Dire Straits Tour
| Dire Straits Tour | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Hamburg, Germany, 28 October 1978 | ||||
| Promotional tour by Dire Straits | ||||
| Location | Europe | |||
| Associated album | Dire Straits | |||
| Start date | 9 June 1978 | |||
| End date | 18 November 1978 | |||
| Legs | 2 | |||
| Shows | 55 | |||
| Dire Straits tour chronology | ||||
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The Dire Straits Tour was the first concert tour by the British rock band Dire Straits. The tour started on 9 June 1978 and included 55 concerts throughout Europe, ending on 18 November 1978. The tour promoted and supported the release of the band's debut album, Dire Straits, which was released on 7 October 1978. The tour setlist consisted mainly of songs from their debut album.[1]
The European tour including concerts in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. These concerts presented Dire Straits with their largest audiences to date. The first leg of the tour promoted their first single, "Sultans of Swing". This first leg took the band around Great Britain in June and July 1978, performing in England, Scotland, and Wales. The group typically performed in small halls with a maximum capacity of one thousand. The second leg of the tour promoted the band's debut album, Dire Straits. This leg took the band to several European countries, where they met journalists and performed on television programs.[1]
The tour lineup included Mark Knopfler (guitar and vocals), John Illsley (bass), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar), and Pick Withers (drums).[1]
Setlists
Setlist 1 (4 July 1978): "Down to the Waterline", "Six Blade Knife", "In the Gallery", "Eastbound Train",[Note 1] "Water of Love", "Portobello Belle", "Wild West End", "Lions", "What's the Matter Baby", "Me and My Friends", "Sultans of Swing", "Real Girl", "Nadine", "Southbound Again"
Setlist 2 (19 October 1978): "Down to the Waterline", "Six Blade Knife", "Water of Love", "Once Upon a Time in the West", "Lady Writer", "In the Gallery", "Wild West End", "What's the Matter Baby", "Lions", "Sultans of Swing", "Wild West End", "Eastbound Train", "Southbound Again"
Setlist 3 (28 October 1978): "Down to the Waterline", "Six Blade Knife", "Once Upon a Time in the West", "Lady Writer", "Single Handed Sailor", "Water of Love", "In the Gallery", "Follow Me Home", "News", "What's the Matter Baby", "Lions", "Sultans of Swing"
Tour dates
| No. | Date | City | Country | Venue | Setlist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First leg: June–July 1978 | |||||
| 1 | 6 June 1978 | Wolverhampton | England | Lafayette Club (600 seats) | |
| 2 | 10 June 1978 | Dudley | JB's Dudley (1000 seats) | ||
| 3 | 13 June 1978 | Sheffield | University of Sheffield | ||
| 4 | 14 June 1978 | Huddersfield | University of Huddersfield | ||
| 5 | 15 June 1978 | Leicester | University of Leicester | ||
| 6 | 16 June 1978 | Kirklevington | Country Club (375 seats) | ||
| 7 | 17 June 1978 | Middlesbrough | Rock Garden | ||
| 8 | 18 June 1978 | Leeds | Fforde Green Hotel | ||
| 9 | 20 June 1978 | Edinburgh | Scotland | Tiffany's | |
| 10 | 21 June 1978 | Dundee | Technical College | ||
| 11 | 23 June 1978 | Burton upon Trent | England | 76 Club | |
| 12 | 24 June 1978 | Nottingham | Boat Hall | ||
| 13 | 25 June 1978 | Newbridge | Wales | Workingman's Institute and Memorial Hall | |
| 14 | 27 June 1978 | Manchester | England | Rafters (1000 seats) | |
| 15 | 28 June 1978 | Lowestoft | Talk of the East | ||
| 16 | 29 June 1978 | Bristol | Granary | ||
