blind eye and pretend they don’t know what’s happening.

It's mentioned:

"Acclaimed for authentically reviving and keeping the Dire Straits legacy alive, Dire Straits Legacy returns to Brazil for a series of performances. The Rio de Janeiro show will be at Qualistage.

With musicians from different phases of Dire Straits' career and a sound faithful to the legendary British band's roots, DSL promises to thrill fans of all generations. "Money for Nothing," "So Far Away," "Sultans of Swing," "Walk of Life," "Romeo and Juliet," and many other memorable songs performed live by Alan Clark (keyboards), Phil Palmer (guitar), Mel Collins (sax), Marco Caviglia (vocals and guitar), Danny Cummings (percussion and vocals), and Steve Walters (bass)."

Is it different from any Dire Straits tribute band in Europe? At no point is this being sold as the authentic Dire Straits. If anyone is fooled into thinking this is Dire Straits (without Mark Knopfler), they should be praying for tires. I think Eddie Fox knows exactly what I'm talking about. Do you think I need to explain?

Your task is quite complicated, as you would have to report countless tribute and cover bands that advertise their projects in a similar way. Go ahead and good luck, just go easy on the delirium. The AMIT forum is not Flat Earth, and you better remember that.

[Brunno Nunes]

Dire Straits Legacy is coming to Brazil later this year and once again the promotion sells it as the real band. It’s disgusting. And don’t tell me the band doesn’t know, it’s their responsibility too. I’ve tagged both Paul Crockford and Guy Fletcher on Instagram, I hope they see it. Whoever is in charge of their management is a criminal.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMVmJ8msr5v/?igsh=MTlod2JwOHB3b2h1YQ==

This Instagram account link is from a regional news site in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It has no connection whatsoever with the band DSL. If the media is reporting it this way, it's not the band's fault. You should expose the real culprits instead of distorting the facts and misleading non-Portuguese speakers into believing the band is promoting it this way. This is unethical.

Here's the news site for the Instagram account he posted here in the thread.

https://rjinterior.com.br/

[Robson]

We don't know what Mark thinks about this. What's his stance? Maybe he doesn't care. But he definitely knows Dammy Cummings is in this band

[Brunno Nunes]

Did you get free tickets, Brunno? Are you friends with the band? I remember very very clearly back then several posts on Facebook with people saying they’d been to a Dire Straits gig. Casual concert goers have no clue who Mark Knopfler is, of course they didn’t ’feel cheated’, right? It’s mind boggling that you, a native speaker, chose to pretend the voice over doesn’t say it’s a Dire Straits show first and only later on says Dire Straits Legacy but pronouncing Legacy very quietly. But if there’s somebody else lying please be my guest and spill the beans, no need to hide the truth.

I'm not friends with the band, because if I were, I'd probably go to their house, have coffee, and chat... that's not the case. I work and have the money to buy tickets to every show I've had the opportunity to go to. Seeing Tunnel of Love, TR, RJ, PI... performed by Alan Clark was worth every penny I spent on travel and tickets, even if I had won a ticket, that would be my merit. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet the band members, and it was an honor to meet Alan Clark, Jack Sonni, Mel Collins, Phil Palmer, and Danny.

I'm not at all surprised that you want to attribute to the band something that's being done by a local media outlet in Rio de Janeiro, without the participation or even the consent of the band DSL. And worse, you're doing exactly what the news site does: misleading people. The only thing that needs to be reported is this Instagram account that's a regional news site from a city in Rio de Janeiro.

What you're doing in this thread is something you do very well in Brazil: promoting fake news. I repeat, the AMIT forum is not a flat Earth. If you do your part, I'll provide some useful links that will reveal the legacy of a troubled old fox.

[Eddie Fox]

Did you get free tickets, Brunno? Are you friends with the band? I remember very very clearly back then several posts on Facebook with people saying they’d been to a Dire Straits gig. Casual concert goers have no clue who Mark Knopfler is, of course they didn’t ’feel cheated’, right? It’s mind boggling that you, a native speaker, chose to pretend the voice over doesn’t say it’s a Dire Straits show first and only later on says Dire Straits Legacy but pronouncing Legacy very quietly. But if there’s somebody else lying please be my guest and spill the beans, no need to hide the truth.

I'm not friends with the band, because if I were, I'd probably go to their house, have coffee, and chat... that's not the case. I work and have the money to buy tickets to every show I've had the opportunity to go to, including Tunnel of Love, TR, RJ, PI... with Alan Clark playing. For me, it was worth every penny I spent on travel and tickets. Even if I had won a ticket, that would be my merit. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet the band members, and it was an honor to meet Alan Clark, Jack Sonni, Mel Collins, Phil Palmer, and Danny.

