Kill Uncle Tour
| Concert by Morrissey | |
| Location | North America, Europe, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, England |
|---|---|
| Associated album | Kill Uncle |
| Start date | April 27, 1991 |
| End date | November 11, 1991 |
| Legs | 6 |
| Number of shows |
71 |
The "Kill Uncle Tour" was a concert tour by Morrissey in support of his latest solo album, "Kill Uncle." Besides a single concert in December 1988, at Wolverhampton's Civic Hall, Morrissey, up to this point, had never properly toured in support of any of his solo work. It was his first real solo tour. And it visited many different countries The Smiths had never visited during their career. The spotlight was now on Morrissey.
The tour
Morrissey was visiting many countries on this tour, including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, countries The Smiths never visited, but was finally being visited. The tour kicked off in Europe, leading to the US, then England, and the Pacific, culminating in two legs touring both England and the US.
Europe
The tour naturally kicked off in Morrissey's native England, or to be precise, Dublin. The first concert of the tour sold all of its 1,500 tickets in 47 minutes. It was like this all across the world. Most of the shows sold out in record time and solidified Morrissey's status as a pop star. Unfortunately, Morrissey's backing band still held an imperfect grasp of the songs, many of which they were not involved with. It took them a couple of days to properly master the songs. The shows were ecstatic, even though Morrissey was intimidated by he language barrier. Still, the fans roared their appreciation after many songs, often drowning out Morrissey himself. It was during the German dates, that Morrissey filmed the promo video for the single "Pregnant for the Last Time", which not be released in July, yet still performed for the European crowds.
Even though the shows were well received, Morrissey unfortunately came down with a throat irritation and was ordered by the doctor to rest and cancel any remaining shows. Despite this, Morrissey returned to the stage in Dundee, assuring fans that the show would not be cancelled. To many fans' dismay, Morrissey walked out only after ten songs, only returning to play a two-song encore. Glasgow, the next show, would be cancelled as a result, citing a sore throat. It was later rescheduled for July 28.
North America
Nearly two weeks after the European tour, Morrissey left for North America, ready to tackle more than a month of concerts. On May 30, this leg was started in San Diego, California, and eventually moved to Los Angeles on June 1. In Costa Mesa, the news is announced that Morrissey sold out the Pacific Amphitheatre's 18,000 tickets in one hour. The next show, taking place at Los Angeles' Great Western Forum, sold out its 14,000 tickets in 14 minutes. It was quite evident that Morrissey was still popular. To the crowd's surprise, and relatively Morrissey's, David Bowie joined Morrissey onstage to sing T. Rex's "Cosmic Dancer". The performance was filmed by friend and director Tim Broad. Many fans tried reaching the duo, but security stopped them, eventually with the band members stopping to help with the venue security.
Tim Broad documented the tour and close friend Linder Stirling also captured the intensity of the US tour by taking pictures, most of which was later released under the title, "Morrissey Shot.", in 1992.
Concerts all across the country sold out in record time and at almost every date, Morrissey and Th'Lads were met with screaming girls and devoted fans, who were dubbed "Mozaphiles". Even when arriving in America, airport security had to escort Morrissey to his vehicle while many fans waited to see him. It was like this everywhere.
The Las Vegas show was added at the last minute, because Morrissey wanted to perform there. Ultimately, more than $1,500 in damages were caused to the venue, with a number of seats being destroyed. The final show, at New York's Madison Square Garden, was the perfect end for Morrissey's first solo US tour. Reviews were extremely positive and the fans cheered at every chance they received. The 20,000 tickets sold out in one morning and Morrissey even managed the break the record for most merchandise sold at the Garden, breaking the record previously held by U2 since 1987.
