Sheffield (UK), Sheffield City Hall
This Charming ManThis was another great concert. Morrissey was in good humour, and quite playful and communicative with the audience. He looked like he was enjoying himself, and his voice was strong. The sound quality in the City Hall was particularly good. The venue was a seated one, but everybody stood up and the Sheffield crowd was very welcoming. Two fans made it on stage near the end of the show. No changes were made to the setlist.
Black Cloud
When Last I Spoke To Carol
How Soon Is Now?
Ganglord
Cemetry Gates
I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
Teenage Dad On His Estate
Nowhere Fast
Irish Blood, English Heart
Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself?
One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell
Death At One's Elbow
The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores
Is It Really So Strange?
The Loop
Because Of My Poor Education
I'm OK By Myself
/First Of The Gang To Die
As Morrissey walked on stage, he greeted the audience by shouting the question "Do you think you can take it?" There was a resounding cry of "yes!" and the concert was on. After "Ganglord" he asked "But where is the ghetto?" The audience shouted back several suggestions and he ruminated for a while before deciding it had to be Pontefract. Over the closing bars of "Cemetry Gates" he told the front rows "Lie back... lie back... lie back and enjoy..." When he presented the band, Boz Boorer was introduced as having "the wisdom of hundreds of years" and Jesse Tobias was said to be "playing the guitar quite well".
Following "Teenage Dad On His Estate" Morrissey sarcastically commented on the poor sales of the new compilation on which that song appeared: "Thank you to the seven people throughout the United Kingdom who have bought 'Swords' this week... I shall visit you all... two!" After "Irish Blood, English Heart", he asked if anyone had something to say. He scanned the front row, asking "No? Nobody, no? Yes? (fan says he and her share the same birthday) What was that? (she repeats) You mean you and I? (deadpans) Wow..." Before the accordion solo in "Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself" he announced its player with a simple call of his name, "Gustavo..." After that song he teasingly asked the crowd "Shall we continue? (crowd cheers)... Why?"
After "The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores", Morrissey told the crowd "I must say, the shops in Sheffield are much better now... at night..." Over the length of this show he actually joked a few times on the name of the venue, supposedly calling it the City Whore or Shitty Hall. His parting words before going into the encore were "Roll back those heavy granite shoulders, you're amongst friends for the next (looks at his watch)... three minutes, and then it's back to the horrors of real life... horror..."
The b-side "If You Don't Like Me, Don't Look At Me" was heard at soundcheck. The song would eventually be added to the setlist, but not until the tour reached the United States.
There are no significant audio or video recordings of this concert in wide circulation at this point in time. Orphan video files of "Death At One's Elbow", "First Of The Gang To Die", "Ganglord", "I'm OK By Myself", "Is It Really So Strange?", "Nowhere Fast", "One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell", "The Loop" and "Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself" are circulated on the internet. There are actually two different audio audience recordings out there, but neither are being shared at this point in time.
Do you have information about this concert? Or do you own an uncirculated recording of it? If yes please contribute and get credited.