Ian Waller and two other dads of a certain age enjoy the hits from a classic guitar band
Dire Straits were quite simply one of the best bands of the 1970s, 80s and 90s, with hits like Money For Nothing, Sultans of Swing and Romeo and Juliet displaying the quite awesome talents of front man and lead guitarist Mark Knopfler, and filling arenas and stadiums along the way.
While they called it quits in 1995 (thanks Wikipedia), the cult of the tribute act means that there’s still plenty of opportunities to still hear their music live, even if it’s not the actual musicians playing up on stage.
One of the best Dire Straits tributes acts is Money For Nothing, formed in 2000 (thank you Google) and performing the band’s hits around the world ever since.
One of their latest stops was a visit to The Forum Bath for an evening of most of the hits, plus a few older album tracks thrown in for the hard core fans. The result was a great night of nostalgia, singing along and even a few brave souls getting up and dancing.
Now there’s one general rule with tribute acts – they’re not generally as good as the real thing. Yes, it’s kind of obvious, but understanding this allows you to relax your expectations and not rely on perfection. And so it was with Money For Nothing. No, of course the front man wasn’t as good as Mark Knopfler – after all, the Mr Knopfler is one of those rare talents with a unique technique and sound that can be picked out by even the most musically uneducated fan.
Still, you band was great, the songs were there and the audience loved it. From the opening chords of Walk of Life, through Telegraph Road and Tunnel of Love, to the inevitable and much enjoyed Money For Nothing encore, this was a fun night of singalongs and games of pick the song from the intro. Along the way there’s a impressive homage to Brothers in Arms – complete with camera phone torch accompaniment from the audience – the rockiness of Solid Rock and so many more to keep the Bath faithful happy.
And with this being the Forum Bath, throughout the sound quality was excellent and the service from the front of house team top drawer.
All in all, a fun night out and a great lesson about just how great some of those old bands really were.
For more information of upcoming shows at The Bath Forum, go to https://www.bathforum.co.uk/