I'm not at all surprised that you want to attribute to the band something that's being done by a local media outlet in Rio de Janeiro, without the participation or even the consent of the band DSL. And worse, you're doing exactly what the news site does: misleading people. The only thing that needs to be reported is this Instagram account that's a regional news site from a city in Rio de Janeiro.

What you're doing in this thread is something you do very well in Brazil: promoting fake news. I repeat, the AMIT forum is not a flat Earth. If you do your part, I'll provide some useful links that will reveal the legacy of a troubled old fox.

Does it have anything to do with DS/MK, Brunno? If it does, please, be my guest.

That being said, and you’d know that if you had been a musician, any promo for any gig has to go through band management before being released. Worst case scenario the artist is sent it once it’s published or tagged on the post and can, at any time, ask to get it removed in case of misinformation. That’s how the real world works.

Now I’ll give you a little piece of advice. Don’t make it personal bringing on political stuff from my personal and professional life as you sneakily hinted. If you don’t have the argument to win a debate within the obvious boundaries of this forum, meaning DS/MK, just rest your case and play cool.

[Eddie Fox]

it surely is not illegal, but also surely is a bit....dodgy. the promoter(s) knew very well what they were doing.
but on the other hand, people need to pay a little attention before buying tickets
i always learned, if something is too good to be true, it will almost always, not be true

You are saying this but you are already a well informed fan.

For a casual person a Dire Straits reunion would not be something of "too good to be true" category.

The core question is are they enough confusing to make people thinking they will attend a real Dire Straits show?

Exactly my point. In Brazil the Dire Straits brand is quite big but very few people outside the fan base know who Mark Knopfler is, let alone John Illsley or who owns the rights to the brand. They know the music and that’s it. I dare say 90% of the casual concert goers are not fluent in English and will never notice Marco’s thick accent.

You HAVE to make it crystal clear from the get go it’s a tribute band. As I said in a previous comment, when these guys came to Brazil a few years back I saw dozens of people posting clips on social media saying in good faith they’d been to a Dire Straits show. They probably still think they did to this day.

You gotta do the right thing, always. Sell what you have, in this case a pretty good product, the chance to see a piece of history, some great musicians (Marco not included, he sucks) playing awesome songs. No excuses for sophisms.

[Brunno Nunes]

Did you get free tickets, Brunno? Are you friends with the band? I remember very very clearly back then several posts on Facebook with people saying they’d been to a Dire Straits gig. Casual concert goers have no clue who Mark Knopfler is, of course they didn’t ’feel cheated’, right? It’s mind boggling that you, a native speaker, chose to pretend the voice over doesn’t say it’s a Dire Straits show first and only later on says Dire Straits Legacy but pronouncing Legacy very quietly. But if there’s somebody else lying please be my guest and spill the beans, no need to hide the truth.

I'm not friends with the band, because if I were, I'd probably go to their house, have coffee, and chat... that's not the case. I work and have the money to buy tickets to every show I've had the opportunity to go to, including Tunnel of Love, TR, RJ, PI... with Alan Clark playing. For me, it was worth every penny I spent on travel and tickets. Even if I had won a ticket, that would be my merit. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet the band members, and it was an honor to meet Alan Clark, Jack Sonni, Mel Collins, Phil Palmer, and Danny.

I'm not at all surprised that you want to attribute to the band something that's being done by a local media outlet in Rio de Janeiro, without the participation or even the consent of the band DSL. And worse, you're doing exactly what the news site does: misleading people. The only thing that needs to be reported is this Instagram account that's a regional news site from a city in Rio de Janeiro.

What you're doing in this thread is something you do very well in Brazil: promoting fake news. I repeat, the AMIT forum is not a flat Earth. If you do your part, I'll provide some useful links that will reveal the legacy of a troubled old fox.

Does it have anything to do with DS/MK, Brunno? If it does, please, be my guest.

That being said, and you’d know that if you had been a musician, any promo for any gig has to go through band management before being released. Worst case scenario the artist is sent it once it’s published or tagged on the post and can, at any time, ask to get it removed in case of misinformation. That’s how the real world works.

Now I’ll give you a little piece of advice. Don’t make it personal bringing on political stuff from my personal and professional life as you sneakily hinted. If you don’t have the argument to win a debate within the obvious boundaries of this forum, meaning DS/MK, just rest your case and play cool.

