Gig: Morrissey @ Alexandra Palace 01/05/06

You know what they say: If you are going to see Mos see him in England.

No, you're right, they don't say that but they should!

Seeing Morrissey last night at the "Ally Pally" was less like a concert and more like a football match. That is not to say that everything leading up to Mozzer stepping on stage wasn't decidedly normal. Alexandra Palace is huge. MASSIVE! Like a stretched out Royal Exhibition Hall and similarly painted but with a glass/perspex roof. All around are bars and food stalls serving everything from giant lukewarm spring rolls to giant lukewarm spring rolls. Morrissey=Vegetarian=No decent food at gig. Pity, I could have done with some baby harp seal sushi handrolls. That was wrong. Sorry Moz!

All on my lonesome I passed the time strolling the halls with my spring roll clutched to my breast, sipping on my still spring water in a plastic cup. Eventually I settled on a spot to sit and await the first act. I am trying very hard to remember their name but at the moment it is not coming to mind. I can say this. She wore black and sounded like Kate Bush on steroids. Fun but bizarre!

It was after the first support that the Morrissey hooliganism started. At the time I just thought they were dedicated fans and the crowd didn't seem that boisterous. I wasn't really paying attention anyway becasue up next I was delighted to see that I was finally about to see Sons and Daughters (not Sons and Daughters), the band that Richard and Glen have been raving about since they saw them live at Merrideth last year. I have to agree; these guys and girls ROCK(abilly)! It was great to see a a truly charismatic band front up, though I was surprised that most of the crowd didn't seem to know them. About three songs from the end of their set the chanting started... Morrissey Morrissey Morrisseeeeey!

The lights came up and the tension built. The crowd began to press in gently as people carefully placed themselves for the best view. One young woman had brought along her two kids and was jostling them in front of some of the bigger guys. The boy, who couldn't have been more than 12, had his arm in a cast. Then the lights went down.

I think a few members of the crowd actually went into religious ecstasy as Mos stepped on stage. And no there wasn't a gladiola or band-aided nipple to be seen. He just stepped out in his maroon shirt and said, "For what you are about to receive may you be truly sorry." As the band, dressed in green Playboy tops, settled into position, Morrissey rejoined, "Welcome to the lost art of live music!" Then BANG into "First Of The Gang To Die" and the crowd swelled and everyone's carefully chosen positions were washed together in the tsunami-esque support from the back rows. Everyone just swept together. Hell of a lot of fun, great energy but thank god it died down after the first few songs because it took so much effort to keep standing that it was hard to enjoy the music.

To say the fans love Morrissey is an understatement. Being there in the audience of Morrissey performing Smiths tracks is like tapping into a huge collective memory of the eighties, and then some. It was like a cult. Even that kid with the cast was throwing his hands in the air and singing the songs like he lived through them.

This is how it went:

Still Ill
You Have Killed Me
The Youngest Was The Most Loved
Gang Lord
To Me You Are A Work Of Art
At Last I Am Born
On The Streets I Ran
Let Me Kiss You
I Will See You In Far Off Places
Girlfriend In A Coma
Life Is A Pigsty
Trouble Loves Me (Intro: Maybe It’s Because I’m A Londoner)
In The Future When All’s Well
I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
How Soon Is Now?
Encore: Irish Blood, English Heart

Fans on the net have been bitching about the playlist. Everyone wants more of the old stuff. I love the old stuff but hats of to Mos for staying vital and having the balls to rely on his new material. And hell, it stands up pretty well and some of the stuff that is not great on the album fleshes out really well on stage.

That said, "How Soon Is Now?" and "Girlfriend In A Coma" were amazing to hear live and the crowd responded in kind. There seemed to be an endless stream of fans willing to throw themselves at the stage in a desperate attempt to touch their idol. Morrissey just giggled and waved as if he were, even after all these years, perplexed about the whole affair.

Seeing the English crowd in action, I don't blame him.

Oh, and thanks to pupok for the photo. It is not from last night's gig but hell, you can't tell the difference.

Tags: music, review, Morrissey