Many thanks to JC, scribbler of scurrilous organ The Vinyl Villain, for getting me tickets to this one.  I am not a passionate Morrissey fan, but I love The Smiths and the chance to see a living legend in the flesh is one I reckon should be taken whenever possible.  Except Neil Young – I’m not going to see him.  So more of a guideline than a rule, really.

Anyhow, Mozza was in fine form, blasting into a healthy mix of Smiths classics and his own more famous tunes, liberally mixed with obscure b-sides.  JC says this is something he is known for: mixing up his set lists and throwing in plenty of obscure material for the real fan, and he really should be applauded for this.  If you’re going to go and see a guy play a dozen times, as many of his fans do, then that is exactly what you would want.  It also gives the impression of a man who really enjoys his music.

Another thing that reflected well on him was the respect he accorded his band.  Apparently they are the best backing band he’s played with for a while, but I was still impressed with how much credit he gave them, and how much room to really contribute to the gig themselves.  Morrissey is an international superstar and he could easily have just shunted them into the background, but I don’t really think he did that.

As to the gig itself, well it’s hard to say.  As I said, I am hardly the man to ask, so for a more knowledgable view on such things you may be better reading JC’s review on The Vinyl Villain.  Myself, I got exactly what I expected: the Morrissey Show.  I went to see a legend in the flesh and that’s just what I got: one who threw himself into the gig with plenty of enthusiasm, performed really well, and played just enough of the classics to keep philistines like myself happy.  So it was more of an experience than a gig exactly, but one I am really glad I went along to, even though I never quite drummed up the feverish enthusiasm of those down the front who spent the last third of the gig determinedly trying to rush the stage.  It was a comical sight, but one that reminds you just how big The Smiths were, and just how much devotion this man inspires.

He didn’t play these, but I don’t have much Morrissey, so you’re going to have to make do I’m afraid.
Morrissey -  Glamorous Glue
Morrissey – Never Played Symphonies
He did play these though, and they were bloody brilliant.
The Smiths – Death of a Disco Dancer
The Smiths – Stop Me if You Think You’ve Heard This One Before

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