Here are some useful links that show that Dire Straits legacy isn't causing this kind of problem, as Fox wanted to imply.

https://www.ticketmaster.com.br/event/dire-straits-no-qualistage-rj

https://www.google.com/amp/s/g1.globo.com/google/amp/mg/zona-da-mata/noticia/2025/06/11/dire-straits-legacy-anuncia-data-de-show-extra-apos-sucesso-na-venda-de-ingressos-em-juiz-de-fora.ghtml

https://avozdacidade.com/wp/iniciam-neste-domingo-dia-20-as-vendas-para-show-internacional-da-dire-straits-legacy-em-barra-mansa/

https://www.dslegacy.com/dsllive-tour/#2025

Official website.

None of the websites I mentioned above have any information that this is about Dire Straits. They constantly state that it's Dire Straits Legacy, formed by former members of the band... (This is the only difference between most DS tributes, as well as the project Chris leads, Dire Straits Experience, with Terence Reis). What you've brought up here is an isolated incident, made by a single Instagram account that is advertising in a biased way, yes, but this doesn't have DSL's approval; they wouldn't be crazy enough to promote themselves this way. Now, if any media outlet is reporting incorrectly, that outlet should be held responsible, not the band.

[Eddie Fox]

Did you get free tickets, Brunno? Are you friends with the band? I remember very very clearly back then several posts on Facebook with people saying they’d been to a Dire Straits gig. Casual concert goers have no clue who Mark Knopfler is, of course they didn’t ’feel cheated’, right? It’s mind boggling that you, a native speaker, chose to pretend the voice over doesn’t say it’s a Dire Straits show first and only later on says Dire Straits Legacy but pronouncing Legacy very quietly. But if there’s somebody else lying please be my guest and spill the beans, no need to hide the truth.

I'm not friends with the band, because if I were, I'd probably go to their house, have coffee, and chat... that's not the case. I work and have the money to buy tickets to every show I've had the opportunity to go to, including Tunnel of Love, TR, RJ, PI... with Alan Clark playing. For me, it was worth every penny I spent on travel and tickets. Even if I had won a ticket, that would be my merit. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet the band members, and it was an honor to meet Alan Clark, Jack Sonni, Mel Collins, Phil Palmer, and Danny.

I'm not at all surprised that you want to attribute to the band something that's being done by a local media outlet in Rio de Janeiro, without the participation or even the consent of the band DSL. And worse, you're doing exactly what the news site does: misleading people. The only thing that needs to be reported is this Instagram account that's a regional news site from a city in Rio de Janeiro.

What you're doing in this thread is something you do very well in Brazil: promoting fake news. I repeat, the AMIT forum is not a flat Earth. If you do your part, I'll provide some useful links that will reveal the legacy of a troubled old fox.

Does it have anything to do with DS/MK, Brunno? If it does, please, be my guest.

That being said, and you’d know that if you had been a musician, any promo for any gig has to go through band management before being released. Worst case scenario the artist is sent it once it’s published or tagged on the post and can, at any time, ask to get it removed in case of misinformation. That’s how the real world works.

Now I’ll give you a little piece of advice. Don’t make it personal bringing on political stuff from my personal and professional life as you sneakily hinted. If you don’t have the argument to win a debate within the obvious boundaries of this forum, meaning DS/MK, just rest your case and play cool.

Here are some useful links that show that Dire Straits legacy isn't causing this kind of problem, as Fox wanted to imply.

https://www.ticketmaster.com.br/event/dire-straits-no-qualistage-rj

https://www.google.com/amp/s/g1.globo.com/google/amp/mg/zona-da-mata/noticia/2025/06/11/dire-straits-legacy-anuncia-data-de-show-extra-apos-sucesso-na-venda-de-ingressos-em-juiz-de-fora.ghtml

https://avozdacidade.com/wp/iniciam-neste-domingo-dia-20-as-vendas-para-show-internacional-da-dire-straits-legacy-em-barra-mansa/

https://www.dslegacy.com/dsllive-tour/#2025

Official website.

None of the websites I mentioned above have any information that this is about Dire Straits. They constantly state that it's Dire Straits Legacy, formed by former members of the band... (This is the only difference between most DS tributes, as well as the project Chris leads, Dire Straits Experience, with Terence Reis). What you've brought up here is an isolated incident, made by a single Instagram account that is advertising in a biased way, yes, but this doesn't have DSL's approval; they wouldn't be crazy enough to promote themselves this way. Now, if any media outlet is reporting incorrectly, that outlet should be held responsible, not the band.

Thanks for posting these links, Brunno. In the G1 article they never mention it’s a tribute band. It even lists some Dire Straits songs saying ‘here’s some of THE BAND’s biggest hits’ as if the band in question, DSL, had written them.

