Mark Knopfler and EmmyLou Harris “Real Live Roadrunning”

 

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#1017 in the Series) is Mark Knopfler and EmmyLou Harris, Real Live Roadrunning.

To this day, I can still kick myself for not seeing this tour. EmmyLou Harris and Mark Knopfler .  This was 2006; I had just seen Mark in 2005. Yes, that was a fantastic show, but I decided I’d pass on this tour.  Then I listened to the album. I should have known!  Often if you miss an act’s tour, well, you can just catch the next one.  This is why I’m so angered about missing this tour.  I’m nearly positive that this was a one in a lifetime chance.  Do we really expect that they’ll team up and record AND tour again? I really don’t think so.

This album and DVD did a great job on bringing their tour into our homes.  The set lists on both are just outstanding.  I’ve included the set list for both the album and DVD below. They differ.

Songs were included from Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler solo career, EmmyLou Harris solo career and of course, the album that they had recently recorded together, All the Road Running.

Here’s what also made this a special tour.  As mentioned, they not only picked from the different aspects of those parts of their careers, but they also adapted the music to fit each other’s styles. Not too much though.  Listen to the accordion on “Done With Bonaparte” or the fiddle on “Speedway at Nazareth.”

Here’s how some of the individual songs break out.  From All the Road Running we have “This is Us,” “Red Staggerwing,” ” If This Is Goodbye,” ” Right Now” and the title track, “I Dug Up a Diamond” was a DVD only track.

From Dire Straits we have “Romeo and Juliet,” ” Why Worry” and “So Far Away.”  EmmyLou and Mark formed a fantastic duet on “Why Worry.”

Tracks from Mark Knopfler solo career include his ode to IndyCar racing, the previously mentioned “Speedway at Nazareth” or once again” Done With Bonaparte” and “Our Shangri-La.”

Emmylou’s solo material here included “Red Dirt Girl,” ” Born to Run” and of course, “Boulder to Birmingham.”

Most of the band here included members from Mark Knopfler solo works.  Maybe this is why we lean heavier towards Mark’s side of their careers. That’s probably my only real complaint about the work here. Four or five more EmmyLou songs would have worked nicely for me.  “Ain’t Living Long Like This,” “She,” ” Leavin’ Louisiana” or “Luxury Liner” anyone?

— Larry Carta

Track listing

Album

1. Right Now
2. Red Staggerwing
3. Red Dirt Girl
4. Done With Bonaparte
5. Romeo and Juliet
6. All That Matters
7. This Is Us
8. All the Roadrunning
9. Boulder to Birmingham
10. Speedway at Nazareth
11. So Far Away
12. Our Shangri-La
13. If This Is Goodbye
14. Why Worry

DVD

1. Right Now
2. Red Staggerwing
3. Red Dirt Girl
4. I Dug Up a Diamond
5. Born to Run
6. Done With Bonaparte
7. Romeo and Juliet
8. Song for Sonny Liston
9. Belle Starr
10. This Is Us
11. All the Roadrunning
12. Boulder to Birmingham
13. Speedway at Nazareth
14. So Far Away
15. Our Shangri-La
16. If This Is Goodbye
17. Why Worry

Personnel

• Mark Knopfler – guitar, vocals
• Emmylou Harris – guitar, vocals
• Guy Fletcher – keyboards
• Richard Bennett – guitar
• Glenn Worf – bass
• Danny Cummings – drums
• Matt Rollings – keyboards
• Stuart Duncan – fiddle, mandolin

Links

• See our write up for Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms
• See our write up for Dire Straits, Dire Straits
• See out write up for EmmyLou Harris, Luxury Liner
• If you like that stuff, you might like this as well!
• See more albums we’ve featured from 2006

Beck to Cool Album of the Day Home Page

The concert in it’s entirety:

Here are some individual highlights: