First Moz/Smiths Gig?

[mspendl828]

When was your first gig? What did you think? What can you remember about it?


Mine was November 2nd 2002 in Blackburn, and it was an amazing experience. Just actually being in the same room as Morrissey seemed a huge deal then for me and it was all very emotional.

 

[spmorrissey]

First gig was the one on the 23rd December at G-MEX 2006 amazing gig and i'll remember the whole show cos it was my first

 

[Kewpie]

My first Smiths gig was 16th July 1986 at Glasgow Barrowlands.
I celebrated 20th anniversary at 16th July 2006 Ostia Antica, Rome.

 

[miss_bunbury]

MEN was my first gig too, I drunk too much cider to racall specific events, but for some reason a day hasn't gone by since when I havn't listened to Morrissey!

Funny story actually, I stayed at my friends grandparents house the night before, we watched Jools holland and drank wine and went to bed leaving the tickets on the mantlepiece, the following morning we woke up and couldn't find the tickets! We asked this chaps grandfater if he knew anything about it, he had cleared the mantlepiece that morning, they had gone in the bin, and the binmen had by this time been and gone, So we had to buy tickets from EBay, up in the gods they were, we travelled to Manchester from south wales and phoned the seller every 15 minuites, we were so nervous and excited. Fortunatley he turned up, to this EBay seller I say thankyou. we got the tickets and had a great night ending with us sleeping in Piccadilly station.

Now whenever my friend argues with his grandfather it always ends with him shouting "You put my f**king Morrissey tickets in the bin"

 

[Jukebox Jury]

Coventry's Lanchester Polytechnic March '84.

I'd been to see City at Brighton & Hove Albion in the afternoon and I read on the way down that The Smiths were playing in Coventry that night and the train back to Manchester stopped at Coventry on the way home where fortunately my parents were living (or unfortunately as it is a dump!). The Manchester gig at the Free Trade Hall was well sold out so thought I'd chance it at Coventry.
So I jumped off the train and went to the venue and a lad is selling a ticket face value outside - I think £3.50 (I only had a fiver on me - a pint was about 75p then!!)
So I am there right near the front, great gig, hearing stuff like Barbarism Begins At Home and Heaven Knows.... which hadn't been released on record at that time.

Anyway, I surprise my parents by turning up and then my mum surprises me in the morning by presenting my freshly washed jeans..... with the gig ticket still in the pocket and ruined.........

Jukebox Jury

 

[Spicer]

Kewpie, that is INCREDIBLY cool!

 

[Chartres]

I've got a horrible way of missing his gigs in many ways, exams and horrible train tickets (200 euro to Hamburg!?) etc. Missed, let's see atleast six .

Anyway, the current tour was the first one allthough it shouldn't have been.

 

[Spineless Swine]

Liverpool Royal Court, September 04

like mspend says, being in the same room as the man for the first time is quite overwhelming, an experience i'll never forget, especially as we were at the front with moz only being a few yards away.

I actually went with a mate who didnt like moz that much, but i dragged him along for company. Anyway he got to shake mozzers hand and now whenever i see him he always reminds me of that fact. git

 

[bikubesong]

My first Smiths gig was 16th July 1986 at Glasgow Barrowlands.
I celebrated 20th anniversary at 16th July 2006 Ostia Antica, Rome.

Cool

My first was last year

 

[Evil Legal Eagle]

27 March 1985, Liverpool Royal Court Theatre (Meat is Murder tour)

I was 14 years old and my friend (James O'Hara) and I bunked off school for the afternoon to go and wait outside the stage door and get our Smiths records signed when they turned up for the soundcheck. I would pay a million pounds for a photograph of the moment that Morrissey stepped off the tour bus and I was the first of the dozen or so people there to great him. I got 'The Smiths', 'Hatful of Hollow' and the 12" single of 'William, It was Really Nothing" signed (although, to my eternal regret, I sold them not long after so that I could buy a vintage baseball jacket that my parents wouldn't buy me).

The gig itself was sensational. I was right against the barrier at the front of the stalls, having joined the queue straight after we had met the band and got our records signed (at about 3.00 pm!). Unfortunately, I didn't stay there for long, which was inevitable given my tender years. I can't remember exactly how long it was before I had to be liften over the barrier by security, but it can't have been more than 3 or 4 songs in.

The things that have stuck in my memory most about that night are:

1) My great sense of disappointment that Morrissey came on stage wearing a hat (a trilby), which he kept on all night; &

2) That HSIN sounded shit live (which it did).

