Great show...one guy made it onto the stage during the encore.
As far as I know here was the setlist...
 
The First Of The Gang To Die / Hairdresser On Fire / The Headmaster Ritual / Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice / Jack The Ripper / How Could Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel? / Let Me Kiss You / The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores / There Is A Light That Never Goes Out / Such A Little Thing Makes Such A Big Difference / I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday / No One Can Hold A Candle To You / I'm Not Sorry / Subway Train [into...] Everyday Is Like Sunday / All The Lazy Dykes / Irish Blood, English Heart //Hand in Glove

4 more to go.
I can't wait!

Hello,

just came back and I can only say - Moz was good - the audience compared to LA or european concerts: lausy !!
Moz made the right decision to play on his birthday in Europe, where people clap even without a videocube..:-))

I'm sad to see this song has not been played the past couple shows. Such a personal favourite for me. I am not even religious and I'm going to pray he brings it back for the weekend shows.

As always I need to say this here again, if someone has pics from these NY shows please send it to me. renato@carahter.com
  I live in Brazil so I don´t know when I will see Moz again, if you guys could help me I would be really happy :)

WOW!! I was at two shows in LA and let me be the one to give you people (LA) the bad news!!! Morrissey tonight in NYC was much better by far!! Morrisseys voice was amazing tonight and the band was perfect. The sound was far superior to that of Wiltern shows. The crowd was fine! excellent. I suspect those who complain about the crowd at the show are immature themselves! The NYC crowd was mature and made the show very enjoyable, (i personnally don't appreciate some dirtbag flailing their arms in my face and spilling drinks) MOZ was very engaged with the crowd often allowing audience members to speak into the mic etc. Apollo venue is much more intimate then WIltern and Morrissey really took advantage of it. those who were there will agree this show tonight was very special!! 4 more to go.

One guy got on stage to hug Mozzer but another one got caught on the same left side as the first one. They pinned him down like LT on anyone.
Some fun things I thought were every Mezzanine was near full by 9 but the orchestra and box seats were half full. I hope the scalpers suffered.
"These are my Harlem Globetrotters"... introduces the band
The person who threw the soda down on security when the concert ended, mad props for that one. The guys down there looked pissed.
No organization with the bag check and merchandise line. I almost was accused of cutting the line!
I think dino used the huge gong twice.

Band was at their tightest, most professional I've ever heard them. Deano especially solid on drums. (Gong flourishes a nice touch.) Everyone decked out in grey suits, mostly red shirts. Moz called them "his Globetrotters" (get it, they were in Harlem). Lighting was great, starry backdrop was sharp.

Moz was in fine form, sounded great. But did I hear him say he had a cold..."the Harlem Sniffles"? He went through about 12 bottles of water it seemed like.

Now, about the Apollo. Awful! Security staff were total gorillas, manhandling folks left & right like they were Samsonite cases. During the show, they actually sent ushers into Mezzanine crowd telling us we had to sit down, couldn't stand during the concert, or we'd get ejected. I couldn't believe it! What's the point in paying your money, going to a show if you can't stand up and cheer, bop along, sway in place...whatever you like to do while enjoying the show? It's not opera or the symphony for crying out loud...it's a rock show. Do they tell everyone at a Def Comedy Jam or Alicia Keys concert to sit down...no standing allowed? They also shined flashlights in your face if you had a front row balcony seat and rested your arms on railing. They hounded the patrons non-stop. Bad, bad venue!

Seating: If you were in the lower Mezz in the first few rows, view is good if not superb. I don't know what downstairs or upper Mezz was like. But I also have Friday night tix that are on next to last row of Lower Mezz and they are gonna be awful...SEVERELY restricted view. The venue or Ticketmaster should tell you that when you're buying them. But they don't and you pay $65 a piece, just the same as the great row B seats I had tonight. Feel really bad for my bro-in-law & sis-in-law 'cause they can only go Friday and they have crappy seats awaiting them.

Hope Moz does more NY area dates after Lollapalooza and gets a better site.

Does anyone have any clue what the song was that was played on the PA between Johansen Moz? It was the first song, was in French and had a repeating horn blast.

