roknrolljesus
Wasting my time...
from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Ending a long absence, Morrissey thrills Pittsburgh fans
One of the great crooners of the post-punk era was in beautiful voice
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
By Scott Mervis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
As it turns out, it was nothing personal.
Morrissey seemed positively charmed to be on a stage in Pittsburgh after 23 years, to the point where he even gave us the shirt off his back.
There were no apologies for the two previous no-shows or belaboring of the point Tuesday night at the sold-out Carnegie Music Hall. Morrissey took the stage, saying, "After a hundred years...hello" and launched right into "This Charming Man," one of just a few favorites in the set list from his beloved Smiths.
Morrissey was ailing in recent weeks, forced to cancel six dates, but, as the song goes, he's not still ill. One of great crooners of the post-punk era, he was in beautiful voice, whether it was caressing the woeful ballads, raving through driving rockers like the new "Something is Squeezing My Skull" or reaching for the operatic falsettos on the climactic "First of the Gang to Die."
His energy level lagged only a few times in a room that approached the temperature of one of Carnegie's mills. The band, led by guitarist Boz Boorer, added a good deal to that heat, and was worthy of a few more opportunities to truly let loose.
It wasn't the set list the average Morrissey would have written. We did get the pulsing melodrama of "How Soon is Now?" and a delicate "Death of a Disco Dancer" ("love, peace and harmony...very nice, but maybe in the next world") from the Smiths catalog, along with the playful "Ask." Solo favorites such as "Everyday is Like Sunday," "Suedehead" and "The Last of the International Playboys" were shelved in favor of some lesser lights like "Why Don't You Find Out for Yourself" and "That's How People Grow Up."
"Irish Blood, English Heart" was timely and heartfelt on a St. Patrick's Day. One deep cut, "Seasick, Yet Still Docked," turned out to be a highlight, a swaying ballad that mimicked its title, with Morrissey crooning, "Wish I had the charm to attract the one I love/But you see, I've got no charm."
It's the kind of line he loves to sing, even though it's far from the truth. Even covered in sweat, The Moz has a natural elegance, a romantic streak from a bygone era, as he pours out lovelorn songs like "I'm OK By Myself."
"I know it looks very easy ... it is," he quipped at one point.
But we know that's not true. Morrissey writes songs that are challenging to sing, songs that many pop singers would have no clue how to handle, and he didn't shy away from them.
Of course, he was received ecstatically by the crowd, some of whom charged the stage to grab him, occasionally quite roughly. One had the nerve to pull his hair -- who pulls Morrissey's hair?
Although some fans were calling for it, he didn't do "On the Streets I Ran," which references Pittsburgh in unflattering fashion, but during "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris," he did change a lyric to "There is no one in Pittsburgh I'm afraid of..."
Now that we have that all cleared up and we're friends again, perhaps he can return sooner than 23 years -- and treat fans to some of other songs they were dying to hear.
from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Review: Morrissey triumphant in return
Buzz up!By Rege Behe, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
"After 100 years, finally, hello."
That's all Morrissey needed to say Tuesday night at Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland to make up for cancelling his last two scheduled shows in Pittsburgh.
That's all he needed to do to spur the sold-out crowd into a frenzy worthy of the Jonas Brothers, an audience who likely would have been satisfied just seeing the enigmatic performer in the flesh.
But then he went and put on a show that was everything a fan could desire, that sated the desire that had built up since Morrissey's last Pittsburgh appearance 23 years ago, with the Smiths, at the Fulton Theater.
Anyone who attended Tuesday's show will undoubtedly say it was worth the wait, 23 years of frustration instantly dissipating by way of that unexpected greeting.
Morrissey started with the Smiths' gem, "This Charming Man," and it wasn't an idle boast. Through 21 songs Morrissey was the epitome of charm, glad-handing fans lucky enough to be in the front row, shrugging off the few earnest stage crashers as if they were heavy winter's coats. He was also in fine voice throughout, his tenor only occasionally lapsing into a growl.
And the music? It matched the audience's fevered pitch, Morrissey's crack backing band rising to the occasion for all the variations — the crooning "Let Me Kiss You," the jagged "Best Friend of the Payroll," the jaunty barrel house of "I Keep Mine Hidden."
Best were "Seasick, Yet Still Docked," an ethereal, translucent song that highlighted Morrissey's poetic side, a rousing version of "Something is Squeezing My Skull," and a fine, if rather frenetic, take on the Smiths' "Ask."
One moment, however, was memorably transcendent. Four songs in, the band launched "How Soon Is Now," another Smith's song that ended in a brilliantly noisy coda of white noise that reverberated around the packed hall. The audience's response was so fevered, so intense, that Morrissey, slumped over the mic stand, seemed stunned and genuinely touched.
"Wow," he said, looking to the upper reaches of the overflowing balconies.
