Morrissey’s 50th birthday was cele
brated with a return to his home city of Manchester. I am proud and privileged to have experienced one of the most amazing nights of my life; on Friday 22nd May at the Manchester Apollo. One of the most magnificent the Apollo will ever have the fortune to have been host to.
I thank, wholeheartedly, Morrissey for choosing one the smaller venues in Manchester; with a select audience of only 3,500 people. It is unsurprising that both the Friday and Saturday night shows sold out within fifteen minutes of the tickets going on sale. However, it did make the event that much more exceptional.
I arrived at the venue to be greeted by a fast moving, perfectly managed queue of people of all ages, dressed in all manner of attire. There are no strict and fast rules as to who can and can’t love Morrissey and we clearly all do.
The ticket touts outside were failing miserably to acquire tickets and showed an obvious desperation, along with wads of cash clearly displayed, to buy any spare tickets. Spare tickets to Morrissey’s 50th birthday party – I ask you!
Straight through to the stalls and right up to the stage; I regretted being as short as I am! The mood was a good one with most of just not quite believing we had made it. We were here and in and the envy of so many who weren’t.
Support band Doll and the Kicks had the unenviable job of entertaining a crowd who had come to see their hero sing but after a slow start their set grew brilliantly, satisfying an audience with only one thing on their mind.
Morrissey and his band entered the stage to a roaring crowd and opened the night with The Smiths’ ‘This Charming Man’. I managed to stay right at the front for about 60 seconds before I had to pull away from the surging Mozz pit and retire a little further back so that I can could sing, shout and dance to my hearts content – and also so that I could feast my eyes, just about, on the birthday boy.
I turned and looked behind me to see and hear the most glorious and adoring of birthday celebrations.
Everyone upstanding, everyone singing and every one of us feeling special.
Unforgettable.
The set played like this:
This Charming Man / Irish Blood, English Heart / Black Cloud / How Soon Is Now? / All You Need Is Me / How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel? / Girlfriend In A Coma / I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris / Let Me Kiss You / Ask / Something Is Squeezing My Skull / One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell / Why Don’t You Find Out For Yourself? / The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores / I Keep Mine Hidden / When Last I Spoke To Carol / Best Friend On The Payroll / Sorry Doesn’t Help / Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others / The Loop / I’m OK By Myself // First Of The Gang To Die
Now is my turn to thank others for what they have given me. Contributors to Morrissey YouTube I salute you. There are good videos and bad but I have enjoyed them all as a chance to relive one the best nights of my life.
Whilst my voice heals, and the aches and pains from furious dancing subside, YouTube Morrissey fans can enjoy those precious moments again and again.
Here are some of the best so far:
                  The show opens with Nina Simone’s recording of
                                                                                       ‘You’ll  Never Walk Alone’ leading into
                                                                                        The Smiths’ ‘This Charming Man’
                     Irish Blood, English Heart
                  Black Cloud
                 How Soon is Now?
                How Could Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?
                 All You Need is Me
                 Girlfriend in a Coma
                    Let Me Kiss You
                     Ask
                   One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell
                    I Keep Mine Hidden
                      The World is Full of Crashing Bores
                    Sorry Doesn’t Help
                Some Girls are Bigger Than Others
                    The Loop
                   I’m Okay By Myself
                  Finale: The First of The Gang To Die
Fans of Morrissey on Youtube – keep them coming!
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