25 June 1985
State University Open Air Theater, San Diego, USA
Meat Is Murder
The Headmaster Ritual
Shakespeare's Sister
Hand In Glove
Nowhere Fast
I Want The One I Can't Have
This Charming Man
That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
Stretch Out And Wait
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
What She Said
Still Ill
How Soon Is Now?
/William, It Was Really Nothing
/Jeane
//Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want
//Rusholme Ruffians
//Miserable Lie
///Barbarism Begins At Home
Despite a minor incident (read further), this show went down well. Morrissey wasn't very talkative but he and the band gave their best. As on the previous date in Oakland a drag queen warmed the audience for the Smiths. There was no surprise in the setlist, but the songs were resequenced. "Meat Is Murder" was moved up to the opening spot while "How Soon Is Now?" took its place as the final song of the main set.

As Morrissey entered stage he greeted the audience with the line "Yes, hello!... It's just as you feared, even more drag queens!" before going into a very passionate performance of "Meat Is Murder". Besides the occasional song introduction and thank you's, his only significant banter after this came after "Stretch Out And Wait" when he said "See, there's no need to be violent, never..." Following the latter commented he apparently exited stage. The following song "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" was started as an instrumental then someone, probably from the audience, took the microphone and gave his best Morrissey impersonation. Morrissey then quickly returned to his microphone to resume the show, which ended with a 13-minute performance of "Barbarism Begins At Home".

 


There are two different audience recordings of the full concert out there. The scarcest of the two sounds average, while the other one sounds slightly inferior.

 

Do you have information about this concert? Or do you own an uncirculated recording of it? If yes please contribute and get credited.