Morrissey and Kristeen Young
The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
September 23, 2007

There's no two ways about it: my interest in Morrissey died a long time ago. If i ever really had any. To be certain, i'm a big fan of the Smiths, but as with many acts i found myself drawn more to the intricate musicianship of guitarist Johnny Marr than the angsty moanings of his frontman. After their acrimonious 1987 split, i was more interested in Marr's assorted musical adventures, including stints with Talking Heads, Billy Bragg, The The, Electronic, Beck, the Healers, and currently Modest Mouse (an ecclectic and impressive mix!). Meanwhile Morrissey continued his moping with a slightly less talented band, producing an impressive best of by 1990 (Bona Drag) but then becoming more and more marginalized (covering "Moon River"?!). So when Moz announced four dates at San Francisco's Fillmore, i was less than enthused. But dedicated Smiths/Morrissey fan Veronica and her partner-in-crime Gary were keen on going, so it was a date. We drove up Sunday night, arriving during opener Kristeen Young a kind of darker, noisier Dresden Dolls/Mates of State duo. Not being particularly interested, we had a drink the bar before returning downstairs to take in some of Morrissey's pre-show films, including some James Dean screen tests and a bizarre transvestite lip-synch performance. The godfather of angst came at at 9pm, with his band all bearing green "Morrissey 101" t-shirts. As the stigma of performing songs from his previous band has apparently worn off after 20 years, they launched into "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before". It sounded very nice, despite my indie snob predisposition towards disapproval. Gary showed up midway through the next song, which as i had texted him on his way in was "some Morrissey song i don't know". That more or less characterized the show. There were the Smiths songs ("Stretch Out and Wait", "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want", "How Soon Is Now?", "Death of a Disco Dancer", "London"), the more memorable Morrissey songs ("Everyday Is Like Sunday", "The National Front Disco", "Tomorrow", "The First of the Gang to Die"), and the more anonymous dreck that he's churned out in recent years. Given my obvious sentiment for the latter, i'll comment on the songs i did know. I've never been a huge fan of crowd favorite "How Soon Is Now?", but it sounded reasonably well live using a phaser pedal. I'm not quite sure why Moz chose to perform the Smiths lowlight "Disco Dancer", but "Stretch Out and Wait" was a pleasant tidbit. Morrissey's voice has held up well over the years, and he is certainly able to sing live with the inflection and character that comes across on record. But boy, that guy sweats a lot. As V noted, he's lost some weight over the last five years. But while not being especially active dancing or moving around, he sweat through three shirts. Perhaps it's fortuitous, as it gives him a chance to distribute his bodily secretions to overeager fans in the front row. All in all a worthwhile evening, a chance to snag another free Fillmore poster (this one a quite nice pop art pastiche), and see what an alternative icon has gotten up to in recent years.

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