Sultans of Swing: Dire Straits Experience do the walk of life

Chris White and the Dire Straits Experience.

"So many people still want to experience this live," says Chris White, a former member of Dire Straits who now tours as part of the band's tribute act.

He should know: White, a saxophonist, was in New Zealand in 1986 performing as part of Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms tour.

Two-and-a-half million people saw that tour and it set a new Australasian attendance record at the time, one that held until Ed Sheeran's mega-stadium jaunt this year.

But Dire Straits don't tour together anymore. Frontman Mark Knopfler got sick of life on the road and the band broke up in 1995. There's been no sign they'll ever get back together.

"It just got too big," he was quoted as saying in 2007.

Which leads us to The Dire Straits Experience, the tribute act that will be in Auckland in September.

White now plays alongside six other musicians who recreate Dire Straits' biggest hits, Walk of Life, Money For Nothing, and Sultans of Swing, among others.

White put the band together for a one-off event for charity in 2013 but soon found demand growing for more shows. They've been touring ever since.

He says his biggest problem was finding a fill-in for Knopfler, something he didn't think he could initially do.

Then he found Terence Reis, who White says is no mere imposter. "I think we may have found the only person on the planet who is able to play and sing like Mark but maintain his own integrity and identity," he says. "Without Terence, this would simply not work."

White says that's why their version of Dire Straits works so well: fans accept it's not the real Dire Straits, but with White's credentials and familiar saxophone lines, along with Reis' vocals, it's as close as they can get to the real thing. "They believe in Terence as his own man. They know he is not trying to be Mark."

As for White, he says he still gets a kick out of playing Dire Straits' songs after all these years — and he loves seeing the response from fans.

"I have been truly amazed and, frankly, humbled by the response we have had from the fans on hearing these songs again," he says.

"Dire Straits have the most amazingly loyal fan base. So many people still want to experience this live."

• The Dire Straits Experience, September 27, $79-$129, ASB Theatre