I was sort of surprised/depressed at the tour theming this year in the U.S. - leftover Ringleader items, and a few forgettable t-shirts. I felt like Moz was over the wrecked-classy Ringleader aesthetic, but hadn't really worked out what he was moving onto yet, so he or his proxy went for the tried and true: the kind of designs the 90's tours would've had (the gloves/birds motifs were straight from the Southpaw era), if he'd sort of phoned them in. They were trying, with that upside-down text and other business, but it didn't work for me.
Also, I still haven't worked out whether the Greatest Hits business was a joke or not. I realize that it's just the kind of joke Moz would do, especially given the visual pun of the boxing gloves, but there was a faint aura of depression/water-treading over the dates I attended which made me think that, at some point, the idea "Oh, just do a best-of" crossed his mind unironically. I mean, it's not that I didn't enjoy the shows (they were some of the most amazing evenings of my life, both Moz and Kristeen) but they didn't feel like he was touring new material anymore; they felt more like what I imagine the late-90's American tours were, with more focus on the past than the future. And a lot of the general design reflected that for me: James Dean with the grave cropped out was clever, but the reference was to "Everyday Was Like Sunday" (and perhaps even Strangeways); ART SUFFER ENGLAND HATRED, as better-functioning eyes than mine have spotted, is from the Kill Uncle era.
I don't like to assume too much about Morrissey's personal mindset, but I feel like the boy really needs to rest and regroup - I hope he stops touring now and starts thinking about writing again, or even takes a little time off. The Ringleader tour proper had theming I really loved, and wish I could've seen in person, so I think he's still got it, he wasn't up to it recently for whatever reason.
(Rereading this thread, it seems people aren't into the recent shirts at all, full stop - hmm. I like and own the New York Dolls-style one with the lipstick...I wasn't around for the early 90's, and I've never seen one of those in person - did they actually just have the image and maybe his name on the back? I will admit I prefer that stealthier, more design-y approach to the current one where his name is front and center, but maybe the old idea would've gotten stale by now anyway.)
