GOLDEN HEART TOUR 1996

Tour line-up:

Mark Knopfler Guitar, vocals	Guy Fletcher Keyboard, vocals	Richard Bennett Guitar	Glenn Worf Bass, vocals	Jim Cox Piano, vocals	Chad Cromwell Drums
A few years after the massive On every street tour, Mark Knopfler decided to put Dire Straits to rest. Things got too big for his taste and he wanted to go on on a much smaller scale. Therefor he formed a new band, with Guy Fletcher from Dire Straits and the rest of the band are all musicians from the USA. On 25th March 1996, Mark released his first solo album Golden heart. On 15th April 1996, just before the start of the tour, Mark did a special called Later with Jools Holland which was later officially released as A night in London. Guests musician on that show were Jools Holland, Paul Franklin, Sonny Landreth, Irish musicians Dónal Lunny, Liam O'Flynn, Seán Keane and Máirtín O'Connor. And the band was also accompanied by The Electra Strings; Sonia Slany, Jules Singleton, Jocelyn Pook and Dinah Beamish. The Golden heart tour, for which the band rehearsed for about six weeks, started nine days later in Ireland. On several concerts of the actual tour, Mark's band was accompanied by The Electra Strings and on the 24th May 1996, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings were guest musicians for the track Water of love. The concert from 5th May 1996 was moved from Usher Hall to Meadowbank Sports Arena due to damage to the roof of the hall caused by strong winds. The concert on 3rd July 1996 was initially scheduled for the Rhein-Neckar-Halle (Heidelberg), but actually held at the Mozartsaal Im Rosengarten (Mannheim), Germany. The outdoor show on 2nd August 1996 in Vaison-la-Romaine was cancelled after the third track due to heavy rain. On 4th August 1996 at the end of the tour, Mark received a very nice present from the band; a Beltone Electro Resonator guitar. It is engraved on the back with the 'Golden Heart' emblem, initials and date. Click here for a nice advertisement for the five Dutch concerts. Click here for a nice picture of the complete crew from the Golden Heart tour.

Advertisement poster for the tour: 

Official recordings made during this tour

Concert	Bootleg release	Official release
Bristol (19.05.1996)
London (23.05.1996)
Hamburg (08.06.1996)
Copenhagen (10.06.1996)
Sweden (12.06.1996)
Vaison (03.08.1996)

Concert	Bootleg release	Official release
London (15.04.1996)

► Total concerts played: 87



April 1996

  15.04.1996     BBC Building London UK
  24.04.1996     Leisureland Galway Ireland
  25.04.1996     City Hall Cork Ireland
  26.04.1996     The Point Dublin Ireland
  29.04.1996     Ulster Hall Belfast UK
  30.04.1996     Ulster Hall Belfast UK



May 1996

  03.05.1996     Capitol Theatre Aberdeen UK
  04.05.1996     Caird Hall Dundee UK
  05.05.1996     Meadowbank Sports Arena Edinburgh Scotland
  06.05.1996     Royal Concert Hall Glasgow Scotland
  07.05.1996     City Hall Newcastle UK
  08.05.1996     City Hall Newcastle UK
  09.05.1996     Town & Country Club Leeds UK
  10.05.1996     Apollo Manchester UK
  11.05.1996     Apollo Manchester UK
  12.05.1996     Empire Liverpool UK
  13.05.1996     Royal Concert Hall Nottingham UK
  14.05.1996     Civic Hall Wolverhampton UK
  15.05.1996     Corn Exchange Cambridge UK
  17.05.1996     International Centre Bournemouth UK
  18.05.1996     International Arena Cardiff UK
  19.05.1996     Colston Hall Bristol UK
  20.05.1996     Civic Hall Guildford UK
  22.05.1996     Royal Albert Hall London UK
  23.05.1996     Royal Albert Hall London UK
  24.05.1996     Royal Albert Hall London UK 
  25.05.1996     Shepherd's Bush Empire London UK
  26.05.1996     Shepherd's Bush Empire London UK
  28.05.1996     Flanders Expo Gent Belgium
  29.05.1996     Forest National Brussels Belgium
  30.05.1996     Rodahal Kerkrade The Netherlands
  31.05.1996     Rijnhal Arnhem The Netherlands



June 1996

  01.06.1996     The Ahoy Rotterdam The Netherlands
  02.06.1996     The Ahoy Rotterdam The Netherlands
  03.06.1996     Eissporthalle Kockelscheuer Luxembourg
  06.06.1996     Martinihal Groningen The Netherlands
  07.06.1996     Music Hall Hannover Germany
  08.06.1996     Stadtpark Hamburg Germany
  09.06.1996     Stadtpark Hamburg Germany
  10.06.1996     The Forum Copenhagen Denmark
  11.06.1996     Spektrum Oslo Norway
  12.06.1996     Globe Arena Stockholm Sweden
  14.06.1996     Tempodrom Berlin Germany
  15.06.1996     Tempodrom Berlin Germany
  16.06.1996     Tempodrom Berlin Germany
  17.06.1996     Freilichtbühne Dresden Germany
  18.06.1996     Palace Of Culture Prague Czech Republic
  19.06.1996     Palace Of Culture Prague Czech Republic
  20.06.1996     Vystavna Hala Bratislava Slovakia
  21.06.1996     Petofi Csarnok Budapest Hungary
  22.06.1996     Festivalgelände Wiesen Austria
  23.06.1996     Sporthalle Linz Austria
  24.06.1996     Circus Krone Munich Germany
  25.06.1996     Circus Krone Munich Germany
  26.06.1996     Circus Krone Munich Germany
  27.06.1996     Stadthalle Fürth Germany
  28.06.1996     Alte Oper Frankfurt Germany
  29.06.1996     Alte Oper Frankfurt Germany



July 1996

  01.07.1996     Sporthalle Cologne Germany
  02.07.1996     Seidensticker-Halle Bielefeld Germany
  03.07.1996     Mozartsaal Im Rosengarten Mannheim Germany
  04.07.1996     Freilichtbühne Killesberg Stuttgart Germany
  05.07.1996     Stadthalle Freiburg Germany
  06.07.1996     Festhalle Bern Switserland
  08.07.1996     Le Summum Grenoble France
  09.07.1996     Théatre De Fourvière Lyon France
  10.07.1996     Théatre De Fourvière Lyon France
  11.07.1996     Zénith Paris France
  12.07.1996     Zénith Paris France
  13.07.1996     Olympia Paris France
  16.07.1996     Zénith Caen France
  18.07.1996     Les Arènes Dax France
  19.07.1996     Palacio De Los Deportes Zaragoza Spain
  20.07.1996     Bullring Bilbao Spain
  21.07.1996     Palacio De Los Deportes Gijon Spain
  22.07.1996     Coliseum La Coruna Spain
  23.07.1996     Coliseum Oporto Portugal
  24.07.1996     Bullring Cascais Lisbon Portugal
  26.07.1996     Las Ventas Bullring Madrid Spain
  27.07.1996     Plaza de Toros Logroño Spain
  29.07.1996     Plaza de Toros Valencia Spain
  30.07.1996     Plaza De Toros Monumental Barcelona Spain
  31.07.1996     Plaza De Toros Monumental Barcelona Spain



August 1996

  01.08.1996     Les Arènes Béziers France
  02.08.1996     Théatre Antique Vaison-la-Romaine France
  03.08.1996     Théatre Antique Vaison-la-Romaine France
  04.08.1996     La Pinède Antibes France

 

▲ Back to index