LOVE OVER GOLD TOUR 1982 - 1983

Tour line-up:

Mark Knopfler Guitar, vocals	John Illsley Bass, vocals	Hal Lindes Guitar, vocals	Alan Clark Keyboards / piano	Tommy Mandel Keyboards	Terry Williams Drums	Mel Collins Saxophone
On 24th September 1982, Dire Straits released their fourth album Love over gold. See a few pictures of Mark Knopfler in the studio here (1, 2, 3). One of the songs Mark Knopfler wrote was Private Dancer and Dire Straits actually ran through it during the recording sessions according to Hal Lindes. Mark thought it did not fit well with the rest of the songs and decided to give the song to Tina Turner who released it on her 1984 album called Private Dancer. It became a worldwide commercial success for Tina. In between the release of the Love over gold album and the tour, Dire Straits recorded an EP in just three days at Jam Studios, London. The EP featured three new songs and Badges, posters, stickers, T-shirts, the B-side from the Private investigations single. Click here for a picture of Mark Knopfler at Jam Studios. For the upcoming tour, a few changes were made in de line-up again; Pick Withers left the and was replaced by Terry Williams. Additional to the previous line-up are Tommy Mandel and Mel Collins. At the start of the tour, there was actually no saxophone player at all. Mel Collins started at the Wembley shows in December 1982. In Australia, New Zealand and Japan 1983, it was Paul Williamson who played the saxophone. Mel Collins joined the band again for the rest of the tour. They rehearsed between 3rd and 28th November 1982 at Whood Wharf (Greenwich, London) to start their world tour two days later. On 20th July 1983, Dire Straits played a concert in aid for the Prince's Trust where they also met Princess Diana and Prince Charles. In an interview with Hal Lindes, he talks about playing for the Prince's Trust and meeting the royal couple. Hank B. Marvin and Bruce Welch were special guests on Going home on 22nd July 1983. By that time, Dire Straits was Diana's favourite band. The last two shows from the tour were recorded and resulted in the live album Alchemy which was released on 16th March 1984. The LP went gold in the UK within five days, and the video entered the UK Music-video charts at number 1. Click here to listen to a fragment of an interview (1984) with Mark Knopfler in which he reveals that the Love over Gold tour actually costed 10.000 Pounds a day just to play.

Advertisement poster for the tour: 

Official recordings made during this tour

Concert	Bootleg release	Official release
London (22 & 23.07.1983)

Concert	Bootleg release	Official release
London (22 & 23.07.1983)

 
► Total concerts played: 93



November 1982

  30.11.1982     Civic Hall Guildford UK



December 1982

  01.12.1982     City Hall Sheffield UK
  02.12.1982     City Hall Sheffield UK
  03.12.1982     Spa Royal Hall Bridlington UK
  04.12.1982     Leisure Centre Deeside UK
  05.12.1982     Apollo Glasgow Scotland
  06.12.1982     Playhouse Edinburgh Scotland
  07.12.1982     Playhouse Edinburgh Scotland
  08.12.1982     City Hall Newcastle UK
  09.12.1982     City Hall Newcastle UK
  10.12.1982     Apollo Manchester UK
  11.12.1982     Apollo Manchester UK
  12.12.1982     Gaumont Theatre Ipswich UK
  13.12.1982     De Montfort Hall Leicester UK
  14.12.1982     National Exhibition Centre Birmingham UK
  15.12.1982     The Centre Brighton UK
  16.12.1982     The Centre Brighton UK
  17.12.1982     National Exhibition Centre Birmingham UK
  18.12.1982     Wembley Arena London UK
  19.12.1982     Wembley Arena London UK
  20.12.1982     Wembley Arena London UK
  21.12.1982     Wembley Arena London UK



