"M" Manchester vs. "Live in Dallas"

[Athos]

Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen,
the live in Dallas DVD is in my humble opinion, at very poor quality of sound and picture but it is a very very heavy Morrissey Concert. I presented it my girlfriend tonight, she never heard about Smiths and Mozz and she was amazed!
The "M in Manchester" DVD ,we enjoied afterward, was in perfect technical standard, no question, but I found, that concert was a little bit "slow" (its hard to me, finding right words in english but I think everybody understood what I ment).
OK, Mozz and the boys have been 15 years older, but why didnt Moz order the security to let some Fans on to the stage, like he did 15 years bevor.

p.s. please execuse english grammar and so on, it is not my native language and since school I never used it.

 

[floodzonex]

the Dallas show is horrible quality
Most believe it was only released to show the stage invasion at the end
Many over the years in Dallas have said that the invasion was sorta...planned because it was being filmed.

 

[Athos]

Thanks for that so far

Whoever had the " dallas live" Performance in Video or DVD knows, that is was NO farmiliar and floating the board.
It was very special, everybody knows that. The Fans freaked out!

To people who has other oppinions i only could say: The Moon landing has been! Trust me, really!Really, really, trust me!

 

[wolve]

The first thing that struck me when watching the Live in Dallas-dvd: man, has he got muscles or what! With that yellow-see-through shirt that's half ripped off! Good heavens!

 

[AlbertFinney]

I prefer "Who put the M in Manchester" myself. I love that fantastic but failed attempt to get on the stage. Good versions of Rubber Ring and Jack the Ripper also make it worthwhile.

Maybe there are fewer stage invaders now 'cause we're all a bit too old and knackered to bother trying. Over the last couple of years I've seen comparitively few people trying to get up on the stage.

 

[mjp]

Interesting.

My girlfriend and I watched these very two DVD's last Thursday betwix bottled wine, in part as an educational lesson to her on all things Morrissey.

I think Athos has called this right - MEN is very clean and crisp and professional but the raw energy of Dallas means it's my pick of the two.

I was at the MEN gig and the amazing atmosphere was lost in translation to DVD, the near-amateur production of Dallas gives one the feeling of being there.

And yes, I'm glad G-Man didn't mention Alan's vocals on the earlier recording.......

Right now I urge you to go and watch Introducing Morrissey (which I was also present for ) and report back with your pick of the three because I just can't make a final decision.

 

[davdavon]

I think Live In Dallas is awesome. Only after watching it I felt I understood the Kill Uncle songs. I agree that there's an amateurish quality, both to the recording and the performance, but I think that it gives it its magic. And, all the stage invasions, leading up to the total havoc in Everyday Is Like Sunday... it's like an alternate narrative. I think it's great. Manchester is nice, but... well, to be honest, I like listening to the show, but watching it isn't very interesting.

 

[Athos]

The best was: As I gave my girlfriend the lyrics of "theres a light..." she mentioned: I guess Morrissey is a very strange person!
And, we all know, he is and we are too ;-)

 

[pinkiecubbitt]

I prefer the Manchester concert. I think the band is tighter and much improved as well as more professional. The Live in Dallas show seemed to be more about the band than anything else. I also think the current versions of the songs are more true than during Dallas period.

 

[Athos]

The Manchester Concert is in deed "like an olde man would to"
The live in dallas experience is splendid.
Thats the point.

 

[Piazza Cavour]

I like both DVD's, but I think you have to take them in context. Dallas is a younger more energetic, mysterious, Moz. God! I the Moz of those days... But the Manchester one is a more of a polished performance. Its a shame its so hard to get on stage now adays! I often think Moz is thinking hes's getting too old for that business nowadays... I have to say, as much as I still love Morrissey, I'd have to go with the earlier years. I can't help thinking maybe he's lost a little of the Mystique he used to have.

Is the Dallas DVD the one where Boz goes arse over tit, on one of his mad guitar runs? f***ing hilarious watching Boz run across the stage doing his mad rockabilly stuff!

 

[Pervomartovtsi]

I prefer the dallas setlist
but the elegance of manchester
dallas power
but the manchester comeback spirit
dallas youth
but the amazing gettin off the stage and the suits(that left my friends with their mouth open) of manchesta

you know I'm on Manchester, I've seen it like 123123123453543 times... and Dallas only one, so maybe that's why but...mi email is who.put.the.m.in.manchester@XXXXXXXXX so I must vote fer it

 

[Athos]

Well I really wish, there would be some more older days DVDs like Dallas (but in better digitally remastered quality). I confess in my youth I listened to other music than Morrissey (Dark Wave, Sisters of Mercy...). Now I am sad that I never took the Chance to see him live.
I hope, he will get to Germany and then you can bet, I will be there!
By the way: For my girlfriend the evening was a little bit hard, Live in Dallas, Manchester, Hulmerist and The Malady lingers on were probably a little bit too much
P.S.
Very nice Community in here, I'm glad, that I enlisted here.

 

[Worm]

mjp, you're right about the energy of "Dallas" making it better than "Manchester". He also looks more handsome, more vital, and more Morrissey. I prefer it too.

