Flash-forward to the present day and Morrissey seems even more out of sync. While many pop stars sing to backing tracks, Morrissey simply sings. And he shows little emotional restraint, gesturing dramatically during live performances with no regard for the fact that those gestures might be better suited to the opera. And yet, that’s what makes him even more of a singularity in the pop world. Last night in front of a capacity crowd at the Akron Civic Theatre, he lived up to the billing as a pop/rock icon who’s in a league of his own. You can see a slideshow of photos from the concert here.
The 90-minute concert opened with an cappella rendition of the Pretenders’ “Talk of the Town” before Morrissey, who admitted later in the show that he was rather pleased to be playing in the town that Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde once called home, and his bandmates took a quick bow to one another and launched into “Suedehead,” an early solo song that could pass as a Smiths tune since it retains the self-questioning lyrics and falsetto lyrics that distinguish Smiths songs. Throughout the set, the band alternated between dark and moody sonic textures (a particularly gritty guitar solo distinguished “Istanbul,” which was made all more dramatic with some dark red lights) and folk-inflected pop (“Staircase at the University,” which concluded with an acoustic guitar solo). Morrissey’s voice sounded terrific and his backing band capably kept up with the mood shifts and delivered a spot-on rendition of the careening Smiths tune “Stop Me if You Think You’ve Heard This One Before.”
Morrissey prefaced the Smiths tune “Meat is Murder” by yelling “stop eating animals” and then sang the song with real gusto, kneeling in front of a speaker as the band jammed at the end while gruesome videos of animal torture played on the monitors. It was a powerful moment. The set’s final tune, the dour “Everyday is Like Sunday,” was delivered as a raucous sing-a-long despite the refrain “come Armageddon/come Armageddon/come.” A staccato drumbeat propelled the punky Smiths tune “What She Said,” which Morrissey delivered in the one-song encore. Before leaving the stage, he ripped off his shirt and threw it into the audience. At 56, he’s probably too old for that kind of behavior. But it’s Morrissey. He pulled it off.
This article appears in Jun 24-30, 2015.
It seemed the shirt was already half off due to that crazy woman storming the stage and ripping at his clothes….so he just finished what she started.
Sorry, but this concert was a real snoozer. I’d go so far as to say it was boring. The “opening act” was kind of cool — a video montage of some of Morrissey’s current and perennial obsessions (e.g., the New York Dolls). It definitely set a mood. The iconic projections were also classic Morrissey and worked a treat, especially those of Bruce Lee. The man they call Moz was in fine voice, and his capable band were tight. BUT … that set list? Zzzzzzzz. A parade of mid-tempo middlings culled mostly from his more recent albums, sandwiched between two classics (“Suedehead” and “Every Day is Like Sunday”). A few Smith tunes, and none of his best solo stuff like “November Spawned a Monster” “I Don’t Mind If You Forget Me” “Ouija Board” and “Last of the Famous International Playboys.” This is the first concert by an artist of Morrissey’s stature I’ve ever attended where I saw so many people decide to sit down through much of the performance. Indeed, the chap next to me nodded off during a particularly long stretch where the BPM never got above 85. His set list wasn’t quite torture, but it did border on cruelty. The thing with the shirt coming off and being thrown into the audience, along with the woman “storming” the stage have become de rigueur at his concerts — one might even say contrived.
This was easily the best Moz concert I’ve attended in the last ten years, and I never miss a Morrissey tour stop that comes within 150 miles of Cleveland. I don’t know what concert mw88 was attending, but the show last night at the Akron Civic Theater was high-energy with a magnificent set list, and the crowd in my vicinity were on their feet and having a good time for the entire concert. If you complain that the set didn’t include Ouija or Playboys, I can only guess that you own one Moz album, and that was released in 1990.
I would like to apologize to MW. My earlier comments were meant for Tubby.
The shirt thing has been a Moz staple for awhile now….I should know, I have his red shirt from his May, 2007 concert at the Palace Theater. As for the set list, it was good, and yes, I would have too preferred some more of his early work and frankly some more Smiths songs, but given his track record of canceling tours and walking off sets, I am very estatic that he came, he played, and he still has it. Viva Morrissey!
Great review–now I wish I’d gone. The first & last numbers sound great, but what is “what she said” without Johnny Marr?
I think Tubby’s on to something. We should first of all be glad that Moz showed, and be gladder that he’s still in fine fettle, vocally. And it was very nice to hear tunes like “Yes, I Am Blind” and “First of the Gang to Die” retrieved for this set. However, there’s no getting around the fact that the World Peace material is plodding, midtempo and largely forgettable. The middle of the set sagged appreciably because of it, as well as the choice of similarly slow album cuts like “I Will See You In Far-Off Places.”
I saw him in Pittsburgh two years ago with essentially the same band and a similar setlist; the difference was the absence of the new stuff and the presence of a few more lively (and deserving) Nineties cuts like “You’re the One for Me, Fatty.”( To not play ANYTHING from Your Arsenal, the album I still contend is his best, just seems silly, especially with such a capable band. And if he wants to revive some obscurities, how about something — “Reader, Meet Author”? — from Southpaw Grammar?)
Look, going to see Morrissey will always be an event, no matter what he plays, and there are few enough artists you can say that about. This is a case, though, where two or three substitutions to bump up the BPMs — and thus, the interest — would have made a world of difference. If he’s going to force us to sit through the obligatory “Meat is Murder” montage at the end. at least offer up a (vegan-friendly) treat or two beforehand.