Very cool! I got held up on the meta by picking the wrong letter to keep for a couple where there were two options (I removed PSEA from
CHEATS27A(*) Nosebleeds at the opera (at least going to church is free!)
[------] rather than APSE and WERE from
SKED38A(*) Like shish kebabs... or bombing comedians (don't forget to quench your thirst with a drink from that wide-mouthed jug)
[----] rather than EWER). Eventually I paid closer attention to the parentheticals in the clues and that cracked it.