35th anniversary of Wolverhampton gig (December 22, 2023)

Dec 22 / 1988 / 35 years!
Crazy

 

[BookishBoy]

So many good memories of that night/day/night (aside from the Lockerbie plane crash, hearing about that on our little radio). One image seared into my brain: seeing Creation boss Alan McGee jumping the queue about half an hour before the doors opened...

 

[Young And Alive]

 

[Famous when dead]

Halcyon days.
Glad Adam May got credit for the video.
FWD.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

One of those gigs you wish you could travel back in time to.

Isn’t it strange he didn’t play more songs from Viva Hate?

 

[sycophantic_slag]

Why was the gig so short??? Any ideas?

 

[Young And Alive]

Why was the gig so short??? Any ideas?

No idea but I’ve always wondered this too.

 

[What a mess]

Why was the gig so short??? Any ideas?

Was never intended to be a full gig, hence the free entry.

The band is obviously woefully under-rehearsed for the short set they played, nevermind a full gig.

 

[William Fisher]

Why was the gig so short??? Any ideas?

Free entry, wasn’t it? He’s not that generous.

 

[Famous when dead]

There was a mini "riot" by people getting turned away from the door (suggested to be a substantial amount of people).
Some damage to the WCH itself.
Chaotic scenes on stage which were escalating.
Morrissey not being able to sing lines from songs due to the above...
It kind of makes sense that this wasn't prolonged.
Whether it was by choice or assessed at the time though
FWD.

(oh, and it wasn't free if you had to buy a shirt from Chris on the day )

 

[Ldv]

It was free entry to anyone with a Smiths or Morrissen t-shirt.

 

[Young And Alive]

Was never intended to be a full gig, hence the free entry.

The band is obviously woefully under-rehearsed for the short set they played, nevermind a full gig.

I wonder when they got word from Moz that a gig was going ahead.

I mean The Smiths broke up in August ‘87 and this gig didn’t take place until 16 months later.

The Morrissey solo songs played had been released in early ‘88 so it’s not like Gannon, Rourke and Joyce didn’t have any time to learn them.

 

[What a mess]

I wonder when they got word from Moz that a gig was going ahead.

I mean The Smiths broke up in August ‘87 and this gig didn’t take place until 16 months later.

The Morrissey solo songs played had been released in early ‘88 so it’s not like Gannon, Rourke and Joyce didn’t have any time to learn them.

The gig was announced at very short notice, a couple of weeks. The plan was to use it for footage for the Interesting Drug video, but because of the stage invasions they had to use soundcheck footage instead.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

I wonder when they got word from Moz that a gig was going ahead.

I mean The Smiths broke up in August ‘87 and this gig didn’t take place until 16 months later.

The Morrissey solo songs played had been released in early ‘88 so it’s not like Gannon, Rourke and Joyce didn’t have any time to learn them.

Think it was advertised in the NME just before.

 

[Luxo]

Those of you who were alive to see this are lucky people. What a lovely gig it must have been. The recording of 'Sister I'm a Poet' is my fave.

 

[TheSmiths_1985]

There was a mini "riot" by people getting turned away from the door (suggested to be a substantial amount of people).
Some damage to the WCH itself.
Chaotic scenes on stage which were escalating.
Morrissey not being able to sing lines from songs due to the above...
It kind of makes sense that this wasn't prolonged.
Whether it was by choice or assessed at the time though
FWD.

(oh, and it wasn't free if you had to buy a shirt from Chris on the day )

Were you there?

 

[BooyaMiley]

Don’t mention the NME, it‘s like a bat-signal for the Folk-Devil.
“Aye & they advertised it in the gay racist skin-head appreciators section of their magazine because they had been trying to bait Morrissey into coming out since 1972 & were already plotting to ruin his career before it began by printing things he actually said & did that were a bit dodgy & stating that they were a bit dodgy!”

Well, there is a flag min 2:36, so we might be close to something: smart reasoning!

 

[BookishBoy]

Think it was advertised in the NME just before.

Yes, that's how I found out about it.

 

[Johnny]

Loved the arms aloft entrance by Rourkie.

 

[Orson Swells]

I remember at the time the word was it was a short gig being filmed for the video of his next single - Playboys. I think the footage was deemed unusable for that though.

I went btw. Didn't get in. We were among the first section turned away. The queue had been completely abandoned when Morrissey turned up in the bus and everyone rushed to see him.

Of course, we lost our place near the front and were now much further back. Oh, we were distraught not to get in! But I can smile about it now, etc. Well, just about.