Even before Dire Straits officially broke up, Mark Knopfler had hit the pause button on the band in 1988 following a grueling world tour before they reunited for their final album, 1991’s “On Every Street.” John Illsley and Knopfler remain “very close friends,” the bassist told Vulture. But Illsley has yet to convince the guitarist to reunite the band. “I’m very open to doing whatever’s suggested,” Illsley told BBC News. “I think we’ve definitely got one more tour left in us, and probably another record too.”
While many musicians came and went through the band, if Dire Straits reunited, it would be without guitarist Jack Sonni, who joined the band in 1984 and was on both the “Brothers in Arms” album and world tour. He died in August 2023. Since 2013, several former band members, including keyboard player Alan Clark, percussionist Danny Cummings, saxophonist Mel Collins, and guitarist Phil Palmer, formed Dire Straits Legacy, which performs Dire Straits’ discography. Neither Illsley nor Knopfler are involved in this project. Knopfler, it seems, has moved on from Dire Straits. “These songs walked away from me long ago,” he told Classic Rock. “They belong to you now. I feel very privileged to be able to play them for people. But at the same time, you’ve got to try and protect yourself from being a cabaret thing.”
