Leicester Polytechnic, Leicester
Handsome DevilThe new single, the growing media exposure and recent appearances on national television on programmes such as The Tube and Riverside attracted a growing number of people to see the Smiths. The band must have made a few hundred new converts on this date because the attendance was very good and the concert was a success. The band and the audience were all in great spirits, feeding off each other's energy.
Still Ill
This Charming Man
What Difference Does It Make?
This Night Has Opened My Eyes
Pretty Girls Make Graves
Hand In Glove
Reel Around The Fountain
These Things Take Time
Miserable Lie
/Accept Yourself
/This Charming Man
//You've Got Everything Now
///Hand In Glove
At 14 songs, this was the longest concert the Smiths had given so far. Both "These Things Take Time" and "Accept Yourself" were performed despite having been neglected on previous dates. During the few months preceding this date the Smiths had taken the habit of doing "Hand In Glove" a second time during the encore, but now they were also giving their fans a second helping of the new single, "This Charming Man" which incidentally had just entered the top 40. The Smiths played three encores, another first in Smithstory.
As the band came on stage, Morrissey greeted the audience "Hello!... Leicester... listen!". Throughout the evening, even though he was enjoying himself, Morrissey wasn't very talkative. After "What Difference Does It Make?" he said "Thank you you're very charming, very charming...". After "Miserable Lie" he shouted "Goodnight! Thank you!" and the Smiths left the stage. They were loudly called back and returned for a first encore, which was introduced by Morrissey with the words "Listen d'you think you can possibly accept yourself?... Well?". The song being introduced was obviously "Accept Yourself" and in it, besides yelping twice after "Time is against me now!" as he usually did live, Morrissey added a musical "ah ah ah ah ah ah" line between "tell me when will you" and "when will you accept your life".
As a second encore the Smiths gave their fans a second helping of "This Charming Man" and went backstage again. They were again loudly called back and did "You've Got Everything Now". In that one Morrissey changed one line to "No I've never had a job because I'm... too handsome". The singer then shouted "Goodbye! Stay handsome!" and everyone left the stage again. They were called back on for a third encore and this time they gave the enthusiastic audience a second serving of "Hand In Glove". Morrissey somehow found a way to thank the crowd's appreciation by changing in that song some words to "No it's not like any other love, this one is different because of you!"
Two different audience recordings of the complete concert are in circulation on compact discs as well as on the internet. The quality of the best one of the two is rather good. It is credited to taper Josef. The other recording sounds slightly inferior, and its recorder is unknown.
Do you have information about this concert? Or do you own an uncirculated recording of it? If yes please contribute and get credited.