Moz Alive
The last time I saw Morrissey I was doing my A-Levels (February 1995!!) at Drury Lane. (I think the cast of Miss Saigon were having a night off.) There were lots of thin young men in the audience with requisite NHS specs and brillcremed quiffs.
11 years later, the audience's waists were a lot thicker and the quiffs and sideburns were flecked with grey (men and women ha ha). I was in good company. One drunken fan stood reeling at the venue entrance, his big hands flapping like a seal's flippers, "They won't let me in!" He was almost crying.
Back in 1995, Moz was arguably on the way out - court cases, end of record deals, off to America etc. I remember he cut the set short when people jumped onto the stage to grab at his vestments. This time he was "back" after a critically-lauded comeback (though the last two albums aren't that great) and he was, I have to admit, on excellent form. He must have been packing away the mung beans though, 'cos he's not the willowy bloke wrapped around the lampost I used to have up on my wall. "It's wet, it's Wednesday and it's Dreading," he quipped, and the band launched into a blistering set, which bought to life even some of the more average tracks on the last record. It was when he launched into "Girlfriend in a Coma" though that the crowd really started going for it - grown men weeping, girls with their arms aloft, mouthing each word etc. It was ace - the sound was great, and the venue intimate enough to be able to see the stage without reaching for one's opera glasses. They even had a gong!
The show reached a crescendo however with a scorching version of "How Soon is Now?" As the 46 year-old man moaned his way through his song about adolescent awkwardness, the lights whirled manically, the guitars went "whhharrgh" and suddenly Morrissey had removed his shirt and chucked it into the audience.
"Ooooooh!" went the Doctor.
"Oooooh!" I went (by accident, I'm not that obsessed with him anymore.)
He certainly didn't linger in the spotlight at that point though. Clearly one can have too many nut roasts.
Anyway Morrissey live is clearly a much better experience than Morrissey on record these days. We walked home in the rain (how Moz) very satisfied, singing merrily into the night "Oooh, life is a pigsty..."
11 years later, the audience's waists were a lot thicker and the quiffs and sideburns were flecked with grey (men and women ha ha). I was in good company. One drunken fan stood reeling at the venue entrance, his big hands flapping like a seal's flippers, "They won't let me in!" He was almost crying.
Back in 1995, Moz was arguably on the way out - court cases, end of record deals, off to America etc. I remember he cut the set short when people jumped onto the stage to grab at his vestments. This time he was "back" after a critically-lauded comeback (though the last two albums aren't that great) and he was, I have to admit, on excellent form. He must have been packing away the mung beans though, 'cos he's not the willowy bloke wrapped around the lampost I used to have up on my wall. "It's wet, it's Wednesday and it's Dreading," he quipped, and the band launched into a blistering set, which bought to life even some of the more average tracks on the last record. It was when he launched into "Girlfriend in a Coma" though that the crowd really started going for it - grown men weeping, girls with their arms aloft, mouthing each word etc. It was ace - the sound was great, and the venue intimate enough to be able to see the stage without reaching for one's opera glasses. They even had a gong!
The show reached a crescendo however with a scorching version of "How Soon is Now?" As the 46 year-old man moaned his way through his song about adolescent awkwardness, the lights whirled manically, the guitars went "whhharrgh" and suddenly Morrissey had removed his shirt and chucked it into the audience.
"Ooooooh!" went the Doctor.
"Oooooh!" I went (by accident, I'm not that obsessed with him anymore.)
He certainly didn't linger in the spotlight at that point though. Clearly one can have too many nut roasts.
Anyway Morrissey live is clearly a much better experience than Morrissey on record these days. We walked home in the rain (how Moz) very satisfied, singing merrily into the night "Oooh, life is a pigsty..."
posted by Nick at 6:39 AM
1 Comments:
It's all the pasta since he moved to Italy.
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