If we could have Madrid 2001 pro dvd...

[Rollergirl]

I agree with Val, I am glad somebody wrote something positive.

and I don't understand the difference in price for tix in the US vs Europe.

[Tally]

Personally, I think this forum is positive most of the time. But it is a discussion forum after all. Worshipping is not very rewarding.

People should not be offended because we criticize Mark. None of us would be here if we weren't fans.

[superval99]

Tallgren,  Sometimes on this forum there seems to be an imbalance of opinion and I think a lot of posts are far too negative, but I am not offended in any way - just stating my point!  I am not a worshipper,either, if that was intended for me - healthy discussion on a forum is vital to keep it alive!  I do criticize where needed, as in the case of the 2001 tour and my disappointment at the concert I attended at the RAH!  In general, though, I am a very happy customer and I like the direction Mark's career has taken him in recent years!  

Of course for those who don't like what MK does or doesn't do these days, there is a simple solution - don't go to the gigs, or buy the albums!  

[Pottel]

imho the show i saw in Dortmund 2005 was the worst i saw of him, the only bad one in my opinion, and it wasn't really bad more, boring

[Waterline Man]

Worshipping is not very rewarding.

Tallgren,I have been lucky enough to have met a few people on this forum & I think that a lot of our worshipping days are behind us, I'd say that the average age of people on here is over 30 which is well beyond the worshipping era.
Anyway, everyone has their opinion,you have the techno guys that say that MK is not as good as what he was before on certain riffs or this tour was better than that one etc etc. Its all an opinion,to me its MK & thats what I listen to,maybe I dont know if its good or not but it sounds ok to me but then I dont get into the techno side either as I couldnt play note for you
Healthy discussion is always good on any forum & where better to discuss it only here.    

[superval99]

Pottel,    It is interesting how shows in the same tour can be so different.   I went to Edinburgh and Newcastle in 2005 and the Edinburgh concert was one of my absolute favourites.   It was played impeccably and it was one of the few shows where "Back to Tupelo" was played.  "Our Shangri-La" had one of it's very first airings also.   TR from this show is also amongst my favourites.  Newcastle was very good too, but it didn't have the same impact on me as Edinburgh.

Edinburgh was also the show where I first met Martina, before I joined the MK News Forum and she was seated next to us.  She filmed the whole concert and very kindly sent me a copy, which was the first bootleg I ever had.  It was such a wonderful thing to be able to relive a concert I had been to, for the very first time, all thanks to Martina!  

I'm sorry your Dortmund 2005 concert was boring, Maarten, mine was just the opposite.  

[Pottel]

but, as said, that was the only one, all others were highlights, but second worst being cologne 2008, coz i had crap seas and that hall is too big imho.
as mentioned first, i have seen so many great shows, beaulie, hillbillies 99, brussels 2006, amsterdam 2008, hurlingham, brussels 2008, berlin 2008, Brussels 2001, Rotterdam 1996, werchter 1992 (which, listening back to it now was not all that special, but to me it was magic, the first time i saw mark...)

[Love Expresso]

I have the same feeling with a lot of shows I visited. When hearing the (audience) recording some years later I often think, how comes I was SO impressed... Well, it must be Marks charisma. Or so. F.E. I watched the Munich 1991 show at YouTube lately, at least some clips, and I only thought they
all look very cheesy... Must have been the early nineties... Well, when I was there in the Olympiahalle, I was blown away. The same with Bremen Open Air 1992.

Bad experiences were Hamburg 2001 because of the shortest set list of the whole tour. I liked the Hamburg 2006 show, it was the second or third show of the tour, all was quite fresh then and Mark was in a good mood. 2005 in Munich was somehow boring when I looked to the fanmade DVD later.

So all very different and mixed feelings. But overall: I am happy to go to Hamburg next year again. And London.

LE

[Banjo99uk]

It's interesting reading people's differing opinions on MK and I think vital to a succesful forum.  It's basically one big conversation.  In my opinion his worst tour was Shangri La, it felt dull and lifeless.  Especially the Dire Straits songs.  KTGC was an improvement but my favourite tour was the STP in 2001.  It was a new setlist at the time, unlike now where it desperately needs a major overhaul to keep it fresh for the hardcore fans.  I would love to see NHB's again.  Possible my favourite gig ever.  Relaxed and fun, with some great banter from the band.

[sweetsurrender]

Why can't we just be thankful that we still have MK making beautiful albums and touring so frequently, because one day it will all be over and I, for one will be extremely sad!      

