For more than three decades, Mark Knopfler has remained resolute in his stance that Dire Straits are no more. The band’s fate very much lies in his hands, and as the years pass, hopes of a reunion become increasingly fleeting. But there is one thing about being in Dire Straits that Knopfler still remembers fondly — the moment a giant crowd goes wild.
Speaking to the BBC in 2008, bass player John Illsley admitted that a reunion was out of his hands. He had been with the band from their beginnings as a fledgling Northumbrian rock group through their rise to become one of Britain’s most celebrated bands, but held little sway over their future. He said he would “love to” get the band back together, but conceded that it was “entirely up to Mark.”
Since Dire Straits broke up in 1995, Knopfler has released 10 solo albums, with the latest, One Deep River, arriving in 2024. He has never seemed to need the band, and considering his well-documented disdain for fame, there are few obvious reasons for him to return to the massive stages of Dire Straits’ heyday.
There is, however, one thing he still misses.
“Playing ‘Going Home’ at the end of a set, to a crowd anywhere in the world, people go bananas,” he told Vulture in 2024 (via Far Out).
The instrumental was written by Knopfler as the closing theme for the 1983 movie Local Hero. Its reach has extended far beyond the small Scottish town in which the film is set, and Knopfler even considers its guitar solo the best he ever wrote, despite the fact that it’s full of wrong notes.
Originally released as a solo single, “Going Home” was subsequently adopted into Dire Straits’ live shows, where it became a crowd-pleasing set closer. In 1985, Knopfler traded its licks with his guitar hero Hank Marvin during a performance at Wembley, further cementing the song’s place in his live repertoire.
The electricity of hearing those first delicate notes swell into a huge crowd reaction has stayed with Knopfler, even if Dire Straits haven’t.
“It’s a fun thing for a band to experience,” he reflected. “I suppose you get used to that happening, the big audience reactions and massive noises. It’s a thrill. ‘Wow, this is Madison Square Garden, and people are going nuts.’
“Surely, that’s what you’re doing here,” he added. “Otherwise, go home. It doesn’t mean anything to you.”
There are many iconic moments in Knopfler’s career. It could be argued that “Sultans of Swing” affirmed his guitar-hero status, while “Money for Nothing” remains one of rock’s most recognizable guitar riffs and tones. A 1983 collaboration with Bob Dylan should have been another milestone, but was actually tempestuous. Still, it remains a significant name on his resume.
“Going Home,” meanwhile, has taken on a life of its own. The song was adopted by Knopfler’s beloved football club, Newcastle United, as its walk-out music at home games, and in 2021 he performed it in tribute to late Formula 1 driver Stirling Moss.
Its 2024 charity re-release featured contributions from 60 guitarists, including Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, David Gilmour and Tony Iommi, and reportedly raised a six-figure sum for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
“What we’ve had is an embarrassment of riches,” Knopfler said of the track (via The Independent). “The whole thing was a high point.”
As things stand, there is still no sign of Knopfler relenting on his position regarding a Dire Straits reunion. But while he may have no desire to bring the band back, his memories of playing “Going Home” to enormous crowds offer a glimpse of what he does miss — the thrill of hearing thousands of people go bananas for the music.
