Lest We Forget....

[kevin]

15 years ago tonight.....the last 'proper' gig on English soil , well Brixton anyway.....

[observer]

[kevin]

As to a live audience of Smiths fans rather than a tv studio ....

[Ruffian]

> 15 years ago tonight.....the last 'proper' gig on English soil , well
> Brixton anyway.....

And you know what Kevin.. that does interest me sadly enough!! I saw the Smiths on 24/10/86.. at Brixton.. quite simply in my diary.. 'Just went to a brilliant gig..' and so on.. so young.. so happy that night.. I always go back to Brixton in reverence and tell people 'I was standing THERE that night!! and point to an area just in front of the mixing desk..

Was you at the last gig Kev? tell us about it..

[tl]

[russ t]

.I bought a copy at a record fayre a few years ago and, while the quality is pretty sh.itty (it's recorded from a video recorder on the balcony), it has a real sense of history about it.... and the last few bars are bloody heartbreaking.

> 15 years ago tonight.....the last 'proper' gig on English soil , well
> Brixton anyway.....

[Billy Budd]

> .I bought a copy at a record fayre a few years ago and, while the quality
> is pretty sh.itty (it's recorded from a video recorder on the balcony), it
> has a real sense of history about it.... and the last few bars are bloody
> heartbreaking.

I saw The Smiths 3 times, twice at Sheffield City Hall and the other was at Manchester Apollo. The crowd were pretty chaotic in Sheffield, I picked up numerous bruises from big Manchester lads crashing into me. A lot of people from Manchester seemed to follow them about in other cities. The Morrissey gigs I've been to have been different, I've never seen another band or artist where you can feel the adoration in the atmosphere as strong as you can at a Moz gig, grown men perplexed and overcome, I know that's what has happened to me in the past. The last one I went to was at Nottingham's Rock City, I've got this feeling that Morrissey may now be looking at withdrawing from the whole scene, so there was a bit of paranoia about this being the last one. While watching this gig, I completely forgot about the pint I was holding and didn't take a single sip throughout, completely flat afterwards. The ultimate experience at Morrisseys solo shows has been when he has done the slower songs, that's a singular emotional experience in itself.

Anyone else got any experiences they want to share of Smiths/Morrissey gigs ?

[russ t]

I was in the front row when Moz got pulled off 6 songs into the set... and beaten senseless by Cardiff City lunatics at the front.... and saw Grant Showbiz get knocked out by a flying Coke bottle when he announced Moz was too injured to carry on the concert.... riots ensued, police were called, all the equipment was dragged from the stage.... madness.

Friend of mine in Cardiff saw Moz in Spillers Record shop (where she worked) the next day sporting a black eye and numerous bruises. She looked up and there he was - she nearly fainted to a heap on the floor! He was buying an armful of George Formby albums on vinyl. Aww....

Oh, and THAT Finsbury Park gig......

> I saw The Smiths 3 times, twice at Sheffield City Hall and the other was
> at Manchester Apollo. The crowd were pretty chaotic in Sheffield, I picked
> up numerous bruises from big Manchester lads crashing into me. A lot of
> people from Manchester seemed to follow them about in other cities. The
> Morrissey gigs I've been to have been different, I've never seen another
> band or artist where you can feel the adoration in the atmosphere as
> strong as you can at a Moz gig, grown men perplexed and overcome, I know
> that's what has happened to me in the past. The last one I went to was at
> Nottingham's Rock City, I've got this feeling that Morrissey may now be
> looking at withdrawing from the whole scene, so there was a bit of
> paranoia about this being the last one. While watching this gig, I
> completely forgot about the pint I was holding and didn't take a single
> sip throughout, completely flat afterwards. The ultimate experience at
> Morrisseys solo shows has been when he has done the slower songs, that's a
> singular emotional experience in itself.

> Anyone else got any experiences they want to share of Smiths/Morrissey
> gigs ?

[The Smiths never played at The Apollo]