I'd never heard that bit about the "planned" stage invasion. Disappointing if true, but I think it wasn't staged. As those of us who saw some dates on that tour can attest, that's exactly how it was: hysterical and often violent. If it was planned at all, the planning was done by the fans. I remember that the mood always shifted suddenly toward the end of the gig. If it was the encore, or near the encore, every body in the building strained toward the stage. Everyone followed the same cue, as it were, so it's not surprising that it looked that way. You'd enjoy the show for the first hour, but in that final three-and-a-half minutes it was time to life-and-limb it to the stage to touch the master's gold lame.

The rougher types suddenly got a lot rougher, which was to be expected, but even funnier than that you'd see girls, all of about five feet tall, push, bite, and kick their way forward to the stage, each taking on the aspect and demeanor of a constipated Sumo wrestler. There was something of a ceremony about it, something ritual, that probably looks a little artificial. You can see it on "Sister I'm A Poet" video, too. One by one the kids hopped up to cop a feel of the fabulous beast as if in a petting zoo (did it strike no one that Tim Broad included the footage of the fans petting the cows as a witty comment on what was to happen later at the show?).

Anyhow, I love the stage invasion; that version of "Everyday Is Like Sunday" remains one of my favorites, second only to the studio version. I've got it on my iPod and play it a lot. "Manchester" is brilliant too, but far too buttoned-up and respectable. "Dallas" reminds us of a time when loving Morrissey meant you risked everything for him, and matters could become so fierce that he, or we, or all of us together, could be ripped into pieces. For film footage, "Dallas" captures that essence well; in still images, the gatefold sleeve of "Rank". Morrissey has groaned and moaned about undercoverage of his popularity as a solo artist and as The Voice, and mostly he's been too pouty and crabby about it, but in the case of the absolute madness of his public appearances he's totally right to complain. Does the rest of the world actually know how crazy things got?

 

[mjp]

Worm, you're right about Dallas capturing Moz in his most iconic state. The quiff was really going on, the gold lame blouse, the pathos of seeing him drapped over the speakers, and God, how many great catches does he do on the flowers?!

Have you seen Introducing Morrissey? What do you make of that? He says virtually nothing throughout the show and as I said to Rocco in an earlier thread (hmm...where has HE been these past few days......????) I would love to know what made him change his on-stage attitude.

 

[no one in particular]

P.S.
Very nice Community in here, I'm glad, that I enlisted here.

just stay for a while, ok?

 

[Worm]

I would love to know what made him change his on-stage attitude.

Age. You don't hop around as much at his age. And I'll venture this, too: by moving around he sweats a lot. Sweat kills quiffs. Watch any concert footage of The Smiths and you'll see that even in his mid- to late-twenties he constantly had to "lift" his quiff toward the end of gigs. Same in "Dallas". Now imagine the quiff not being as youthfully bushy as it was-- he stands stock still because it suits his age and dignity, first and foremost, but also because if he pranced around like the Morrissey of old the sweat would make his hair resemble a collapsed hayrick after about three songs.

Sad but true. I don't really care, though-- he looks amazing as a man approaching fifty. We should all look so good at his age.

 

[mjp]

Worm (again!) good point - but why the change from "mute witness" to an evening with Morrissey?

Maybe with age comes confidence?

 

[Worm]

Maybe with age comes confidence?

Oh, you're right about that, but I think there's been an entire shift in his thinking. Post "Maladjusted" it seems like he knows he's a legend and plays up to that. I guess that falls under the "confidence" heading. All of it is an odd brew of vainglorious excess and tongue-in-cheek posturing. Meaning he knows he's a star now, but at the same time there's humor in his self-regard. The Elvis-style "MORRISSEY" sign behind the stage on the previous tour, for example, is both a way of letting us know he's bigger than life and a little jab at his own self-importance. He's never been more a pop star than he is now, and yet he's also never been funnier or warmer to his audience. I tremble with dread to type these words, but...he's having fun.

Or having fun Morrissey-style, anyway. Like a Sword of Damocles the "fame-money-lawsuits" troika is never far from ruining everything, but otherwise his spirits seem high. Mr. Marr once naughtily quipped that on one or two occasions the mopery got too much and he secretly thought that Morrissey would be much happier if he just had a shag-- he was right, and we're seeing the results.

So I find that the contrast between Hacienda Moz and "An Evening With Morrissey" makes things rather enjoyable. In the painfully ordinary world of normal people-- our world-- this would be called "healthy personal growth". We can resurrect the twenty-five year old Morrissey whenever we want. The middle-aged Morrissey is interesting in his own right, and still, excitingly enough, a work in progress.

 

[maybe]

I hope, he will get to Germany and then you can bet, I will be there!

Sorry to disappoint you, he's already been here on this tour, for two wonderful festivals. It's taken him seven years to drag himself over here. I have a feeling that's all we're going to get for the next few years If it's any consolation, there's a great quality video of the Rock am Ring show out there. I only saw it on TV and I have to say it was not his best show (Rock im Park was much better ) but it's at least something.

Back on topic: Overall I prefer "Manchester". The setlist is stronger and it's amazing how his voice has improved over the years. He barely sings in tune in "Live In Dallas" as far as I remember (quite difficult with people jumping on your back though). Still it's a fantastic video, worth alone for Boz's facial expressions and general demeanour. What the hell were they on?
As much as I enjoy the stage invasions in Dallas I find it even more touching how all the now older fans desperately try to touch Morrissey's hand in the Manchester video. Dunno why, but that gets me every time.