March 1983

  04.03.1983     Hordern Pavilion Sydney Australia
  05.03.1983     Hordern Pavilion Sydney Australia
  06.03.1983     Hordern Pavilion Sydney Australia (two shows see afternoon time printed on this ticket for the first of two shows!)
  07.03.1983     Hordern Pavilion Sydney Australia
  08.03.1983     Hordern Pavilion Sydney Australia
  09.03.1983     Hordern Pavilion Sydney Australia
  11.03.1983     Festival Hall Brisbane Australia
  12.03.1983     Festival Hall Brisbane Australia
  13.03.1983     Festival Hall Brisbane Australia
  15.03.1983     Indoor Sports Centre Camberra Australia
  17.03.1983     Memorial Drive Tennis Stadium Adelaide Australia
  18.03.1983     Memorial Drive Tennis Stadium Adelaide Australia
  19.03.1983     Festival Hall Melbourne Australia
  20.03.1983     Festival Hall Melbourne Australia
  21.03.1983     Festival Hall Melbourne Australia
  22.03.1983     Festival Hall Melbourne Australia
  24.03.1983     Entertainment Centre Perth Australia
  26.03.1983     Western Springs Auckland New Zealand
  29.03.1983     Athletic Park Wellington New Zealand



April 1983

  02.04.1983     Seineken Hall Tokyo Japan
  03.04.1983     Seineken Hall Tokyo Japan
  04.04.1983     Seineken Hall Tokyo Japan
  05.04.1983     Expo Hall Osaka Japan



May 1983

  11.05.1983     Ernst Merck-Halle Hamburg Germany
  12.05.1983     Broendbyhalle Copenhagen Denmark
  14.05.1983     Deutschlandhalle Berlin Germany
  15.05.1983     Eissporthalle Kassel Germany
  16.05.1983     Sporthalle Cologne Germany
  18.05.1983     Stadthalle Vienna Austria
  19.05.1983     Stadthalle Linz Austria
  20.05.1983     Olympiahalle Munich Germany
  21.05.1983     Festhalle Frankfurt Germany
  22.05.1983     Eisstadion Mannheim Germany
  23.05.1983     Hallenstadion Zürich Switserland
  24.05.1983     Hallenstadion Zürich Switserland
  25.05.1983     Patinoire des Vernets Geneva Switserland
  26.05.1983     Patinoire des Vernets Geneva Switserland
  27.05.1983     Palais des Sports Grenoble France
  28.05.1983     St. Jakob Sporthalle Basel Switserland
  29.05.1983     Renhus Strasbourg France
  30.05.1983     Centre Sportif Differdange Luxembourg
  31.05.1983     Forest National Brussels Belgium



June 1983

  01.06.1983     Forest National Brussels Belgium
  12.06.1983     Ijsselhal Zwolle The Netherlands
  13.06.1983     Maasport Den Bosch The Netherlands
  14.06.1983     Jaap Edenhal Amsterdam The Netherlands
  16.06.1983     Ahoy Rotterdam The Netherlands
  17.06.1983     Rodahal Kerkrade The Netherlands
  18.06.1983     Parc des Expositions Lille France
  19.06.1983     Palais des Sports Paris France
  20.06.1983     Palais des Sports Paris France
  21.06.1983     Palais des Sports Paris France
  22.06.1983     Palais des Sports Paris France
  23.06.1983     Palais des Sports Paris France
  24.06.1983     La Beaujoire Nantes France
  26.06.1983     Les Arènes Bayonne France
  28.06.1983     Estadio Roman Valero Madrid Spain
  30.06.1983     Levante Futbol Estadio Valencia Spain



July 1983

  01.07.1983     Estadio Municipal Narcis Sala Barcelona Spain
  03.07.1983     Les Arènes Béziers France
  05.07.1983     Stadio Comunale Novara Italy
  06.07.1983     Stadio Comunale Ferrara Italy
  07.07.1983     Stadio Comunale Prato (Florence) Italy
  08.07.1983     Le Capannelle Rome Italy
  09.07.1983     Stadio Comunale Cava Dei Tirenni (Naples) Italy
  12.07.1983     Maksimir Stadium Zagreb Coatia
  17.07.1983     Punches Town Race Course Naas Ireland
  20.07.1983     Prince's Trust Rock Gala, Dominion Theatre London UK
  22.07.1983     Hammersmith Odeon London UK
  23.07.1983     Hammersmith Odeon London UK

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