Hello all,

Just back from the show and I enjoyed it.
This being my first Morrissey concert or any concert for that matter.
It was a small venue, and was VERY crowded.
Never experienced anything like that, not sure if I liked it.

Here goes the set list:

-I Want The One I Can't Have
-Suedehead
-Hairdresser On Fire
-The First Of The Gang To Die
-Jack The Ripper
-Late Night, Maudlin Street
-I Like You
-Mexico
-Sister, I'm A Poet
-Alsatian Cousin
-Little Man, What Now?
-Everyday Is Like Sunday
-The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores
-Meat Is Murder
-Speedway
-November Spawned A Monster
Encore
-There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

Same ol' set list we're used to.

Right at the beginning he said "I hope you're wearing pampers, because you're going to pee."

He mentioned staying at a fine hotel here in SLC (the marriott) and there was no veggie meals on the menu. He said "Oh Utah, so much to answer for."

I was a bit surprised by how old he looked.
Well, good show Morrissey.

What's up with this Viva Hate revival? Is he getting senile? Would it kill him to play some other songs?

Small venue, lots of people probably close to 2000. Very diverse group of concert goers. Everything from Mom, Dad and kids to the usual vegetarian activists, even a few from the biker crowd. The show was very good. It was fun to hear some of the old Smiths titles. Security was pretty relaxed. I was able to walk up to the sound board and talk to the audio folks. Morrissey was very talkative, he tripped when coming out on to the stage, the opening act, "King Cheetah" was really sad. I went to the back and sat down on a couch and laughed at the effeminate vegetarian activists..... GOOD SHOW!!!

poor ol' moz. he gives us a dream set list and what do some people do? complain! "i want to hear more maladjusted and southpaw material" well i'm willing to bet that some of these individuals are the same people that complained in 96 and 97 when moz and the boys weren't doing viva hate and smiths tunes! people, get over it! if you wanted to see them do billy budd or alma matters then you should have caught them a few years back!

now, i will agree that it would be a good idea if they mixed it up a bit if they're playing two shows in the same town. now if they choose not to then don't complain and just don't go.

let's all just enjoy the shows! catch you all in vegas...yes, i'll be at both shows and if they do the same setlist then so be it! i'll be singing along twice as loud the 2nd night since i'll know the tunes!

The show was great, but everyone was standing around like it was a Barry Manilow gig. There was no life in the crowd!

As far as merchandise goes, there is a new poster available. It looks great. It's a black and white picture of Morrissey "walking away" in a desert background and at the bottom of the poster it just says M O R R I S S E Y.

Viva Moz!

does anyone know jim loman, or know if he will be at the santa fe show? much thanks!

Tuesday night's show at the Union Ballroom could not have been more different than the last time Moz graced the University of Utah campus at the Huntsman Center ten years ago. That October night in '92 saw a lithe and limber Moz flanked by four lean, well-coiffed musicians as they played to the rabid crowd of 6,000. Moz and mates, filled with energy, whipped the audience into such a frenzy that scores of zealots left their seats and overpowered security in a mad rush to get to their hero. Midway through "Everyday is Like Sunday", the now-shirtless Steven Patrick fled the stage under an inundation of invaders. The show climaxed with deafening feedback and general chaos as the band trashed its gear amid pulsing strobe lights.

Tuesday's belated return engagement was a much more subdued affair. Looking for all the world like some venerable and slightly eccentric uncle rather than the pinup who inspired fans to tear his gold lamé shirt from his torso, Morrissey took the stage dressed in a cardigan and ruffled tuxedo shirt. His trademark quiff was flecked with gray, and his slightly buffed-up physique seemed to ensure that the tux shirt would remain on said torso tonight. Three of the four lads that backed him in '92 were present, all looking similarly older and, uh, fuller. Their once-explosive stage manner was replaced by an Oasis-like stasis. The crowd's size was reduced to 1,000, and save a few outbursts, was very well-mannered indeed.

