5 August 1986
Great Woods Performing Arts Center, Mansfield, MA
How Soon Is Now?
Hand In Glove
I Want The One I Can't Have
Still Ill
Frankly, Mr. Shankly
Panic
Never Had No One Ever
Stretch Out And Wait
The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
Cemetry Gates
What She Said (with Rubber Ring intro and outro)
Is It Really So Strange?
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
The Queen Is Dead
/Money Changes Everything
/I Know It's Over
//Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
///Bigmouth Strikes Again
This first American date of the "The Queen Is Dead" tour turned out to be much better than the previous show, but not as good as the recent London and Ottawa concerts. Fan favourite "How Soon Is Now?" was moved to the beginning of the setlist in the hopes that there would be less stage rushing. Actually no one (or very few) made it on stage. "Shakespeare's Sister" and "Vicar In A Tutu" were dropped in favour of "I Know It's Over" which was being played here for the first time in North America.

Morrissey greeted the crowd with a simple "hello!" following set opener "How Soon Is Now?". He shed his shirt and turned it into a noose which he spun over his head during "Panic". After "Never Had No One Ever" he told the audience "Thank you... you're very kind... very... very clever..." After "Cemetry Gates" he said "You have good taste, thank you..."

At this point in time "Is It Really So Strange?" was a new composition which had yet to be released, so Morrissey introduced it with a shout of its title. Despite being unfamiliar with it the crowd still gave the song a good reception, which prompted Morrissey to say "Oh you didn't like it, don't pretend..." After "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" Mike led the crowd into clapping to the rhythm of a drum beat. Johnny then kicked in and launched "Bigmouth Strikes Again" to the rhythm of the crowd's handclaps.

"Meat Is Murder" was heard during the soundcheck. It had not yet been performed on this leg of the tour. Tickets were $17.50.

 


A good audience recording of this concert was first made available on the "So This Is America" and "Live In The USA" bootleg LPs. "So This Is America" also included "What She Said" from Oxford 18 March 1985, taken from the NME "Poll Winners" freebie 7". "Live In The USA" also has the latter song as a bonus track, as well as a U2 song from the same NME EP.

Many different transfers from "So This Is America" to cd or to digital files are in circulation under the same title or a different one. Those would include "Live In Mansfield UK 1986", which seems to lack "That Joke Isn't Anymore" even though the bootleg is spread over 2 cds, and "Ready To Split" which features the full set and has the best artwork of the lot.

However the best recording out there is being traded on untitled compact discs and in digital format on the internet. It features the complete set, and on the internet it is the only recording to be found in lossless format 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.