I was the English lad who had the banter with Moz about Tony Blair with Moz on the mic. suffice to say this was one of the greatest nights of my life although i did not appreciate whoever it was who wasnt the girl i was with who was feeling my arse at the time.....

I'm going to the shows on Tuesday and Friday and have a few questions. What time did the concert end? Was the train station near the theater? Were you able to bring in bags and cameras? How were the views from row b center lower mezz and row f left upper mezz?

It was amazing I was in the very front, stage left from Moz's POV (next to Julia) and it was awesome I've seen him several times but never that close! He even held my hand twice while singing!! it was bliss...I know some people said how tough the security were but the guy in front of me was awesome then again maybe it's cause I'm a girl but he was being very cool to us. Overall thought Moz was in excellent form and the crowd was great I had a blast! - Cheers

K

Morrissey definitely wasn't in top form tonight. I love him and enjoyed the show, but if my girlfriend, who is obsessed with him and has never seen him before hadn't been there, I would have seriously questioned why I spent $250 on the tickets.

The venue isn't the best--we were in the right orchestra about 8 rows in. The PA leaves a lot to be desired and even though the venue does feel smallish, it isn't. Morrissey seemed to have a cold.

This is basically for people who are considering buying tickets from a scalper. If you haven't yet, then consider seeing him another time, in a place like LA or Vegas or Europe. I saw him in Vegas a couple years ago and it was amazing--a completely different experience. The songs are great, but they are the same songs he plays (a lot more Smiths material this time though) but the show was curiously lacking in energy. He made a lot of the same jokes and comments people reported he made in LA.

Come on... we all know which Morrissey prefers! And from all the posts thus far, it seems like the shows in LA & Vegas were better. NY, you can't even decide if the show sucked or not!

WESTSIDE!

I was considering buying some tickets off a scalper for saturday's show. But, from what I've been reading, I'm having second thoughts now. I went to vegas and 1 at the Wiltern(saturday) Maybe someone can tell me more, maybe I decide to go.

What time did Moz hit the stage?

Can anyone confirm who was in David Johansen's band? Was it former Dolls?

They will NOT let you bring a camera in. I had mine in a hideen pocket in my bag but they found it anyway. You will need to check it in and pick it up after the gig, which is very time consuming. This includes cell phones with cameras, btw.

Having said that, I thought the people working there were total pros! OK the bartenders were a little slow, but I've never been treated so well by security staff. I was in the lower mezzanine - I didn't stand the whole time but when I did, no one told me to sit down. The ceiling up there is quite low (I'm about 6'1" in my heels) and with everyone standing there would be NO room to see. It's a small venue. I can't vouch for upper mezz but the lower mezz has NO bad seats as far as I can tell

how is the area around the venue? I know that Harlem is much nicer than it used to be, but there are still some bad areas. Is the Apollo in one of the nicer areas? Or, is it in a dumpy part of town?

How is the subway station around there? Sketchy? Fine?

hi, can anyone please describe the level of security at the door of the apollo? i want badly to get in with a DAT recorder and mics. any info will be helpful. if you could contact me offline , as well as here it would be great. thanks mike
mhooker@optonline.net

If you don't want the birds eye view for this gig (and, believe me, it's nearly straight down) try going downstairs between the Dolls and Moz. There is a lounge at the back of the Orch area and VERY easy to get in past the ticket checkers. Make sure you stand at the end of an aisle, however, when the show starts as the goons are out in force (easy on the right or left aisles than in the center aisles). I went from second to last row, top tier, to 12th row orch without an effort.

Sorry, I meant to post this last night but was too tired by the time I got all the way back home. I took down notes and what not the second I got out, hope everyone enjoys.

I got there really early, around 6:15. There were a total of 6 people there then; even though it wasn't general admit I really thought there'd be at least a few more. It was raining (and had been for ages) and was unreasonably cold for May- I'm all sniffly today. Around 6:30, we see a guard carrying in a large flower arangement and dry-cleaned shirt. We laugh knowing where those will be headed...So anyway, we wait around for ages, get moved to another line for people with tickets and finally around 7:40 (I think) they let us in.

