New Order The Apollo Manchester 1998-07-16 (gig)
Alan Wise delivers a classic intro, which I've transcribed:
"How did you all get into my dressing room? Listen, the band wants to thank the Mean Fiddler organization, particularly Vince Fowler and Melvin Benn, for giving them their break, the chance to play again.
All right, forgive me, but the band aren't quite ready yet, because Hooky's on the, eh, kharzi with another curry, Bernard's taking his Prozac, and Steve and Gillian, that's the drummer and pianist, she's the girl in the band, not Bernard, are snorting cocaine in the dressing room like pigs.
But, as you know, it's five years, 1923(sic), since the last show at the Alley Cat at Reading, I think he was. Since then, this is what the band have been doing. Peter's been signing on and doing bricklaying. Bernard's been in Tibet in Dara Salan studying Sufi, strangely, Sufi mysticism. Steve and Gillian have been working for UNICEF helping teach victims of mines to play musical instruments.
And me, I've been on the road, know what I mean?
So as rock and roll never dies, but the royalties do, welcome for the very last time on stage...JOY DIVISION!"
