Last night Morrissey dreamt that somebody loved him, the
King of Pain did have more than just somebody, he had a sold-out Radio City and
the first of three nights in New York City (the second nights happen at
Terminal 5) loving everything he did and said. On a tour where he just touring
America, really for the sake of it, the voice of a generation of indie rock
lovers was simply on fire from the get go.
As the stage dimmed and random words began to be heard over
the PA system, words and phrases that ranged from “Adolf Hitler” to
“Apartheid,” to “Free Nelson Mandela,” “Racist,” were projected. It was a
bizarre and left-of-center way to get a crowd ready, but then again, this is
Morrissey. Walking on stage at 9pm sharp, he and his band bowed together and took
their places. Opening with “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me,” it was
immediate that the 53-year-old singer has not lost his vocal touch. While the
crowd went crazy with Morrissey opening with a Smiths song, especially after
the speculation was denounced that the band would never reunite, it, like
always, was evident that he still loves his old numbers, just not his former
band. His band, who all wore the same uniform – a red T-shirt that said
“KillJoy” across the chest, blue jeans and slick 50’s style haircuts, were
simply on fire. They clearly are not The Smiths, but were great at mimicking
the sounds that the legendary band crafted three decades ago. Morrissey, who
was on The Colbert Report the night before, referenced the TV taping and asked the
crowd how he did. He was much more personal, or as personal as he will get,
with the crowd than I expected. At numerous times he reached out to those in
the front row and shook hands and even spoke to an 11-year-old named Kyle, who
was front row center, the singer seemed pleased that he was ushering in a new
generation to his music, even if it was just one kid. Yet, in an ironic twist,
a screen that featured Oscar Wilde with a cartoon bubble over his mouth that
said, “Who is Morrissey?” was projected for a majority of the night.
As the night progressed, Moz stuck to cuts off his last
studio album, Years of Refusal, and deep cuts of his solo career and even
performed a new song, “People Are the Same Everywhere,” and snuck in a cover of
Frankie Valli’s “To Give (The Reason I Live).” While the songs sounded fantastic and he and the band fed off
each other, it was cuts from The Smiths that, as expected, that got the most
acclaim. Songs like “Shoplifters of the World Unite,” and “Meat is Murder,”
which was accompanied by a brutal video of animal slaughtering, added more of a
deep impact to the songs words. In the 90-minute concert, which featured a one
song encore of The Smiths “Still Ill,” had his fans on the floor attempting to
jump on stage and hug the man, but security nearly lost their heads trying to
prevent that from happening. Morrissey seemed to embrace the fans, the singer,
notorious for self-loathing appeared to love the idea that he is an icon and
not matter what he does or says, his legion of fans will still come out and
express their admiration.
Morrissey Radio City Music Hall - 10/10/12 Setlist
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
You Have Killed Me
The Youngest Was The Most Loved
You're The One For Me, Fatty
I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
Shoplifters Of The World Unite
Everyday Is Like Sunday
Ouija Board, Ouija Board
Black Cloud
Spring-Heeled Jim
People Are The Same Everywhere
Meat Is Murder
To Give (The Reason I Live)
Maladjusted
Let Me Kiss You
Speedway
I Know It's Over
One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell
I'm OK By Myself
Encore:
Still Ill