Nothing more need be said.
Ending a long absence, Morrissey thrills Pittsburgh fans
One of the great crooners of the post-punk era was in beautiful voice
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
By Scott Mervis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
As it turns out, it was nothing personal.
Morrissey seemed positively charmed to be on a stage in Pittsburgh after 23 years, to the point where he even gave us the shirt off his back.
There were no apologies for the two previous no-shows or belaboring of the point Tuesday night at the sold-out Carnegie Music Hall. Morrissey took the stage, saying, "After a hundred years...hello" and launched right into "This Charming Man," one of just a few favorites in the set list from his beloved Smiths.
Morrissey was ailing in recent weeks, forced to cancel six dates, but, as the song goes, he's not still ill. One of great crooners of the post-punk era, he was in beautiful voice, whether it was caressing the woeful ballads, raving through driving rockers like the new "Something is Squeezing My Skull" or reaching for the operatic falsettos on the climactic "First of the Gang to Die."
His energy level lagged only a few times in a room that approached the temperature of one of Carnegie's mills. The band, led by guitarist Boz Boorer, added a good deal to that heat, and was worthy of a few more opportunities to truly let loose.
It wasn't the set list the average Morrissey would have written. We did get the pulsing melodrama of "How Soon is Now?" and a delicate "Death of a Disco Dancer" ("love, peace and harmony...very nice, but maybe in the next world") from the Smiths catalog, along with the playful "Ask." Solo favorites such as "Everyday is Like Sunday," "Suedehead" and "The Last of the International Playboys" were shelved in favor of some lesser lights like "Why Don't You Find Out for Yourself" and "That's How People Grow Up."
"Irish Blood, English Heart" was timely and heartfelt on a St. Patrick's Day. One deep cut, "Seasick, Yet Still Docked," turned out to be a highlight, a swaying ballad that mimicked its title, with Morrissey crooning, "Wish I had the charm to attract the one I love/But you see, I've got no charm."
It's the kind of line he loves to sing, even though it's far from the truth. Even covered in sweat, The Moz has a natural elegance, a romantic streak from a bygone era, as he pours out lovelorn songs like "I'm OK By Myself."
"I know it looks very easy ... it is," he quipped at one point.
But we know that's not true. Morrissey writes songs that are challenging to sing, songs that many pop singers would have no clue how to handle, and he didn't shy away from them.
Of course, he was received ecstatically by the crowd, some of whom charged the stage to grab him, occasionally quite roughly. One had the nerve to pull his hair -- who pulls Morrissey's hair?
Although some fans were calling for it, he didn't do "On the Streets I Ran," which references Pittsburgh in unflattering fashion, but during "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris," he did change a lyric to "There is no one in Pittsburgh I'm afraid of..."
Now that we have that all cleared up and we're friends again, perhaps he can return sooner than 23 years -- and treat fans to some of other songs they were dying to hear.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Review: Morrissey triumphant in return
Buzz up!By Rege Behe, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
"After 100 years, finally, hello."
That's all Morrissey needed to say Tuesday night at Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland to make up for cancelling his last two scheduled shows in Pittsburgh.
That's all he needed to do to spur the sold-out crowd into a frenzy worthy of the Jonas Brothers, an audience who likely would have been satisfied just seeing the enigmatic performer in the flesh.
But then he went and put on a show that was everything a fan could desire, that sated the desire that had built up since Morrissey's last Pittsburgh appearance 23 years ago, with the Smiths, at the Fulton Theater.
Anyone who attended Tuesday's show will undoubtedly say it was worth the wait, 23 years of frustration instantly dissipating by way of that unexpected greeting.
Morrissey started with the Smiths' gem, "This Charming Man," and it wasn't an idle boast. Through 21 songs Morrissey was the epitome of charm, glad-handing fans lucky enough to be in the front row, shrugging off the few earnest stage crashers as if they were heavy winter's coats. He was also in fine voice throughout, his tenor only occasionally lapsing into a growl.
And the music? It matched the audience's fevered pitch, Morrissey's crack backing band rising to the occasion for all the variations — the crooning "Let Me Kiss You," the jagged "Best Friend of the Payroll," the jaunty barrel house of "I Keep Mine Hidden."
Best were "Seasick, Yet Still Docked," an ethereal, translucent song that highlighted Morrissey's poetic side, a rousing version of "Something is Squeezing My Skull," and a fine, if rather frenetic, take on the Smiths' "Ask."
One moment, however, was memorably transcendent. Four songs in, the band launched "How Soon Is Now," another Smith's song that ended in a brilliantly noisy coda of white noise that reverberated around the packed hall. The audience's response was so fevered, so intense, that Morrissey, slumped over the mic stand, seemed stunned and genuinely touched.
"Wow," he said, looking to the upper reaches of the overflowing balconies.
Nothing more need be said.