A Few Tips:
Security at the Apollo is insane. DO NOT try to bring in a camera or cell phone. The bag check system is rather unorganized. So here's my advice- If you can at all avoid it, don't bring a bag bigger than a purse. I needed to because I had work to do on the way and I had to check it. After the show, getting your bag back was a bit chaotic. Basically, all they put on your bag when they check it is your name and seat number so there's a ton of people trying to make it down this one tiny hallway to get to this one tiny room where there were a total of five people looking for everyone's bag. From getting in line to actually getting my bag, it was a 25 minute process but it seems like mine was especially hard to find- other's were getting theirs sooner. That said, just avoid the issue by not bringing a bag/anything you're not supposed to.

About the camera/cell phone thing, don't even bother. The guy in front of me took out his cell phone and within 10 seconds security had confiscated it. They were supposed to take your ticket so you could get it back afterwards but while I was waiting for my bag there were two people trying to get theirs back from whom security hadn't gotten a ticket so there was no way of knowing whose was whose.

About the actual show, I was really impressed. I've been a Moz fan for about seven years and this was the first time I've had a chance to see him. I do, however, agree that the crowd was lame as all hell. For example, the guys in front of me were these three businessmen who before the show started apologized for blocking my view but explained that they'd been waiting to see Morrissey for 26 years. Funny, I thought, that they've been waiting to see Moz since 1978. Old school chums, perhaps? Doubtful. They sat through the entire show (I was in orch) except to get up briefly during Hand In Glove. Another bit worth mentioning was the cluster of 14 year old girls gathered around singing How Soon Is Now right outside after the show ended. I'm guessing they were upset that he didn't play it. Poor things. But yeah, lame crowd. They didn't seem to give a shit about the new songs which sounded AMAZING! Even when they played IBEH there was little or no response from where I was. It was just really annoying to watch people getting up/going to hang out at the bar/not pay attention during the entire set.

I was really glad to finally see a stage invader during the encore. I was thinkng about trying to get up but kept an eye on security the entire time, they seemed pretty hardcore. Theoretically, it looks really easy to get on stage
but the five or six guards in front of the stage followed his every single move. I also realized that in wasting time trying to get on stage, I was taking away from actually watching Morrissey. If anyway does, however, try to do it, approaching from the sides looks like the best way to do it.

Morrissey was himself last night, lots of funny little quips. Sorry if I get these wrong, I may have heard them wrong from where I was sitting.

Of course, as I'm sure you read, the band was introduced as "His Globetrotters".

Someone yells "I love you" to which he responded "Likewise."

(this one could be wrong but this is what is sounded like to me)
There was this guy in the front row I'm guessing w

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Let's not forget the guy in front who yelled out: "We have the same shirt!"

Moz: "Where did you buy yours?"

Guy: "Express"

Moz: (a bit emphatic) "This is NOT the same shirt!"

It will be interesting to see if someone has all his quips from last night. It was almost like "Q&A with Moz" he was so willing to engage the tempered audience. It struck me as how his shows will be when the fame and fans have all grown tired, but it was quite comfortable and intimate.

So it was such a classic event to have David opening and yet not one tidbit on what David sang and who his band was? What's up with that? Someone please drop some info!!!

Can anyone tell me if they drove to the Apollo?
Where is there parking? Street? Garage? I would appreciate it!!! Thanks....

With arguably some of the best seats in the house (Row B, Lower Center Mezzanine), I think I had a good perspective on last night's show as a whole. Maybe, maybe not. You be the judge. ; )

Anyway, as everyone knows, Morrissey is a performer who feeds and thrives off the unadulterated adoration of his fans – and last night it just didn’t seem to be particularly intense. It came in waves, namely during the man’s more popular Smiths and solo numbers. But the crowd was delightful nonetheless. Polite, handsome and well behaved older people like myself. Well, maybe except for the well behaved bit.

As a side note, it’s always so odd for me to see people with smashing seats at a Morrissey show with hardly any idea of who he is, let alone the words to any of his songs. I know if I’m offered to go to a show to see a performer I know sweet FA about, I don’t bother! Even if it’s free. The two dudes in front of me (row A) fit this description, but seemed to enjoy themselves anyway. Ecstasy will do that to you.

