Morrissey played a handful of rarities and Smiths tracks – many for the first time in years – as he kicked off his 2025 tour in Reno.
The former Smiths frontman kicked off his ongoing North American leg with a performance at the Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort on Saturday (April 26), surprising fans with a setlist that included tracks not heard live in years.
As well as deep cuts like ‘Best Friend on the Payroll’ and ‘Scandinavia’, many took note of the inclusion of Smiths numbers, particularly after the former frontman of the iconic Manchester group said he had agreed to a “lucrative” 2025 Smiths tour, an offer that Johnny Marr allegedly “ignored”.
Later, a representative from the guitarist’s management team called Morrissey’s comment “incorrect” in a statement on X/Twitter. “I didn’t ignore the offer – I said no,” Marr wrote in his own message.
Fans on Reddit noted that after playing ‘Hand in Glove’, taken from The Smiths’ 1984 debut album, he “instantly went into talking about enemies”. In a video shared by fans on Instagram, Morrissey is seen launching into a tirade about having enemies he described as “extremely weak”.
“One very normal aspect of being human is having enemies,” he says in the clip. “And I do have enemies. And they’re extremely dedicated. Decade, after decade, after decade. They’re still there, nothing else to do.”
Check out that clip and more fan shot footage below.
Morrissey Ⓜ️ – “Hand in Glove” … first night of the tour in Reno, last night! 26 April 2025 … Wow! Just brilliant …. Video by We Are Mozzerians on FB …. #Morrissey #MorrisseyTour2025#TheSmiths pic.twitter.com/sidYpYth8J
— Debbie Nielsen 🏴 (@Morrissey_is_OK) April 27, 2025
On April 26 in Reno, Nevada, Morrissey played:
‘You’re the One for Me, Fatty’
‘All You Need Is Me’
‘One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell’
‘Shoplifters of the World Unite’
‘I Wish You Lonely’
‘Best Friend on the Payroll’ (first time since 2009)
‘Hand in Glove’ (first time since 2014)
‘Rebels Without Applause’
‘Sure Enough, the Telephone Rings’
‘Istanbul’
‘Black Cloud’
‘Life Is a Pigsty’
‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’
‘The Loop’
‘Speedway’
‘Scandinavia’ (first time since 2019)
‘I Know It’s Over’
‘Jack the Ripper’
‘I Will See You in Far-Off Places’
Encore:
‘Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me’ (first time since 2017)
Earlier this month, Morrissey shared details about his ongoing defamation lawsuit against an online troll, describing the alleged actions against him as “malicious” attempts at manipulation.
He made a post on his official website, sharing a statement with further details about the lawsuit and the “malicious” defamation campaign he is looking to quash. It explains how there have been impersonations of him on social media, putting forward “false narratives designed to destroy his career.”
It went on to highlight how his long-mooted ‘Bonfire Of Teenagers’ album is still unreleased, and how the singer will be hitting the road for a solo tour later this spring. Having at first shared a handful of dates for Glasgow, Manchester and Dublin, he has confirmed dates for across the rest of Europe too – announcing 22 new shows that will be held across the summer.
Visit here to buy tickets, and find an updated list of tour dates below.
Morrissey’s 2025 UK and European tour dates are:
MAY
31 – Dublin, Ireland
JUNE
04 – Glasgow, UK
05 – Glasgow, UK
07 – Manchester, UK
12 – Madrid, Spain [NEW]
15 – Paris, France [NEW]
16 – Antwerp, Belgium [NEW]
18 – Cologne, Germany [NEW]
19 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands [NEW]
21 – Copenhagen, Denmark [NEW]
23 – Stockholm, Sweden [NEW]
27 – Berlin, Germany [NEW]
28 – Leipzig, Germany [NEW]
30 – Munich, Germany [NEW]
JULY
3 – Krakow, Poland [NEW]
5 – Vienna, Austria [NEW]
8 – Belgrade, Serbia [NEW]
10 – Bucharest, Romania [NEW]
12 – Istanbul, Turkey [NEW]
16 – Athens, Greece [NEW]
19 – Sibenik, Croatia [NEW]
23 – Gardone Riviera, Italy [NEW]
26 – Lucca, Italy [NEW]
28 – Rome, Italy [NEW]
31 – Catania, Italy [NEW]
AUGUST
03 – Ostuni, Italy [NEW]
News of the lawsuit follows the Smiths icon making headlines in recent years after dividing fans with his politically charged comments. These have included him showing support for controversial far-right, anti-Islam political party For Britain, previously wearing a badge for the party during a 2019 television appearance.
In the past, he has also described the Chinese people as a “subspecies”, referred to Hitler as ‘left wing’ and claimed that London Mayor Sadiq Khan “can not talk properly”. After being criticised for supporting English Defence League Founder Tommy Robinson, he issued a statement in which he said he “despised racism and fascism” and voiced his support for Muslims.
As for more music from the artist, last November Morrissey claimed he was prevented from releasing new music due to a war on “free speech” and claimed that “you cannot speak freely in England” or else “you’ll be sent to prison”.
English (US) · 