Johnny Marr reunited with The Smiths bandmate Andy Rourke during an opening set for The Killers’ “Imploding the Mirage Tour” at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Friday night. It marked one of the rare on-stage reunions between the guitarist and bassist since a series of appearances together in 2013.
The pair performed “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” and “How Soon Is Now?” from the brooding British band’s catalogue. Marr prefaced the former by saying, “This song goes exactly like this” as if to point out the audience’s distinction of hearing a rendition straight from The Smiths’ original musicians. He then took its “Take me out tonight” line to heart by playing the enthusiastic host, cheekily asking Rourke, “You okay, Andy?” in between takes and energetically insisting on bringing the bassist back out for the final bow.
Marr later joined The Killers to play “This Charming Man,” a duet they’ve honed since the band’s headlining 2019 Glastonbury set. Watch fan-captured footage of the performances below.
Throughout their ongoing tour, The Killers have reserved one slot in the encore for Marr, who has helped cover The Smiths’ “You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby,” “Stop Me if You Think You’ve Heard This One Before,” and “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out.” That late-set spot has sometimes been occupied by other guest artists like Lindsey Buckingham, or as was the case at their second New York show on Saturday night, Bruce Springsteen.
Marr will continue with The Killers for another week before the tour closes in Washington D.C. on October 12th. Grab your seats via Ticketmaster.