5 September 2002
Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA

I Want The One I Can't Have
Hairdresser On Fire
Suedehead
Little Man, What Now?
First Of The Gang To Die
Jack The Ripper
Late Night, Maudlin Street
I Like You
Mexico
Sister I'm A Poet
Alsatian Cousin
Everyday Is Like Sunday
The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores
Meat Is Murder
November Spawned A Monster
Speedway
/There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
The Southern California fans are usually very rowdy, but this concert wasn't as hectic as expected. There was no stage climbing and very few attempts because of the size of the pit between the stage and the first row. The venue was an open air one but fortunately conditions were good. Morrissey was energetic and playful, he seemed to be in his element, perhaps because he was so close to home. There was no change in the setlist.

As he first picked up the microphone Morrissey greeted his fans "Santa Booboo! My name is stinky... stay on your knees... I'm home!". After set opener "I Want The One I Can't Have" he added "Thank you Santa Barbara... shucks you're so nice!... Yes Boz!" In live performances of "Hairdresser On Fire" he usually changed a line to "when he said I'm gonna screw you, I felt quite happy for you", but on this date he took it a bit further by singing "...I felt quite jealous of you". After that song he said "Thank you for hanging on and braving the chilly air (crowd cheers)... Why are you cheering, nobody knows..."

New composition and future classic "First Of The Gang To Die" was introduced with the line "Just to prove that we're not fat and lazy, we have written a new song and the lyrics have just been passed to me, and it's called 'The First Of The Gang To Die'..." In the song Morrissey reversed an occurrence of "Oh my" with one of "such a silly boy". Then "Jack The Ripper" was in its turn introduced with "I think that absolutely no doubt whatsoever that these could have been the thoughts of Jack The Ripper..."

After the latter title Morrissey proceeded with something that was turning into a tradition: "If you can bear it I'd like to introduce you to thee boys in thee band... you're all very well acquainted with Boz... you're all very well acquainted with Gary... you're all very well acquainted with Deano... (pretends to forget Alain) and that's it, (turns back quickly) oh sorry, Alain!... and I've come to make a bet check..." Near the end of "Late Night, Maudlin Street" his voice slightly failed and he said "If only I could sing..."

New composition "I Like You" was introduced with the comment "There's a strong wind from sea cliff, but this is something I'm saying for the first time... 'I Like You'..." After the song Morrissey immediately said "Paul I feel as if I'm being followed... not that it mattered..." Then, knowing the venue was filled with hispanic fans, "Mexico" was humourously introduced with the line "This song is about our favourite country, and it's called 'Belgium'..." After the song, to a fan shouting very loudly for "Sister I'm A Poet", Morrissey said "Yes that's right, just spit it out, get it off your chest, say it now... God knows we'll all be bombed very soon... (then to himself, about the crowd reaction to the last words) that was a very quiet cheer..."

Morrissey tried to introduce "Alsatian Cousin" but after many attempts he abandoned "This song is from... This song is from... This song is from... an album called 'Viva Hate' (crowd cheers)... and it's err... well... (takes a gift handed to him) Oh, very nice, did you make it yourself? No you didn't..." Beside the usual live change in that song from "P.S. bring me home and have me" to "Please! bring me home and have me" Morrissey sang "leather elbows on a tweed coat, Jesus! is that the best you can do?" After the song he replied to someone else shouting loudly: "Yes my friend I can hear you! I don't know what he's saying but I can hear him..."

The other new song "The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores" was introduced with "I'm only saying this because it's indisputable... the world is full of crashing bores..." Morrissey bridged the gap between the latter song and the next planned one with "That song was called 'The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores' and I'd like to dedicate this next song to such a person who's actually (gets interrupted by a heckler) Oh, shut up! (returns to subject)... who's actually famously from the Santa Barbara area and... she's just celebrated her 90th birthday and please God she won't celebrate one more... this is for Julia Child, you know her, you hate her..."

In "Meat Is Murder" Morrissey writhed on the floor like a dying animal as he usually did, and brought back the hands-forming-a-triangle move that he often did during the Oye Esteban tour. At the end of the song, Boz pretended to stab Morrissey repeatedly with the neck of his guitar. Before going into "November Spawned A Monster" Morrissey had a few words with fans in the front rows: "Why? Why do you say that? Oh... Oh I see... Did you say mañana? Oh..." Following "November Spawned A Monster" the audience chanted their idol's name and the object thanked them "...for singing that lovely song..."

When he returned to the stage after a short break to perform the final song of the evening, Morrissey thanked his fans profusely and said "Well... we've been turned down by every record company in America (crowd boos)... Twice!... So, without you we'd be well and truly screwed... So, from the heart of our bottoms, thank you..." In encore "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" he extended a line to "I never never want to go home, because I haven't got one, believe me, I haven't got one". The fans finished the song for him in a big sing along.

 


A reasonably good audience recording of the complete set is circulated on physical and digital bootlegs. This is sometimes seen with artwork under the title "You're Standing On Our Streets".

 

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