But this was still a Morrissey show, and there were plenty of delights in store. As has been the case throughout the tour, the set weighed heavily on tracks from "Viva Hate" as well as the four new songs. While it was good to hear airings of older tracks, some came off better than others. "Suedehead" and "Everyday is Like Sunday" suffered from turgid tempos and seemed to lag a bit. "Maudlin Street" and "Little Man..."--great album tracks both--are more compelling from the comfort of one's bedroom than in the live arena. To his credit, Moz performed each track gamely, and truly sang beautifully, but the dirge-like tempos prevented the crowd from becoming unhinged. Much better were readings of "Alsatian Cousin" (complete with sampled dog barks) which came off as loose and funky, and the rollicking "Sister I'm a Poet" which got the crowd swaying. All the while, Moz exhibited that indefinable charisma for which he is (in)famous as he stalked the stage, whipping the mic chord and dancing and preening. It must be said that Stevie is a truly magnetic character, full of wit and a vigor that is rare for a 44-year old.

The new songs generally were well-received though they varied in success. "The First of the Gang" rode a catchy chorus and "I Like You" boasted a harder edge and a repetetive refrain. "Mexico" came off as nothing more than b-side fodder--pleasant but unmemorable. "Crashing Bores" was distiguised by a vaguely Beatle-esque middle eight, but its verses were muddled, confusing the song's trajectory.

The definite highlights were the final four songs. "Meat is Murder" was harrowing, aided by Moz's growling delivery and Boz's deafening guitar mayhem. "Speedway" was a compelling reminder of Moz's relevance. He sang with great feeling as the band hammered at their instruments with more intensity than they had mustered all night. But the true gem was "November". The crowd roared to life as Morrissey covered the entire stage, gesturing to fans and grabbing their outstretched hands. The song's dynamics set it apart as one of the top songs in Moz's oeuvre. Only at this moment, and during the valedictory reading of "There is a Light", did the crowd approach the level of frenzy displayed on that autumn evening ten years ago. Undoubtedly, Moz showed that he can still work a crowd. He is an entertainer who, while older and presumably wiser (and definitely chattier)than his '92 incarnation, can still wring emotion from his expressive voice, affecting songs, and inimitable stage manner.

trying to get rid of floor tix for the sept 13 show, 250$ pair
oruiz@csulb.edu

Having gone to both of the Salt Lake shows, I have to say that this complaining about the set list is a little bit ridiculous. I'd say about 95% of the people I spoke to had no idea what Morrissey was going to play, had no idea that he was playing new songs, had no idea whether he'd even play a Smiths song... and probably 99% of the people had no idea that this website even exists. So why should Morrissey "change things around" for the 30-40 people each night who have gone to multiple shows?

At the U of U show, a fan called out for "Seasick." Morrissey laughed and said, "No, no, it's too-- too complicated." It's only partially a joke. Playing live songs requires rehearsal, and we all know that the band only had a few weeks prior to the tour to get up to speed. They could (and probably do) have a few songs that they're prepared to throw in, but only a few. (We know that "Glamorous Glue" was a "floater" at the first show in Arizona, and at the Zephyr on Monday I heard the band soundchecking "A Swallow on my Neck.")

Lest we forget, Dean has been with Morrissey on drums for a very short time. I doubt he knows all the songs, or many more than he's playing. But what they are playing is tight... I'd prefer to hear the same songs (if I'm lucky enough to go to multiple shows) played well than a wide variety of songs that are ill-rehearsed.

(Anyone who disputes that songs require rehearsal has never been a musician, or at least never been a musician outside their own bedroom.)

That said, I was rather pleased that the vast majority of the people at the show WEREN'T Morrissey-solo trolls like us, but rather normal people with maybe a few Morrissey and Smiths albums who, despite no output from Morrissey in five years, still came out to see him play and enjoyed every minute of it. I think it bodes well for his next album-- there's a broader audience out there that is receptive to him, still. I say this because at times it is easy to think that the fan-base is here on this website. But we're the minority, by far. Moz probably knows this, too, which is why he mocked our complaints on Tuesday night by saying, "Thank you for coming to hear a completely new setlist."

Or, as a co-worker said to me when I got home, "You're lucky to have gone. I didn't get to go at all."