The Apollo Theatre is small and intimate to say the least. The neighborhood up there is fine and it’s close to the A and D trains. Also the 2 and 3. I thought I was running late at 9pm but arrived to a (fast moving) line circling halfway round the block. Saw a couple of grand Morrissey tattoos on queue, and rapped to fans who seemed to have traveled from all over the US. Those who hadn’t paid over double the face value for scalped tickets seemed to have shit seats, apart from yours truly, of course.

So after absent-mindedly leaving my credit card and driver’s license at will call and having it graciously returned to me by a security “ape” (as someone so pleasantly put it before), I made my way up the stairs and was thrilled to see a bar up in the back of the lower mezzanine area. Not so thrilled to pay $7 for Budweiser though -- in a plastic cup no less. No sooner had I paid for the beer when I realized I had unknowingly cut in front of about 40 people waiting in a long line for a drink. I really didn’t mean to, honest. I’m a bit spaced out like that. No one said anything anyway. Mmwah. Love you.

So soon after the mysterious enjoyment of my beer, the lights went down to raucous applause. The (long) intro played and the boys finally took to the stage, ripping straight into First Of The Gang To Die. The band (apart from Deano) looked a little rigid and nervous, Alain even hit a bunk note or two. Regardless, the sound was decent for the most part and I even took the liberty to indulge in some pot smoking. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the rest of the show. Just kidding.

I was surprised there weren’t more stage invaders, as there were areas of the stage totally unguarded (namely to the left and right). There is hardly any moat either and only a handful of security goons. Maybe people were worried about being thrown out? Maybe they didn’t want Morrissey’s ‘Harlem Sniffles’? Anyway, one guy made it up there and 2 minutes later was back at his same position in the crowd. Rock on duuuude!

There was some great audience interaction. And some quotable quotes, including: “Steven? Who is Steven? He has been dead for many, many years my friend.” And after Hairdresser On Fire: “Thank you, thank you. Was anything in tune?”

Personally, I was a bit disappointed in the set list. I would like to have heard Jesus and You Know I Couldn’t Last. They are two of the albums strongest moments I feel. Don’t Make Fun Of Daddy’s Voice sounded great, as did How Could Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel. Headmaster Ritual wasn’t so fabulous and Jack the Ripper needs to be retired forever. The encore was short, but powerful.(See set list)

Getting out of there was a lot more of an effort than getting in. Coat check/bag pick-up was a complete zoo. Take note! Don’t check anything! Keep your coats and what not under your seat! Don’t bring anything they may make you check! Phones, cameras etc. Luckily I had nothing left there, but getting out of was still a giant pain in th

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Are cell phones really banned from the Apollo??

what time did morrissey go on?
what time do i need to get there to miss the opening band and get to my seat?

were pople selling tickets outside? Roughly how much? $100? $125? $150?

(granted the weather was not all that fair but...)

an Anonymous person said:
"It was just really annoying to watch people getting up/going to hang out at the bar/not pay attention during the entire set. "

yep yep.

As much as I really enjoyed the show I wanted to comment on the crowd.
I've noticed a few comments about the crowd not being so great and I have to agree. I do think there were people who were cheering and singing along but it was just not the crowd I expected. Very few Smiths/Morrissey shirts, very few Moz look-a-likes, and a definite lack of excitement over the new songs. I was really shocked that nobody really (okay well not nobody but not many) got into songs like "First of the Gang..." and "Irish blood..."
I thought everyone knew these fairly well by now?

A good portion of the crowd were people I'd imagine do not know a whole lot about Morrissey. I mean I saw more than a few fools in shorts - at a Morrissey concert??
Too many people who really had no clue why they were there...maybe when they saw Fred Durst with a Smiths shirt on they said "hey, Limp Dickzkit likes them...so will I"

Here's to hoping more actual fans show up at the next four shows.

The show was great! I don't know what anyone could complain about, well, maybe the sloooowww bartenders, but alas....

