Kind of like this but less crowded and frenetic seeming.
The best thing about Tucson is that it's not a big city, and venues aren't made for huge crowds so it was very easy to get right up next to the stage.
Our seats were halfway back in the auditorium, but I realized there was plenty of room up front near the stage. So almost as soon as we arrived, (about 5 minutes late into Morrissey's set... the horror!!! -- found out I missed "The Queen is Dead" and "Last of the Famous International Playboys," which is heartbreaking because they're two of my favorite songs) I abandoned my fellow concert-goers to see if I could get up closer.
I just walked straight up the side aisle, and no one asked me a thing or asked to look at my ticket. I parked myself in the third or fourth row, thrilled to see Morrissey so closely, and then I realized he was coming over to the stage to shake fans' hands. Of course, I wanted to be part of the action so I tried to move up next to the stage, but the security people turned me back. Moderately disappointed, I acquiesced and turned back to where I had been. However, about two minutes later, a security manager came up to me, tapped me on the shoulder and told me to go ahead up to the front row. YES, the FRONT ROW!!! I about peed my pants. I was actually touching the stage I was so close.
The show was pretty good, although unfortunately he played mostly stuff from his new album (which I don't own and don't know any of the songs and kind of didn't like). He did play a couple of his earlier solo pieces like "Every Day is Like Sunday." And he pulled out a few Smiths songs too... namely, "Girlfriend in a Coma," "A Boy With a Thorn in His Side," "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want This Time" and my personal favorite of the night... "How Soon is Now?", which he performed following a strange contortionist maneuver in which he curled himself up in a fetal type position next to the drum riser for about 3 minutes of instrumental interlude.
I guess he's including "How Soon is It Now?" on his set list this time around since he appeared to have played it at Coachella earlier this year...
"There's a club if you'd like to go... you could meet somebody who really loves you. So you go and you stand on your own, and you leave on your own, and you go home and you cry and you want to die."
(I must admit to listening to these lyrics more than once in college and finding comfort in them.)
Can't say I don't wish he'd played more Smiths songs or more from the Viva Hate or Bona Drag albums (I think his 2004 tour set list was actually better), but all in all it was still a good show, mostly because, you know, it's Morrissey, and he really knows how to work the crowd and appeal to his fans. And I'm not embarrassed at all to say I'm part of his cult following.
They didn't allow cameras into the venue so unfortunately I don't have a shot of our hand hold, but it was like slow motion...
... Me waving my arm frantically on the right hand side of the stage...
He smiled and came over and knelt down and picked me out of the crowd and held my hand while staring me in the eye for at least five seconds, as I swooned over it all...
It was very surreal.
What else can I say? I've idolized him for more than 20 years.
5 comments:
ANDREW SPEAKER IS A SELFISH SELF-SERVING ASSHOLE! "I'M AN INTELLIGENT PERSON" MY ASS! GOOD 'OL BOY PRICK! I HOPE HE AND HIS COW LIKE WIFE GET THEIR ASSES SUED FROM HERE TO GREECE AND BACK AGAIN! (VIA CANADA OF COURE) GOD, PLEASE LET HIM END UP LIKE JOHN MERRICK (AKA THE ELEPHANT MAN) WHEN THE CARNIES GOT A HOLD OF HIM AND PUT HIM IN THAT CAGE!
OH, WHAT AM I DOING... MOZ IS GREAT! ALMOST FORGOT WHAT THE POST WAS ABOUT... JUST HAD TO GET THAT OFF MY CHEST.
CHEERS!
Agreed! Andrew Speaker should be put in quarantine without access to treatment, and his consumption should simply consume him. What a selfish ass.
Not caring much about AS - as I am so jealous that you touched, shared a special moment with, felt the caress of Morrissey!
Did he play Interesting Drug - one my favorite sans Smiths songs?
Lest you think you were the only overwrought teen taking comfort in Moz's wisdom - my senior quote was, "In my life... why do I smile
at people who I'd much rather kick in the eye."
Must go to the stereo right now...
KC -- I never knew you were such a big Moz fan! And yes, the moment was heavenly...
My senior quote was also from the Smiths!!
"Will the world end in the night time or will the world end in the day time? And is there any point ever having children? Oh, I don't know. All I do know is we're here and it's now so stretch out and wait."
So uplifting!
That's really cool that you got to shake hands!
He played Dallas last week, and I heard there was a big dustup because the venue was attached to this barbecue place that was hosting a wedding rehearsal dinner at the same time as the concert. Morrissey demanded that there be absolutely no wafting beef odors, so they were trying to use fans and such to keep the meat odors away from the concert hall. I didn't hear how it turned out.
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