Glasgow Academy, Glasgow
First Of The Gang To DieThe final Scottish date of this leg of the tour went down well, but Morrissey showed signs of boredom or exhaustion at times, or perhaps he was annoyed at the subpar sound in the Carling Academy. The Glasgow audience was still well into it, they were chanting his name even before the walk on song (Jobriath's "What A Pretty"). There were many attempts by fans to get on stage, but none was successful. Security was rather brutal, they intercepted fans as well as gifts handed to Morrissey.
Still Ill
You Have Killed Me
The Youngest Was The Most Loved
On The Streets I Ran
At Last I Am Born
To Me You Are A Work Of Art
Girlfriend In A Coma
Let Me Kiss You
I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
A Song From Under The Floor Boards
I Will See You In Far Off Places
My Life Is A Succession Of People Saying Goodbye
Ganglord
Life Is A Pigsty
Trouble Loves Me
How Soon Is Now?
/Irish Blood, English Heart
Morrissey seemed to alternate between two setlists and "On The Streets I Ran" and "My Life Is A Succession Of People Saying Goodbye" were reinstated, replacing the newly introduced "The Father Who Must Be Killed" and the crowd's less-than-favourite "Reader Meet Author". Also, the cover of Magazine's "A Song From Under The Floorboards" replaced the other on-off cover of this tour, the New York Dolls' "Human Being".
Morrissey's greeting as he walked on stage was "My legs belong to Glasgae!", perhaps a funny echo to "My heart belongs to Glasgae!" from the SECC show in 2004. After a rolling "Still Ill" he said "I am still extremely ill, and very proud". "The Youngest Was The Most Loved" was introduced with the line "This is our new single, from 'Ringleader Of The Tormentors' which is number 1 today in Greece" and as the first notes of the song were heard, Morrissey repeated "Greece!". After the song he enquired about the situation of the hall: "Does this bit actually count in the Gorbals? Yes? Well, very interesting..."
For some strange reason, after the last words in "On The Streets I Ran", Morrissey said "I love you...", which was followed, after the song was over, with "Well that was a bit of a racket really... and so is this!". The 'this' in question was "At Last I Am Born" and after that he enquired "Do you prefer this place to Barrowlands?" The latter is the venue where most Smiths and Morrissey gigs took place in Glasgow. He was answered with no's and boos, which prompted him to ask "But boo means what? It's a bit silly if you ask me isn't it? Julia?
Near the end in "To Me You Are A Work Of Art", after singing, "... that's if I had one", Morrissey said "I do". After the song the crowd broke into a chant of his name and he replied "You don't have to do that... it's very nice!" After "Girlfriend In A Coma", he proceeded with the customary band introduction: "Once upon a time, I think it was last year, they bought me a drink, so would you please say hello to the band, Boz Boorer... to Gary Day... to Matt Walker... to Jesse Tobias... (about the crowd's cheering for Jesse) Oh a bit too loud... to Michael Farrell... and that's it really!" Jesse was cheered particularly loudly, hence Morrissey's comment.
After "Let Me Kiss You", Morrissey enquired about the opening band: "Did you enjoy the Sons And Daughters? Good... we love them too". The cover of Magazine's "A Song From Under The Floorboards" was introduced with "This song is for the older section of the audience... which is everybody really! Sadly..." In the song he followed the line "I don't know what keeps me alive and kicking" with his own answer "...nothing". While waiting for all his musicians to be ready to launch into "I Will See You In Far Off Places", he filled the silence with "Can't stop twitching... off we go!"
After "My Life Is A Succession Of People Saying Goodbye" Morrissey had his customary word with his favourite fan: "You okay Julia? Yeah?" then, turning to someone else, or perhaps to the audience in general, he added "You okay? Why?". At the end of the yet-to-be-released and therefore unfamiliar "Ganglord", perhaps for the fans who were afraid to start cheering before the song was really over, Morrissey said "Finished now!". He then followed that with "This song was called 'Ganglord'... (turning to someone asking why) Why? I couldn't think of anything else..." As usual Boz played on glasses filled with water during the intro to "Life Is A Pigsty". However on this date he did it whilst mopping with a towel water he had spilt on his foot.
As tradition dictated "Trouble Loves Me" was preceded by a few lines of a well known local song. As on other Scottish dates before this one, the choice in Greenock went to "The Bonnie Bonnie Banks Of Loch Lomond". As an introduction to "How Soon Is Now?" Morrissey said "And just remember, every silver lining has a cloud". The latter song with its intense percussive ending brought the set to a close then everyone exited stage for a short break.
When they returned, Morrissey and his musicians lined up at the front of the stage and all bowed at once with their arms around one another. Then as everyone was returning to their usual spot Morrissey grabbed Jesse and threw him to the front of the stage again. He then went back to his microphone and said "Thanks for giving us a great time" before launching the final song, a very powerful "Irish Blood, English Heart".
A good audience recording of the full concert is circulated among fans, particularly on the internet.
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