So, I can't believe I was the only one to make it up on stage! But it was incredible.
Though security was tight at the entrance getting down towards the stage was incredibly easy. I had tickets for the orchestra, row S, not bad seats, but I wanted more! So my friend and I just walked down to like the third row and nobody stopped us.
I had been watching security to see what the deal was and looking for weak spots and there are two incredibly big ones...
here's what you do:
Just walk down to the stage right or left, on each side, just where the speakers are, there's no barricade and the security is actually barricaded from you!
I made my initial move during Everday Is Like Sunday, I couldn't control myself. I just walked up to the stage and stood with all the others there with no hassle. I decided to wait for the encore and asked everyone around me if they were going up and no one said yes, which surprised me and I said, "Well, I'm going" and as soon as I heard the opening of Hand In Glove, I jumped up there and hugged the man. And it was awesome!
But here is the one caveat. security from here on out is NOT NICE. Some thug man-handled me backstage and out the door onto the street.
Then this British guy yells to me and the two other people standing there, "Don't stand in front the car. That's Morrissey's car. Don't stand in front of it because he will run you over!"
Which was weird, well, I ran around the corner to try and get back into the show (I forgot my umbrella) and no one stopped me or checked my ticket, so I think it wouldn't be too hard to get back in, say, if someone wanted to stage invade a little earlier in the show.

Well, needless to say I was elated and quite high after the experience and to top things off my friend even got a big chunk of Morrissey's black Gucci shirt for me!

It really was a fantastic show, it is an intimate setting and the sound was great. David Johansen was quite good, very tight pants, very tight and nice moustache, though the crowd sucked during his set.

Anyway, good luck to all during the next four shows!

I've seen Moz many, many times and although the crowd in NY is always a bit lackluster compared to LA (from reading previous posts) or in Europe, where they are absolutely fanatical about him, I thought the crowd was respectful and well, very New York. I don't know what Moz fans expect from a NY audience. NY'ers don't expect to go to a show and perform themselves, they expect to be dazzled by a stellar performance. And Moz lived up. (I've been at shows where people walked out, or venues that were half full) This was a sell out crowd -and looks like it's a sell out for the rest of the week-bravo.

It was a good set and I got chills when he sang There is a Light That Never Goes Out. It's one of those songs that I had always thought died along with the Morrissey/Marr alliance. (Does anyone remember when Moz refused to play ANY Smiths stuff at all?) So hearing TIALTNGO, Hand in Glove and the others was certainly refreshing.

You Are the Quarry sounds to be a brilliant album from what he played last night. Every track is sharp! I can't wait for it to be released.

I felt like the band were phoning in their performances though (except for Alain who is the next best thing to Johnny any day.)

Morrissey was more talkative than I've EVER heard him. Long (by Moz standards) diatribes with audience members, even giving the mic to someone in the froont row! Upon going to her first concert, my wife was astounded that all the audience got was a simple 'Thank you' from Mox, if we got that at all, then left the stage without a word. He was a chatterbox last night. It seems the new found media attention is rubbing positively afterall.

One last note about the set, it wasn't as "Upbeat" as the posts from LA made it sound, but then again why do we go to a Moz show? Certainly not to be rocked out of our trousers. His voice was spot on beautiful, every word clear and p[assionate. That's why I went anyway, to hear Morrissey sing passions just like mine.

Just my 2 cents.

What comments were made to Julia? Were there any celebrities? The ApolLO looks so nice on television, is it very old?

http://www.nme.com/news/108395.htm

John

PETA was there with a table and a poster of that photo of Moz with the animal rights billboard in the background. They said it was to be autographed and given to one of the fans that signed up for their email list.

Did anyone get to read the sign that the people near Julia held up (that M was afraid to read)? I couldn't quite make it out.

Addendum to the British lad's comments re: Tony Blair. Apparently the guy said (about Blair) ..."and his hair is worse" but Moz heard "Kerry is worse". Our man said "I though you said John Kerry, and I was about to have a conniption!" (or something to that effect). AMEN TO THAT.

I know security was tough but did anyone manage to get something in and record it??? It couldn't be impossible. I brought in a bouquet of flowers and nobody touched it. I think I could have snuck something inside that had I wanted to. And there are certain places on one's body that aren't searched if you know what I'm getting at?

