did anyone here ever see The Smiths live? if so, what are your memories of that.

Saw them at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall on the Queen Is Dead tour, October 1986. Seated venue, we were on first tier. Set list: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-smiths/1986/royal-concert-hall-nottingham-england-23d7d427.html

My partner, during the first song: "If those PRATS at the front hadn't STOOD UP, we could all have had a PERFECTLY GOOD VIEW."

My partner, after the sixth song: "They are fantastic. But I have to leave now."

And so he did. He has never been able to cope with crowd hysteria - hell, he even had a panic attack at a k.d. lang show - and the hysteria was pronounced. The two girls to our left kept screaming and clutching each other, every time Marr made a significant move. It was all a bit Hard Day's Night.

For the first few songs -and especially during the openers, "The Queen Is Dead" and "Panic" - they felt like the best band in the world. Then it tailed off a bit. I remember getting a bit bored during "Never Had No One Ever" and "I Know It's Over". In hindsight, I could have been a considerate boyfriend and left when he did, and I'd still have had the best of the show.