Very well said ( written) Val.  I couldn't agree with you more.  I am so thankful that Mark still enjoys touring.  He definitely is not doing it for any financial reasons.  ( I don't understand all the complaints about how expensive the tix prices are)
IMO, the tix prices are undervalue considering how brilliant a musician Mark is. Many other artists charge outrageous prices, but not Mark.

All the criticism about Mark's playing / lazy? is a little bit too blatant.    Please bear in mind that Mark is 60 years old !!  Of course he's not gonna have the same kind of energy like he had in his younger years.  But the fact that, he can go on tours 4 months straight and can perform night after night. That in itself is not an easy task. So even if he fumbles/shorten some parts of the solos here and there, is very understandable.  ( I guess I'm still a worshipper) So what if the setlist is the same every night, most people probably attend one gig anyway. Unlike crazy people like us here, we have to go more than one night. So, why don't we just enjoy what Mark gives us.  I know I will at whatever it costs.  Because, I'm very thankful to him for everything he has done.

[superval99]

I would agree with you, Sweetsurrender about MK being accused of laziness.  I am a few years older than Mark and even just travelling to multiple concerts can be tiring and I am not even performing!   To play around 95 concerts, as he did in 2008, sometimes 6 in a row, on both sides of the Atlantic when he was approaching 60 yrs is not to be sniffed at.  A lot of people on this forum are nowhere near his age and I wonder if they could do the same!  I feel exhausted just thinking about it!  

[Fieneke2]

Quote Val: "but it would be nice to hear a few positive thoughts from some of the posts for a change.  "

Although I am already 51  .....(yeahhh I know that sound old for our young fans  ) I have attended only one concert, so I can't compare with other concerts if this was a good or bad one, but the KTGC concert in Amsterdam 2008 was for me FANTASTIC, WONDERFUL and something I never will forget!

I loved all the songs Mark played!  ....I missed the Dire Straits period and Telegraph Road and Speedway were never my favourites, but I was blown away when Mark played and I still enjoy those songs as I do with almost ALL the songs of Mark's solo albums. Especial Get Lucky is wonderful and has music I LOVE! 

I started too late in my life listening to the music of Mark, but now I discovered him, I admire him and hope there will be enough time in future to continue visiting concerts of Mark and listening to his beautiful voice and music! 

Hhhmmm I just wonder ......"Am I an old worshipper now Tallgren and Waterline Man?" 

Fieneke

[sweetsurrender]

It's Sat evening and I am all alone Yeah !!!!! No kids, no husband.  Alchemy is shaking the wall in my kitchen !!! crank it up !!!  What a wonderful evening for me !!

As I was doing my routine walking this afternoon listening to Alchemy, I thought about this particular criticism over Mark about his laziness.  That was quite a hurtful statement to Mark' s dedicated fans like myself and I believe others as well.  Mark is a born musician and an extremely  talented one.  There are no disputes about that.   I believe he wants to deliver his music to his fans as perfectly as he could.  Like Val and myself stated previously, the age factor plays a big role.  Let's not forget that.

Although I've been a fan of Mark since the first time I heard SOS in 1985,  like fieneke, I only had a chance to see Mark once during KTGC. That alone was an epiphany for me.  I didn't realize what I've missed for the past 25 some years !! 

So, fieneke, it's never too late.  I'm making up for lost time and that's all I can say.  I'm going 3 nigths confirmed and hopefully 2 more nigths come spring for GL.

[Tally]

Hehe, Fieneke, I would never criticize someone's passion or try to diminish someone's experience. I enjoyed the two 2008 shows I attended as well, that's not the point at all.

I regularly visit some different web forums and I think it's dangerous when people raice their voices not against one's arguments or thoughts, but against the fact that one 'dares' criticizing. If all the records are equal, all the songs are equal, and all performances are equal, then why hang around here? Someone made a comment that people should be in the forum if they didn't like Mark's new music, or whatever it was. One get the feeling that some people don't even read the posts. It's an annoying way of debating because it seems implied that if one doesn't love everything just as much, then one is not a real fan.

For me, Get Lucky was a positive surprise as I wasn't impressed by SL or KTGC and I like Mark's folk sound. To a certain extent, I do agree about the laziness though. Same band, similar setlists. Come on, Mark! This, however, does not apply to the most important aspect: he is still releasing new material and is out there touring regularly. It's just that, for example, a couple of extra days rehearsing new songs would seem like a piece of cake compared to a world tour.

[superval99]

Tallgren, I think we all do our fair share of criticizing and comparing on this forum and that is vital to keep a forum alive.  I have said before, it would be a very boring forum if we all liked the same things - there would be no need for any discussion, as we are having now!  The poll thread shows that everyone's taste is different too!  

BTW I hope you aren't implying you would like a different band.  The present one, with John's contribution, is just great, thank you!