What Moz merch was being sold? And about how much were they asking for a tshirt?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4166478025

look!!!!

anyone know if there are any afterparties for the NYC shows?

Night 1: Monday, May 3, 2004

I felt ill up until the moment that the show started. Maybe it was my unusually stressful day at work. Maybe it was excitement disguised as unease. The weather was no consolation. Rain seemed to wash away any hint of enthusiasm in my bones, and I stood in line on the filthy, uninspired streets of Harlem in front of the world famous Apollo, waiting for my friend leeza to show up. I could feel a bit of inspiration leak from the lights of the enterance of the historical venue, thinking of all of the legendary acts that debuted and performed there over the years. It was incredible to know that Morrissey would be among those names.

leeza arrives and we make our way into the venue at a ridiculously lethargic snail's pace. Security was unusually tight. So, no pictures for you all, darlings. I had dreamt of the venue, and walked past it many times since I've lived here, but never had been inside. It was as magnificent as I'd expected, but much smaller.

David Johansen & the boys were already performing when I'd arrived. He looks and sounds incredible. I'm glad that I will have the opportunity to see him again and give him more attention. Aside from getting to my seat late, I was too busy admiring all of the beautiful female Morrissey fans. There were several that I hope to see again. I'm going to find a nice girl that likes Morrissey! It shouldn't be toooo hard.

Alright, so, I'm still feeling unusually calm. Drinking a Heineken and enjoying Morrissey's fun and unusual selection of pre-show music. Most of it is bachelor pad type stuff. And then the lights dim, the stage is revealed - a sparkling glitter backdrop and nothing else but the band's instruments. We are teased with an interesting recording of a woman listing all of the things she despises - "rape," "John Lennon's murderer," "anyone's murderer," "cancer," etc.

And then Morrissey casually struts his stuff onto the stage, joined by the other lads, and he greets Harlem and launches into a new song, "The First Of The Gang To Die." He looks incredible! Looks even better in person! The crowd goes insane as he uses his microphone cord as a lasso and lashes it around as he contorts his body in ways that I thought only Steve Martin was capable of! I don't even remember what he was wearing. I do remember that for the first few songs, he wearing flowers on his crotch (poking fun at Bowie? ) I was just so entranced. Here I am, watching one of my heroes perform the songs that saved my life with incredible style, energy, and lots of humor!

So, here's the rest of the set list, in order:

Hairdresser On Fire - one of many Morrissey anthems from the evening's set list

The Headmaster Ritual - an interesting choice, but perhaps the low point of the show. I think the sound was a bit too loud at this point, and it just lacked something or other.

Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice ** - I have no idea what this song is all about. It's a really amusing little oddity that is not appearing on the upcoming album, but it really rocked! Crunchy guitar, amazing vocals. Morrissey's voice got progressively rich and dynamic through the night. And here is where it started to shine.

Jack The Ripper - Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Well, this one rocks so hard that even the faggots were eatin' pussy during this one!

How Could Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel? * - At this point, I can't WAIT for the new album! Tight, crunchy guitars, lots of biting lyrics

Let Me Kiss You * - The voice keeps getting better

The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores * - I have a feeling that this song will become a live favorite.

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - tears in my eyes, can't believe I'm hearing this live

Such A Little Thing Makes Such A Big Difference - this actually rocked!

I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday - a real highlight. Puts Bowie's cover to shame.

No One Can Hold A Candle To You *** - a cover of a song I've never heard. The other lowpoint of the show.

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could anyone please describe in detail the door security at the apollo? did they body search or pat down? do they pat the crotch area? are there wands or metal detectors? do they body search girls? i want badly to record it, and need some help with the details please. thanks

a friend who works for the music/video chain coconuts, says MOZ walked into the rockefeller center store yesterday afternoon for some... shopping? no word yet on what, if anything, he bought.

I was wondering if anyone could tell me, in any detail, how the seating in the front was? I thought it was all seating by ticket and you could stand if you chose(and why wouldn't you). But it sounds like you could walk up close to the stage.

The def most bestest song on the album and he doesn't play it?! Beyond me...