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Minneapolis, MN (Feb. 8, 2000)

Review & Setlist--"Too Good for MTV"

Posted By: Bri Swatek <[email protected]>
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 9 2000, at 4:44 p.m.

“Too Good for MTV”
Morrissey Live at The Quest, Minneapolis, February 8th, 2000
by Bri Swatek, [email protected]

Set List

Intro: Drum Solo from “The Operation”
“The Boy Racer”
“Billy Budd”
“Alma Matters”
“Reader Meet Author”
“Is It Really So Strange?”
“Hairdresser On Fire”
“November Spawned a Monster”
“Break Up the Family”
“A Swallow On My Neck”
“Meat Is Murder”
“I Can Have Both”
“Speedway”
“The More You Ignore Me the Closer I Get”
“The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils”
“Now My Heart Is Full”
“Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me”
Encore:
“Shoplifters of the World Unite”

“Welcome to my living room!” was Morrissey’s pronouncement on the layout of The Quest, formerly Prince’s club, Glam Slam. While the couches in the corners and huge columns supporting the balcony made for an odd setting, Morrissey delivered an excellent set Tuesday night. Along with guitarists Boz Boorer and Alain Whyte, bassist Gary Day, and new drummer Spike Smith, Morrissey performed songs spanning his entire career as both a solo artist and the frontman for The Smiths.

Feedback plagued “The Boy Racer,” but the problem was corrected by the time Moz delivered a trio of bright solo songs from his mid-90s albums. Then, the crowd exploded to the opening of “Is It Really So Strange?” and sang every word of the Smiths classic.

The lighting and guitar-work was none-too-subtle during a haunting flight through “November Spawned a Monster” and a forceful version of “Meat Is Murder,” the title track from the Smiths’ U.K. #1 album of 1985. However, Morrissey let the audience up for air during a great reading of _Viva Hate_’s “Break Up the Family” and the recent b-sides “A Swallow On My Neck” and “I Can Have Both.”

“Speedway” and “Teachers”--two concert staples for Morrissey and his band--didn’t disappoint. The live sound was excellent, with breakneck guitar-work from Boorer and Whyte and a pouncing rhythm from Day and Smith. “The More You Ignore Me the Closer I Get,” Morrissey’s 1994 venture into the U.S. Top 40, was a surprise addition to the set and inspired another healthy sing-along.

The closing pair of “Now My Heart Is Full” and “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” (during which Moz took a much needed jab at MTV and the TRL set) were followed by the encore, “Shoplifters of the World Unite.” These closers were a reminder of why Morrissey inspires such a loyal cult following some 17 years after “Hand In Glove”--he continues to pull off moments like a note held over a chord change brilliantly and sincerely. His frequent on-stage banter (such as throwing a shirt to the crowd and then sarcastically demanding it be returned) and impassioned vocals were a testament to that loyalty. Morrissey knows how much these songs mean to his fans and seemed truly happy to share these moments, this time to “unite and take over” with them.

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