- that, like Morrissey, you are B. Ghoul, with your beady media eye: much appreciated.

he was a huge Moz/Smiths NME journalist/fan back in the 80's and was very critival of his 90's output. good to see hime describing ROTT as 'fine' in this review and applauding the versions of the Smiths songs.
J

The review of the week in the Irish Independent newspaper on April 21 gave Morrissey's show in the Olympia on 16th 4 out of 5 stars.

Captioned "The Great Showman", Eamon Sweeney went on:
"Easter Sunday has been known to serve up some mouthwatering headliners in the Olympia. In 2002, The Strokes brought their blistering power pop to the Dame Street venue when the New Yorkers were at the absolute peak of their powers. Welsh rockers The Manic Street Preachers also lit up the bank holiday weekend at their mid-1990's best before they turned into a bland MOR act. This year, it was the turn of everyone's favourite Mancunian-Irish bard to tread the boards, Steven Patrick Morrissey.

It's an apt billing for El Mozzer, considering that he has authored songs entitled "I Have Forgiven Jesus" and "Dear God Please Help Me", not to mention the fact that he possesses a slight touch of a Messiah complex. Yet precious few performers have even a fraction of Morrissey's dramatic stage sense and devastatingly brilliant delivery.

Second song in and he has already dropped an early Smiths classic, "Still Ill". After all these years, its celebrated line, "does the body rule the mind or the mind rule the body? I dunno", sounds as fresh and perceptive as it did in the early 80s.

Tracks from the just released new album "Ringleader of the Tormentors" sound much more robust in a live setting, especially the heart-stirring epic "Life is a Pigsty", the slow-burning grower of a single "You Have Killed Me", and its monumental opening track, "I Will See YOu in Far-Off Places".

"You do realise that this is only the soundcheck, don't you?" Moz playfully quips before launching into a stunning rendition of one of his greatest moments "How Soon is Now?"

Add in an obligatory shirt throwing sequence that launches a thousand homo-erotic fantasies and some oblique and puzzling references to Dublin ("thanks to the Artane drug rehabilitation centre") and you've got another feast day treat for the faithful. It all seemed a little too short even at an hour and a half, which is a tribute to Mozzer's singular showmanship.

If you didn't get a ticket, don't fret, as a trip to the great outdoors of Marley Park beckons this august. Thankfully, this self-proclaimed Ringleader of the Tormentors is showing no signs of mellowing in his middle age".

Morrissey is pictured leaning against a wall in front of a battered old car with a Roman registration.