| 17 | 30 June 1978 | Plymouth | Metro Club | ||
| 18 | 1 July 1978 | Oxford | Oxford Brookes University | ||
| 19 | 2 July 1978 | London | Albany Theatre (600 seats) | ||
| 20 | 4 July 1978 | Birmingham | Barbarella's[Note 2] | Setlist 1 | |
| 21 | 5 July 1978 | London | Marquee Club | ||
| 22 | 6 July 1978 | ||||
| 23 | 8 July 1978 | St Albans | Alban Arena | ||
| 24 | 9 July 1978 | Birmingham | ATV | ||
| 25 | 19 July 1978 | London | Paris Theatre | ||
| Second leg: October–November 1978 | |||||
| 26 | 11 October 1978 | Herenthout | Belgium | Zaal Lux | |
| 27 | 12 October 1978 | Mechelen | Stadschouwburg | ||
| 28 | 13 October 1978 | Berengen | Casino | ||
| 29 | 14 October 1978 | Paris | France | Empire | |
| 30 | 15 October 1978 | Zedelgen | Belgium | Grone Maarsen | |
| 31 | 16 October 1978 | Leuven | Louvain University | ||
| 32 | 18 October 1978 | Groningen | Netherlands | Huize Maas | |
| 33 | 19 October 1978 | Rotterdam | Stadschouwburg | Setlist 2 | |
| 34 | 20 October 1978 | Eindhoven | Stadschouwburg | ||
| 35 | 21 October 1978 | Nijmegen | Vereeniging | ||
| 36 | 22 October 1978 | Sittart | Stadschouwburg | ||
| 37 | 23 October 1978 | Amsterdam | Paradiso | ||
| 38 | 25 October 1978 | Brussels | Belgium | Bursschouwburg | |
| 39 | 28 October 1978 | Hamburg | Germany | Musikhalle | Setlist 3 |
| 40 | 29 October 1978 | Berlin | Neue Welt | ||
| 41 | 1 November 1978 | Bradford | England | University of Bradford | |
| 42 | 2 November 1978 | Nottingham | Nottingham Polytechnic | ||
| 43 | 3 November 1978 | Newcastle | Newcastle Polytechnic | ||
| 44 | 4 November 1978 | Durham | Durham University | ||
| 45 | 5 November 1978 | Dunstable | Civic Hall | ||
| 46 | 8 November 1978 | Keele | Keele University | ||
| 47 | 9 November 1978 | Hull | University of Hull | ||
| 48 | 10 November 1978 | York | University of York | ||
| 49 | 11 November 1978 | Sheffield | University of Sheffield | ||
| 50 | 13 November 1978 | Birmingham | Town Hall | ||
| 51 | 14 November 1978 | Leicester | University of Leicester | ||
| 52 | 15 November 1978 | Manchester | University of Manchester | ||
| 53 | 16 November 1978 | Leeds | Leeds Polytechnic | ||
| 54 | 17 November 1978 | Bristol | Bristol Polytechnic | ||
| 55 | 18 November 1978 | Hitchin | College of Education | ||
Tour locations
  6 10 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 21 23 24 25 27 28 29 30  1 2 4,9 5-6, 19 8 Dire Straits tour dates of June (Red): 6-Wolverhampton, 10-Dudley, 13-Sheffield, 14-Huddersfield, 15-Leicester, 16-Kirklevington, 17-Middlesbrough, 18-Leeds, 20-Edinburgh, 21-Dundee, 23-Burton-on-Trent, 24-Nottingham, 25-Newbridge, 27-Manchester, 28-Lowestoft, 29-Bristol, 30-Plymouth
Dire Straits tour dates of July (Blue): 1-Oxford 2-Deptford, London, 4-Birmingham, 5, 6&19-Soho, London |
 2 5-6 8 19 Dire Straits tour dates of July: 2-Deptford, 5&6-Soho, 19-Soho
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References
- Notes
- ↑ The song "Eastbound Train" did not appear on the album Dire Sraits, although a live version was released as the B-side to "Sultans Of Swing" the same year.
- ↑ The show at Barbarella's on 4 July 1978 was recorded and has been in circulation as a bootleg album titled, Birmingham at Barbarella.
- Citations
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Dire Straits tour 1978". Mark Knopfler Info. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
External links
- "Dire Straits tour 1978". Tours. Canada: Mark Knopfler official site. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
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