Setlist
Setlist-wise, the band focused heavily on "Kill Uncle" and it's b-sides, not so much. Songs that frequently made the setlist were the staples: "Sing Your Life", "Our Frank", "Asian Rut", "King Leer", and "Mute Witness". Most of these songs were kept on for the entirety of the tour, excluding "Sing Your Life" and "Mute Witness", the first being dropped in the middle of Morrissey's second UK leg, and "Mute Witness" being dropped after the first date (October 28) of Morrissey's second North American leg. Other songs from "Kill Uncle" included "(I'm) The End of the Family Line", "There's a Place In Hell for Me and My Friends", and "Driving Your Girlfriend Home". "(I'm) The End of the Family Line" was only performed once on the first date of the tour, then performed for the first handful of shows if the North American leg, but then dropped permanently. "There's a Place In Hell for Me and My Friends", was performed regularly until the second UK leg, when it was dropped permanently. "Driving Your Girlfriend Home" was only performed on the last two legs, as a setlist staple. Other songs performed included early singles, "The Last of the Famous International Playboys", "Interesting Drug", "Piccadilly Palare", and "November Spawned a Monster". "The Last of the Famous" was performed throughout the tour, keeping a steady position as a setlist staple. "Interesting Drug", like "The Last of the Famous", was performed heavily throughout the tour, but then dropped after the October 28 concert in Vancouver. "Piccadilly Palare" was a setlist staple throughout the course of the tour, where it was performed on its own, until later Morrissey decided to segue into the New York Dolls cover, "Trash". "November Spawned a Monster", an already popular song, was kept on for the entirety of the tour, positioning itself towards the middle of the setlist, until the final North American leg, where it was selected as the new setlist opener. The setlists also included covers, such as "Trash", "Cosmic Dancer", and "That's Entertainment". "Trash" was added as a tribute to recently deceased Johnny Thunders and Morrissey's fascination with the New York Dolls. "Cosmic Dancer" was added as both Morrissey and guitarist Boz Boorer's mutual respect for the 70's glam rock band, T. Rex (band). It was tagged on for the beginning of the tour, until it was dropped after the first handful of US dates. Soon, in late 1991, the beginning of the song and its first verse were played as a tease, until the band abruptly changed into "Disappointed". It was keep in this fashion until the end of the tour. One notable performance, was when David Bowie joined Morrissey for a guest duet. This kicked off the pair's rocky friendship. "That's Entertainment" was performed heavily, usually at its place towards the middle, but then added as main set closer. The song was gradually dropped after the Pacific leg.
Tour dates
Cancelled dates
- The first show to be cancelled was the first Glasgow show on May 16, due to a sore throat; it was later rescheduled for July 28. This came after Morrissey cut the Dundee show short due to an irritated throat.
- Austin had to be cancelled due to safety concerns. The venue management originally planned on using folding tables leaning on their sides to act as stage barriers. After learning about the previous night's stage invasion in Dallas, fearful that the events would occur again, the venue management cancelled the concert. The announcement came right before the doors opened, so many fans left disappointed. Fortunately, the tickets could be used for tomorrow's show in Houston.
- Nashville was cancelled
- Pittsburgh was cancelled because of weather issues. Heavy rain blanketed the area surrounding the venue and Morrissey ultimately decided to cancel the show.
- All of the Australian shows listed after Brisbane were cancelled because Morrissey contracted sinusitis. According to reports, he didn't leave his hotel room for four days.
- The remaining planned dates listed after Uniondale were cancelled because of "exhaustion", attributed to both Morrissey and the band.
Support acts
- Phranc (Apr. 29 - Jul. 3, Jul. 20 - 28, Sep. 29, Oct. 6 - 8)
- Melissa Ferrick (Jul. 5 - 13)
- Wellington Reigonal Ochestra (Wellington)
- The Johnson Family (London & Kilburn)
- The Planet Rockers (Oct. 28 - Nov. 11)
According to Morrissey's autobiography, the man wanted David Johansen to open his Madison Square Garden show, but was told Johansen had plans to headline the Garden very soon. Dismayed, Morrissey asked for Jobriath to be located and be put in for the opening slot. Morrissey was later told that Jobriath had died ten years earlier due to an "AIDS-related illness."