Miner's Gala, Cannock Chase
Set list unknown.This turned out to be one of the worst gigs for the band. At the time there was an ongoing dispute between the British Government headed then by Margaret Thatcher and the Mining Unions battling to keep the coal mines alive and working. There was a background of rising unemployment and frustration from the working class. When The Smiths came on it was quite obvious that there was going to be a bit of trouble. There had been numerous speeches by various mining union officials and Labour Party politicians, plus a rousing speech by Colin Welland which more than fired up the passions of the mainly male, largely drunk, audience. The Smiths were on stage for a couple of numbers before the verbal abuse started, most of it homophobic and directed at Morrissey. It was no surprise that the bottles and glasses started flying soon after and the band called it a night.
The set included the old track "What Do You Seen In Him" reborn with new lyrics and the new title "Wonderful Woman".
The Smiths played after opening acts A Dog Named Ego and Shambolic Climate.
Most of this information was provided by Nick Knibb.
There are no recordings of this concert in circulation 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.