The Smiths Newcastle City Hall 24th March 1985

The Smiths Newcastle City Hall 24th March 1985
This was, along with their incendiary performance on the Red Wedge tour, the best time I saw the Smiths. The tour was to promote their second album “Meat Is Murder”, and this time they called at Newcastle City Hall. The venue was pretty full, but I don’t think it was sold out. Support came from fellow Manchurians James, who were being touted as the “next big thing”. The Smiths came onstage to the music of Prokofiev’s “Romeo And Juliet” which was played at very high volume and accompanied by flashing strobe lights. The performance also used video of animals being slaughtered during “Meat Is Murder”. I had a seat close to the stage, and was surrounded by fans going completely crazy; fans were climbing over each other to get close to Morrissey and the first three rows of seats collapse under the scrum. as people had been clambering over the chairs to get closer to their hero. At one point in the concert Morrissey threw his shirt out into the audience; it landed quite close to me, but I had no chance of getting hold of it, a few guys started fighting over it; the shirt was torn to shreds. Morrissey was encouraging fans to come down to the front. The http://www.johnnymarrplaysguitar.com site quotes him as telling the fans “Come on don’t be afraid…..Don’t be afraid of the bouncers, they’re outnumbered”. “Shakespeare’s Sister” had just been released, and was introduced as their new single. I remember watching Johnny Marr, and realising that night just how incredible a guitarist he was.
A great gig from a band who at the time seemed to be unstoppable. Sadly two years later it would be all over.
The tour programme featured pools winner Viv Nicholson on the front cover (see picture). Morrissey had become fascinated by Viv, who had famously won the pools and went ahead to “Spend, Spend, Spend” it all, squandering the money on cars and high living, until she was eventually declared bankrupt.
Setlist: William, It Was Really Nothing; Nowhere Fast; I Want The One I Can’t Have; What She Said; Hand In Glove; How Soon Is Now?; Stretch Out And Wait; That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore; Shakespeare’s Sister; Rusholme Ruffians; The Headmaster Ritual; Still Ill; Handsome Devil; Meat Is Murder
Encore 1: Miserable Lie
Encore 2: Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now; Barbarism Begins At Home