Guildhall, Portsmouth
Billy BuddThis was another good concert although Morrissey didn't always seem to be into it. He was not very talkative in the first half of the show. Security was again very tight, so no one made it on stage until "Speedway". The first person who did was helped by Morrissey who, after many efforts, managed to take that fan out of the security's hands.
Have-A-Go Merchant
Spring-Heeled Jim
You're The One For Me, Fatty
The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get
Whatever Happens, I Love You
We'll Let You Know
Jack The Ripper
Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself
The National Front Disco
Moonriver
Hold On To Your Friends
Boxers
Now My Heart Is Full
Speedway
/Shoplifters Of The World Unite
There was no change in the order or content of the set. "Used To Be A Sweet Boy" and "The Last Of The Famous International Playboys" were on the setlist but skipped. Neither of those songs would ever be played live again, although the latter was rehearsed and soundchecked on many dates on this tour.
Morrissey shook a tambourine during the first half of set opener "Billy Budd", then threw it into the audience. On this date the words inscribed on the tambourine were 'SELF SELF SELF'. Before "Jack The Ripper" Morrissey said "I hope that nobody's particularly in a rush to get back to the Isle of... hmmm... Wight". The reply was mostly negative, so he added "...good". Before "The National Front Disco" he asked "Is anybody here from Manchester?" and when he got positive answers, he added "Oh dear...". After "Moonriver" Morrissey enquired to one fan who had been shouting "Get them off!": "When you say things like 'Get them off', what do you mean exactly? I don't follow".
After "Hold On To Your Friends" Morrissey commented about the lukewarn success of his current single: "You may have heard this next song on Top Of The Pops... but I doubt it, somehow... it's called 'Boxers'". After the song Morrissey turned to his band members, pointed to the floor and said "Now!", which intrigued Alain who asked "Now what?". The band then launched into "Now My Heart Is Full". As mentioned earlier, during "Speedway" Morrissey helped a fan to make it up on stage. This distracted him and made him miss some of his lines. For the encore, the anxiously awaited Smiths-era "Shoplifters Of The World Unite", Morrissey returned wearing a vintage West Ham football shirt.
This concert is available on bootleg VHS and DVDs, filmed from the left balcony. The full set is featured and the quality of the image and sound is subpar. The audio was lifted from this and is circulated on the internet.
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