Helsinki (Finland), Cable Factory
This Charming ManMorrissey was definitely back on form and this was a great show. The singer was in obvious good spirits and in a chatty mood. The audience was very receptive and energetic, and this had a positive effect on the atmosphere.
Billy Budd
Black Cloud
How Soon Is Now?
One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell
Ask
I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?
The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores
Let Me Kiss You
You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby
When Last I Spoke To Carol
Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
Best Friend On The Payroll
Life Is A Pigsty
Sorry Doesn't Help
The Loop
Irish Blood, English Heart
I'm OK By Myself
/First Of The Gang To Die
The recently introduced "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" returned to the setlist, just as "Best Friend On The Payroll", at the expense of "Something Is Squeezing My Skull" and "Girlfriend In A Coma".
Morrissey started the show by greeting the audience with the line "Hei, hei, hei, hei, hei, Helsinki!" ('hei' being Finnish for hello). He used the other Finnish word he knew when he thanked the crowd following set opener "This Charming Man": "Kiitos! Now is the hour!" In "Billy Budd" he playfully followed the line "Say Billy Budd" with a shout of "Yes you!", then followed "things have been bad" by adding "Really? Yes they have!" After "One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell" he said "I thought Helsinki was supposed to be cold... (grabs at the front of his sweat-drenched shirt) Look! Look! Look!" Following "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris" he asked "Are we moving too fast? When did you last let the right one slip in?" Nobody really replied, probably because very few understood the question, so he said "Never? Never!? Answer... Answer. Please... please... please-please... (someone: 'tonight!') July? (fan repeats 'tonight!') Tonight? (Morrissey fakes embarrassment) Next song, really quickly!"
As an introduction to "The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores" Morrissey mentioned the media frenzy that surrounded the recent death of Michael Jackson: "Now, over the last two days, I think you may have noticed the relish on all the news channels about a certain story which I think only goes to prove, if it hasn't already been proven, that the world is full of crashing bores..." After "Let Me Kiss You" he proceeded with the introduction of the band: "Would you please say hei in your inimitable way to Boz Boorer... playing the bass is Solomon Walker... and he's all yours... drumming, drumming, drumming is Matt Walker... and he's all yours... twiddle, twiddle, twiddle, Jesse Tobias... plonk-plonk-plonk-plonk-plonk, Kristopher Pooley..."
Following "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby" Morrissey commented on a subject dear to him and some of his fans: "I am - it's very sad to see so many of the record shops in Helsinki have (makes crashing noise) closed down... it's a sign of the times, will you adapt? Yes? (no one seems to understand what he's on about) No? Yes? Yes? Matt!" When he returned to the stage for the encore he told the crowd "And now, my heart must say (Finnish word sounds like 'moy')..." then spotted front row regular Julia so he asked here "Julia? Are you well?" and handed her the microphone so she could ask him how he was and tell him how wonderful it was to see him.
There are two different audio recordings of this concert out there. The recording credited to Wiltteri features the full set and sounds quite good. The recording credited to Matti features material up to one minute into "Life Is A Pigsty". It also sounds more muffled that the other. The Wiltteri recording is the only one to have made it to wide circulation at this point in time.
There is also something for collectors of video bootlegs as Wiltteri filmed six songs or song excerpts from this set: "Black Cloud", "Ask", "Let Me Kiss You", "Best Friend On The Payroll", "Irish Blood, English Heart" and "First Of The Gang To Die". This was filmed from the crowd, at a distance, but there are many close-ups. The footage is overall quite good. It is often found on bootleg DVDs also featuring Wiltteri's partial recordings of the earlier Stockholm and Tampere concerts from the same tour. The footage is also found on "Scandinavian Refusal", a compilation DVD featuring material from all the Scandinavian dates of this tour, put together by FamousWhenDead. However in this case Wiltteri's audio recording mentioned above was dubbed over the footage.
Do you have information about this concert? Or do you own an uncirculated recording of it? If yes please contribute and get credited.