27 April 2021
By Dickie Felton
In a sense it was the very start of his second coming. The Emerald Isle, the land of his foremothers, chosen to launch his solo touring career.
Thirty-years-ago today (27 April 1991) Morrissey emerged from the spray of The Liffey for a show at Dublin’s National Stadium.
It seemed apt that a venue associated with boxing and wrestling should be chosen for Morrissey’s maiden solo voyage.
The Smiths had been counted out on the canvas four years earlier. This gig was all about the birth of a new heavyweight champion.
And yes, we should consider Dublin to be the start of the live solo Morrissey machine.
Wolverhampton Civic Hall in December 1988 felt like a farewell show by all accounts. In the West Midlands he played a short set with a mix of solo and Smiths songs with three ex-bandmates (Rourke, Joyce, Gannon).
At Dublin and subsequent shows in Paris, Deinze, Utrecht, Cologne, Berlin and Hamburg he had a new line-up, new songs and a new focus.
The was some mystery around the musicians who would perform with Morrissey in Dublin – as few outside rockabilly circles – had heard of them.
NME reported: “Morrissey’s first concert since December 1988 will unveil a line-up of unknown musicians who will back him live and on all future recordings.
“The band consists of Alain Whyte (guitars), Gary Day (bass), Boz Boorer (guitars), and Spencer (drums). The recruitment of Boorer, a former member of rockabilly outfit The Polecats indicates Morrissey’s continuing fixation with ’50s rhythms”.
Tickets for the Dublin National Stadium gig on 27 April 1991 – priced £10.50, £9.50 and £8.50 Irish punts – were snapped up in two hours.
Admittedly the venue wasn’t big, with a capacity just shy of 2000. But the dedication for fans to claim their place saw scores sleeping out on the street the night before tickets went on sale at HMV.
The concert was attended by music reviewers from both the NME, Melody Maker and fan Denis Carroll, then 28.
“I remember the excitement around Dublin that day. Morrissey fans were everywhere. The gig itself was eclectic. It was like Beatlemania when he came on stage,” said Denis.
“I had witnessed The Smiths in the same venue six years earlier but there was nothing like the hysteria around Morrissey then as there was in 1991.”
The crazed throng at the front of the concert was something else, according to Melody Maker:
“From the first terrified girl pulled from the crush, 15 minutes before he actually appears, to the final, sweat-bedraggled boy led triumphantly off stage, Morrissey was positively begging to be loved, begging for those children to wrap their arms around his even frailer body…”
Morrissey, Dublin 27 April 1991, pic Steven Sweet in Melody Maker
Morrissey opened with Interesting Drug – stopped Interesting Drug – and then started it up again. As one reviewer pointed put: “This was a night when spectacle wins out every time over musical merit”.
Other songs that night included Everyday is Like Sunday, Suedehead, Will Never Marry and an assortment of tracks from his newly released Kill Uncle album. Most of the songs were getting their very first live airing.
Denis Carroll: “Morrissey was on top form. It was an absolutely electrifying performance. I just have so many great memories of that concert.
“I managed to wrangle my way into an upper press box and had a lovely conversation with Viv Nicholson (famous Pools winner of 1961). She even signed the back of my concert ticket.”
Denis Carroll’s ticket
Since Dublin National Stadium 30 years ago Morrissey has subsequently played around 1100 live concerts in venues across the world. He’s sold out shows everywhere from Madison Square Garden to the Hollywood Bowl. He’s now 61. And still touring.
*Dickie Felton has written two books about Morrissey fan culture. Details: here
*Dickie is writing a series of pieces around Morrissey’s 1991 tour. If you were at any of the shows 30-years-ago please get in touch: dickie@dickiefelton.com