Austin (TX), Bass Concert Hall
This Charming ManAll in all this was a very good show. Morrissey was as energetic and playful as he could be. He was perhaps slightly less talkative than usual, but still very physically communicative. The crowd was very appreciative, but more animated at the front than at the back. There was very little change made to the setlist. "Best Friend On The Payroll" was replaced with "One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell" and the order remained the same.
Billy Budd
Black Cloud
How Soon Is Now?
Irish Blood, English Heart
When Last I Spoke To Carol
How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?
I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
Something Is Squeezing My Skull
Seasick, Yet Still Docked
The Loop
The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores
Death Of A Disco Dancer
One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell
I Keep Mine Hidden
Sorry Doesn't Help
Ask
Let Me Kiss You
I'm OK By Myself
/First Of The Gang To Die
Morrissey was aware that people filmed bits of his shows and put the footage up on the internet because as he walked on stage he greeted the audience by shouting "Good evening YouTube!" After opener "This Charming Man" he thanked the crowd in Spanish: "Gracias!" After the set's other Smiths classic, "How Soon Is Now?", he said "Is there a better place to be on Easter Sunday?" Following "Irish Blood, English Heart" he proceeded with the introduction of the band: "So, when you leave the venue tonight... on the merchandise table you will see... Boz Boorer!... and also Solomon Walker... 50% off Matt Walker... born and braised in Austin, Jesse Tobias (crowd cheers loudly for the hometown boy)... Really? You think he's that good? Just kidding, just kidding... Kristopher Pooley, piano forte... and as for me, well... (fakes coughing)..."
Morrissey changed a few lines in "How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?" to "I've had this face dragged in 15 miles of shit", "even I, as sick as I am, I would never be you officer" and "everybody look, see pain, and run away". He also changed a line in latest single "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris": "in the absence of your smiling face, I speed all over the place". It sounded like he made another change further into the song, but this was just mumbling due to a temporary lack of memory. After the song he just shouted "That's it!" After "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" he had words of wisdom to share with his fans: "The words that you speak every single day are written by you, yourself. So the message is: why not write yourself a leaving part?... Why?"
A line in "The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores" was slightly changed to "they who wish to crush you work within the law". Morrissey replied to someone between two lines of the latter number, when he said "yes you might be". He replied to the song's final line "would you do what you should do" with a litany of "when... when... when... when... when... when..." After the song he chatted with a fan in the front row and handed her the microphone so her answers could be heard by the whole audience: "That's okay... Did you travel?... What, very far? (fan says she traveled from Baltimore).... Really?" He then moved on to someone else who said she was from McAllen, Texas. Morrissey answered, in an exaggerated tone, "Oh God! That's near Laredo isn't it? Is it near Brownsville?"
"One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell" was introduced with the line "We've had the temerity to release a new cd called 'Years Of Refusal'... and it's also a LP and from it is this..." Morrissey ad-libbed many minor bits here and there in the latter number, and after its final line "so grab me while we still have the time", he asked "but do we have the time? Yessss, don't know... I really don't know..." He then decided to chat some more with fans in the front rows. He started by asking "Any grotesque questions? You have a grotesque question? (did you have a good Easter?) I saw you on the Ricki Lake show... Don't deny it... Horribly crushed?... (moves to someone else) Is it really grotesque? Should I? Is it really bad? (why does the guy next to me think he sings better than you?) Because he's your husband... (can i have your shirt?) Can you give me your top (she complies, Morrissey raises eyebrows and quickly stops her) No, no, it's Easter Sunday! (can you sign my arm?) Aw, what now?... (to someone else) Wow, it's incredible. Travis, it's incredible... Travis... (more people shout things) What? What? What? What?..."
Morrissey extended a line in "Sorry Doesn't Help" to "sorries pour out of you, they do!" He answered the crowd's appreciation for "Ask" with the words "Really? Well, fancy that! What a world, you never know..." His parting words when he returned to the stage for the encore were "The way in is the way out, hold on to your friends, God bless you Austin..." The encore in question was "First Of The Gang To Die" and Morrissey replaced the song's second half with lyrics from Big Dee Irwin's "Swinging On A Star". He then ended it by singing the title line to Elvis' "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You..."
An average audience recording of the complete concert is circulated on the internet.
"Something Is Squeezing My Skull" and "First Of The Gang To Die" are featured on "Nights Of Refusal" volume 2, a compilation DVD featuring HD Youtube material from the second half of the American leg of the Tour Of Refusal. Their audio track was replaced with the audio from an uncirculated audience recording attributed to recorder Billy B.
Do you have information about this concert? Or do you own an uncirculated recording of it? If yes please contribute and get credited.