On the Night
On the Night is the second live album by the British rock band Dire Straits, released on 10 May 1993 by Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album features many of the band's later hits, including the singles "Walk of Life" and "Money for Nothing". The cover art of the album features dishes of the Very Large Array in central New Mexico.
In November 2023, On the Night was included in the box set anthology Live 1978–1992.
Recording
On the Night was recorded in May 1992 at Les Arenes in Nîmes, France, and at Feijenoord Stadion in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Shows in Paris, France were also recorded for the album, but unused. All of these concerts were part of the On Every Street Tour, which included 216 shows in Europe, North America, and Australia, and sold 7.1 million tickets.Release
On the Night comprises two engagements, one from each of the European legs. The first was the three-night stint at the Ahoy Stadium in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and the second a trio of shows at Les Arènes in Nîmes, France. The album was released on 10 May 1993 by Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. It was released on compact disc and cassette and pressed in very small numbers for a double LP vinyl record release.A CD single for "Your Latest Trick" titled Encores, was released in the UK which included three additional recordings from the tour: "The Bug", "Solid Rock" and "Local Hero - Wild Theme".
The album was remastered and reissued with the rest of the Dire Straits catalogue in 1996 for most of the world outside the United States.
In November 2023, On the Night was included in the box set anthology Live 1978-1992, remastered and expanded to include tracks that were left off the original album. Guy Fletcher remixed the additional tracks "Sultans of Swing", "Fade to Black", "When It Comes to You", "I Think I Love You Too Much", "Two Young Lovers", "Tunnel of Love" and "Telegraph Road".
Critical response
In his review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album two out of five stars, writing that the album "works sporadically, offering enough good material to interest fans but not enough to win back the commercial audience earned by Brothers in Arms."Track listing
Original Release
2023 Remaster
DVD Release
Personnel
;Dire Straits- Mark Knopfler – lead guitar, lead vocals
- John Illsley – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Alan Clark – piano, organ, synthesizers
- Guy Fletcher – synthesizers, backing vocals
- Chris White – saxophone, flute, percussion, backing vocals
- Paul Franklin – pedal steel guitar
- Phil Palmer – guitar, backing vocals
- Danny Cummings – percussion, backing vocals
- Chris Whitten – drums
- Guy Fletcher – producer
- Neil Dorfsman – producer, engineer, mixing
- Mark Knopfler – producer
- Ronald Prent – assistant engineer
- Peter Brandt – assistant engineer
- Appie van Els – assistant engineer
- Andre den Besten – driver, Eurosound Mobil 4
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Sutton Cooper – artwork
- Paul Cummins – artwork
- Ross Halfin – photography
- Mark Leialoha – photography
- Guido Karp – photography
- Roger Ressmeyer – photography
Video
Track listing
All songs were written by Mark Knopfler, except where indicated.Personnel
;Music- Mark Knopfler – lead guitar, lead vocals
- John Illsley – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Alan Clark – piano, organ, synthesizers
- Guy Fletcher – synthesizers, backing vocals
- Chris White – saxophone, flute, backing vocals
- Paul Franklin – pedal steel guitar
- Phil Palmer – guitar, backing vocals
- Danny Cummings – percussion, backing vocals
- Chris Whitten – drums
- Paul Cummins – producer
- Gilly Tarrant – assistant producer
- Graham Brennan – editor
- Christine Strand – live director
- Robert Collins – live sound engineer
- Chas Herington – lighting design
- Ian Baker – video post production
- Dave Southwood – video post production
Charts