Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris - Real Live Roadrunning

To me there's nothing better than listening to two of the finest musicians living getting together and making music, of whatever kind. It doesn't matter the genre or the style (CMT's "Crossroads" has proven that, in its own commercialized, homogenized way) - music is universal, and good music doesn't fit neatly into a category or genre box easily. Two such musicians are Mark Knopfler, one of the finest guitar players living, and Emmylou Harris, one of the finest vocalists ever born. The end result is as simple and clear-cut as crystal; as Emmylou puts it in the show's intro, "organic." Orgasmic works, too. I think it's simply obvious - music of the sort that both of them have been making all along (because anyone who thinks Knopfler's style of rock wasn't always rootsy just hasn't been listening to the same Dire Straits I have been for the last twenty years). Knopfler's been in my ears since college, a steady part of my musical diet for decades, a strong and influential voice of the disaffected MTV generation who got himself played by the mainstream while at the same time making fun of it (who of my age group can forget MTV V-Js gushing wildly about how Dire Strait's new song was "all about MTV!"?). Emmylou Harris is the quieter, gentle voice of the independent musician, the duet partner to the late, lamented Gram Parsons, who went on to be one of the most recorded voices in Americana music (you can hear her vocals behind dozens of artists, across the genres). Together they stand as a vibrant example of just how good plain ol' roots music can be.

The disc starts out rather quietly, with Emmylou narrating a trip backstage, while the group warms up. Knopfler is working largely with his own band, a group of players who are eminently worthy to share the stage with him, and when he introduces them, later on in the show, he's obviously tickled pink to be able to say, "Emmylou Harris is playing guitar in my band!" For her part, Emmylou brings along her brilliant voice and clean-lined rhythm guitar playing style, and it all works together so well it makes you wish you were there in the audience. In many ways, this is put together well enough that you get that sensation, of being right there, although without the amazing high that can come from being in the same room with genius (a feeling I recognize from the times I've seen Merle Haggard on stage, and the one time I saw Bob Dylan live). The DVD is filmed well, and showed up clean and crisp in a wide-screen format that uses all the available Hi-Def technology available to really help the home viewer experience it all. The sound quality on the DVD is remarkable. Technology aside, each song is well-chosen, showcases for both vocalists, including live versions of Emmylou's "Red Dirt Girl" and the old Dire Straits classic, "So Far Away," a song whose one-second intro brought fans in the audience to their feet cheering. Listening to Mark Knopfler play guitar is one of those awesome experiences; his low-key style and whining riffs are automatically recognizable, even if you don't know the voice. And of course, Emmylou's voice is absolutely unmistakable.

I spent a little while in the watching of this disc (running time is 2 hours, 7 minutes) just listening, although I know I can get that much from the companion CD, which has some fewer songs, but one bonus track not on the DVD ("All That Matters"), just because the sound is so amazing. The CD is missing some standout tracks, like "Song for Sonny Liston" and "Born to Run" but the sound quality is just as good, and provides a tremendous accompaniment to the studio album, All The Roadrunning. For everyone lucky enough to have caught the show while the two toured, this should be a great souvenir keepsake of that moment - for those of us who didn't get that chance, it's a tantalizing taste of what we missed.

DVD Song List:

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. Romero 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

CD Song List:

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