[Brunno Nunes]

Did you get free tickets, Brunno? Are you friends with the band? I remember very very clearly back then several posts on Facebook with people saying they’d been to a Dire Straits gig. Casual concert goers have no clue who Mark Knopfler is, of course they didn’t ’feel cheated’, right? It’s mind boggling that you, a native speaker, chose to pretend the voice over doesn’t say it’s a Dire Straits show first and only later on says Dire Straits Legacy but pronouncing Legacy very quietly. But if there’s somebody else lying please be my guest and spill the beans, no need to hide the truth.

I'm not friends with the band, because if I were, I'd probably go to their house, have coffee, and chat... that's not the case. I work and have the money to buy tickets to every show I've had the opportunity to go to, including Tunnel of Love, TR, RJ, PI... with Alan Clark playing. For me, it was worth every penny I spent on travel and tickets. Even if I had won a ticket, that would be my merit. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet the band members, and it was an honor to meet Alan Clark, Jack Sonni, Mel Collins, Phil Palmer, and Danny.

I'm not at all surprised that you want to attribute to the band something that's being done by a local media outlet in Rio de Janeiro, without the participation or even the consent of the band DSL. And worse, you're doing exactly what the news site does: misleading people. The only thing that needs to be reported is this Instagram account that's a regional news site from a city in Rio de Janeiro.

What you're doing in this thread is something you do very well in Brazil: promoting fake news. I repeat, the AMIT forum is not a flat Earth. If you do your part, I'll provide some useful links that will reveal the legacy of a troubled old fox.

Does it have anything to do with DS/MK, Brunno? If it does, please, be my guest.

That being said, and you’d know that if you had been a musician, any promo for any gig has to go through band management before being released. Worst case scenario the artist is sent it once it’s published or tagged on the post and can, at any time, ask to get it removed in case of misinformation. That’s how the real world works.

Now I’ll give you a little piece of advice. Don’t make it personal bringing on political stuff from my personal and professional life as you sneakily hinted. If you don’t have the argument to win a debate within the obvious boundaries of this forum, meaning DS/MK, just rest your case and play cool.

Here are some useful links that show that Dire Straits legacy isn't causing this kind of problem, as Fox wanted to imply.

https://www.ticketmaster.com.br/event/dire-straits-no-qualistage-rj

https://www.google.com/amp/s/g1.globo.com/google/amp/mg/zona-da-mata/noticia/2025/06/11/dire-straits-legacy-anuncia-data-de-show-extra-apos-sucesso-na-venda-de-ingressos-em-juiz-de-fora.ghtml

https://avozdacidade.com/wp/iniciam-neste-domingo-dia-20-as-vendas-para-show-internacional-da-dire-straits-legacy-em-barra-mansa/

https://www.dslegacy.com/dsllive-tour/#2025

Official website.

None of the websites I mentioned above have any information that this is about Dire Straits. They constantly state that it's Dire Straits Legacy, formed by former members of the band... (This is the only difference between most DS tributes, as well as the project Chris leads, Dire Straits Experience, with Terence Reis). What you've brought up here is an isolated incident, made by a single Instagram account that is advertising in a biased way, yes, but this doesn't have DSL's approval; they wouldn't be crazy enough to promote themselves this way. Now, if any media outlet is reporting incorrectly, that outlet should be held responsible, not the band.

Thanks for posting these links, Brunno. In the G1 article they never mention it’s a tribute band. It even lists some Dire Straits songs saying ‘here’s some of THE BAND’s biggest hits’ as if the band in question, DSL, had written them.

Oh, I thought the band I'm a fan of was called Dire Straits and that they were known worldwide, but it seems that if G1 announced a show by a band called Dire Straits Legacy and mentioning that it's made up of former members, that's not enough to know that it's a tribute band? What a joke... how many tribute bands have the name Dire something, Straits something else in their name? How are they promoting themselves? Do they sell themselves as the authentic Dire Straits? I haven't seen that happen, not even DSL. Now, if media outlets are promoting the event this way, it doesn't necessarily mean the band has anything to do with it, as you put it in this thread you created. Just to stir up controversy, congratulations, you've achieved a bit, but the big question is: Mark Knopfler must be very worried about this? Poor Mark..." 😂😂😂

[dustyvalentino]

any promo for any gig has to go through band management before being released. Worst case scenario the artist is sent it once it’s published or tagged on the post and can, at any time, ask to get it removed in case of misinformation.

I don't think this is true at all, especially in a foreign country, and especially for a band that isn't that popular like DSL. Taylor Swift's people can throw their weight around but not these guys.

Worst case scenario the artist is sent it once it’s published or tagged on the post and can, at any time, ask to get it removed in case of misinformation.

This is more likely, but I'm not sure the guys in the band would know what was going on on Brazilian Tik Tok.