I have to say that, having been lucky enough to have seen The Smiths & having also seen Morrissey on his first proper solo tour (in '91), I didn't any enjoy these early shows anything like as much as I have enjoyed some of 16shows I have seen on the 2004 and 2006 tours.

So, all you young'uns who have only recently discovered Morrissey and who wish that they had been around in the 'olden days', just be appreciative of the fact that you are seeing him at what I for one would consider to be his peak. No, I take that back...to suggest that Morrissey is at his peak now would be to suggest that it's all dowhill from hereon, which is clearly nonsense.

For those who may be interested, there is a boot of the 1985 Liverpool show (entitled 'Your (sic) Full of Smith' and downloadable from akiraware) which, although of shocking quality, captures the energy and excitement of the night and proves beyond doubt that (in the 80's at least) HSIN really did sound shit live.

 

[half a person]

22nd Gmex!! Best night of my life, even though I was dehydrated and could barely stand up by the end of it

 

[Evil Legal Eagle]

22nd Gmex!! Best night of my life, even though I was dehydrated and could barely stand up by the end of it

Hey, you're from Rainhill! My Mum's from Rainhill (Longton Lane...dead common my family!).

 

[half a person]

Hey, you're from Rainhill! My Mum's from Rainhill (Longton Lane...dead common my family!).

I LIVE ON LONGTON LANE!!! I WENT TO THAT PRIMARY SCHOOL!!!
...sorry, it's just that usually nobody's ever heard of Rainhill, let alone Longton Lane

...and are you calling me common?

Where on Longton Lane was she, I live just down the road from the primary school

 

[Evil Legal Eagle]

I LIVE ON LONGTON LANE!!! I WENT TO THAT PRIMARY SCHOOL!!!
...sorry, it's just that usually nobody's ever heard of Rainhill, let alone Longton Lane

...and are you calling me common?

Where on Longton Lane was she, I live at 71... maybe I shouldn't have told you that, oh well.

Sorry, I thought you might be one of these 'posh' Rainhill folk what live on View Lane!

My grandparents lived at 153 (almost opposite Rainhill Primary, right opposite Chatsworth Road). Some of my happiest childhood memories are centred around that house, so in no way do I consider anyone who lives on Longton Lane to be common!

 

[lottie]

PALLADIUM 21st MAY 2006,
the 'birthday' gig (ok ok so day before but to us and him it WAS his birthday)
Was lucky enough to get FRONT ROW SEATS!!! And centre stage ones too,....

Nearly died when i saw just how 'front row' they were... spent the whole time leaning on the stage, and when Moz reached for my hand in HSIN, the whole world stopped! (he chose me first! whoohoo)
FANTASTIC couldnt have got better, (oh and the cheeky smirk he directed right at me and my friends when he came out of the stage door (load sof peeps were waiting by the 'official' stage door, and he came out behind them, LOL we sussed it by the nervy looking security guy') i could've died!)
The prob with this is everything from then on is bound to be disappointing, but the 2 ive managed, wembley and cheltenham, were both front rows and i got acknowldeged by Moz at one of them for sure.

And now i want to cry, i never thought i'd get that close and now i have i just can't put into words what it means to me, i'll just say that i sobbed for 3 days solid after the palladium gig.. and i dont cry easily.

 

[half a person]

Sorry, I thought you might be one of these 'posh' Rainhill folk what live on View Lane!

My grandparents lived at 153 (almost opposite Rainhill Primary, right opposite Chatsworth Road). Some of my happiest childhood memories are centred around that house, so in no way do I consider anyone who lives on Longton Lane to be common!

Well, alright then, I'll forgive you And no, us longton laners don't go round with the old view roadies ( ) far too posh for us. I just occasionally venture into the library, to take books out and never return them...

(err, I'm joking by the way...)

 

[Evil Legal Eagle]

And no, us longton laners don't go round with the old view roadies...

View Road, that's right! Thought 'View Lane' didn't sound right!

 

[Albion]

My first Smiths gig was 16th July 1986 at Glasgow Barrowlands.

My dad was at that gig as well; lucky sod. my first time seeing Moz was this tour .

 

[unruly_girl]

Cool

My first was last year

So was mine, and I'll never EVER forget it

 

[Raquel]

August 1986 Greek Theater in Berkeley. So much stage diving and I was right against the stage. I was just a young teenager, but I even realized then it was the best concert ever!