True enough. Those who complain that the multiple shows they're going to are exactly the same forget two important things: 1) You're lucky just to be there, and 2) You're ridiculously and insanely obsessed. I know, becaue I'm one of you. But a little bit of perspective can go a long way.

After the show on Tuesday night, I went to find a friend who was staying at the Ramada, thinking that perhaps my friend was in the lounge there. He wasn't, and nor was he in his room. So I started to make a loop of the nearby hotel lounges, thinking perhaps I'd find him.

He wasn't at Cavanaugh's, so I went to Grand America. He wasn't there, either, but as I walked back out I found the tour bus had pulled up next to my truck, where my wife was waiting.

"The band's on the bus," she said, when I got in the car. "I saw Boz and Alain, poking their heads out."

"See Morrissey?" I asked.

"No. Did you see your friend?"

"No. But there's a lounge across the street. He might be there."

A valet came up and rapped on our window, asking if we needed anything. He clearly wanted us to move, so we drove off.

We looked in the lounge across the street for our friend but he wasn't there. It was 12:30 am, and clubs in Utah close at 1. It was obvious we wouldn't find him.

We walked back out to our truck. Across the street, the tour bus was still idling. We stopped and looked at it for a moment.

"They're leaving for Colorado Springs," I said.

"Yes."

"I'm surprised they're driving through the night."

"Would you stay another night in Small Fake City?" my wife asked.

"Not if I could help it," I said.

We got into our truck and turned out onto the street, passing the bus, heading toward a friend's condo where we were staying. We craned our necks a little as we passed.

"You know..." I said, slowing the car.

"No way," she said.

"He's gonna come out in like, three minutes," I said.

"You're thirty years old," she said.

It should be noted that I've already met Morrissey. Not once. Not twice. Three times. Back in 1991 I went to my first show at Great Woods, Mass. The next day I told my boss at the bookstore where I worked that my grandmother had died and I needed the next four days off to go to her funeral. Then I absconded to New York and saw the last last three shows of the Kill Uncle tour. I met Morrissey then outside of his hotel-- that's my hand there in the lower left corner of the cover of "Morrissey Shot"-- and later we saw him off at JFK when he flew back to England. And on the Your Arsenal tour I saw him outside his hotel in Washington, DC, and there's a photo of me and Moz, long lost-- the photo, that is-- in which we both have our tongues sticking out, for no particular reason other than perhaps a shared notion that any photo of a pop star and a fan is eventually embarassing for both involved.

It should also be said that those events were years ago. Since then I've made my own records (you've never heard them) and toured in a band and met other pop stars and at least once, while buying toilet paper of all things, I've had the roles reversed-- some cute girl behind me in line at the CVS saying, "Aren't you the drummer for ----?" and me saying "Yes yes yes" as I paid the cashier for the toilet paper, which was an emergency purchase of sorts-- and though that, too, was years ago I have for at least six years now been absolutely bereft of any desire to meet Morrissey, or anyone famous, for the simple reason that whenever I've met them I've found there is simply nothing for either of us to say. "I like your music?" That's obvious. "Can I get a photograph?" I've got 'em. "An autograph?" Scores of them are lying around the house-- I use them for coasters.

I pulled the truck over. We were half a block away.

"This is ridiculous," my wife said.

"Utterly," I agreed.

We walked back to the hotel. Ten yards from the bus an agitated young man in a ball cap and a goatee was loitering.

"You here for Morrissey?" he asked.

"I guess so," I said.

"Stay here," he said. "Stay here. If we crowd the bus security will kick us out."

I stood there, and muttered something about being too old to be standing outside of anyon

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OK, here's my dream set list (in order) with the new songs thrown in as well:

Headmaster Ritual
Hand In Glove
Alsatian Cousin
Little Man
Bengali in Platforms
Late Night, Maudlin Street
Hairdresser
Interesting Drug
Sister, I'm a Poet
Shoplifters...
Stop Me If You Think...
Boy With The Thorn...
Sunny
At Amber
Girl Least Likely To
Suedehead
Encores~ We'll Let You Know, Half a Person, There is a Light...
   
  Do any of U SLCers know my fiance Bobby Thompson?