Morrissey @ Academy of Music, Philly
March 25th, 2009 - by Dave
Morrissey and I have a lot in common.
A sizable portion of the man’s catalog can be described as mope rock. A sizable portion of my teenage years can be described as mopey. Morrissey is from England. I have been to England. His latest release, Years of Refusal, features a perhaps unexpected photo of an aging Moz bearing an infant across his chest. I recently had my first kid.
The similarities are uncanny, aren’t they?
I had the chance to see Morrissey play the Academy of Music in Philly on Sunday night. Overall, he put on a fun show, though the performance did feel like it lacked in energy.
The Academy of Music is where ballet, opera, and broadway shows happen. I’d been there at least once before — to see the Dance of the Nutcracker. These are some fancy digs. The stage rises up about four stories with three climbing rings of balconies adorned with ornate, gilded molding and columns all around.
When the curtain pulled up the stage backdrop was filled with a gigantic photo of a shirtless man in a sailor’s cap, stogie in mouth, flexing arm muscles with REFUSAL tattooed across his naked chest. Subtle. Moz and the band arrived shortly after, kicking off the show with This Charming Man, a Smith’s song. Also subtle.
The band, anchored by Boz Boorer on guitar, sounded strong. They rolled through a set of Moz songs with a few Smiths songs sprinkled in. They mostly avoided older hits, instead playing a few tracks from each of Morrissey’s ten albums which was nice. The set included a decent rendition of How Soon Is Now?, a song that’s tough to screw up live since the main elements are effects samples.
It took Morrissey a few songs before he finally warmed up to the audience. Beyond whipping the mic cord around a bit during songs, he didn’t seem too into it. No one in crowd seemed to mind though. All around folks were singing along and swaying on their feet despite the cushy theater seating. One guy nearby stripped his sweater shirt off, climbed up on his seat, and let loose with what appeared to be an Ecstasy fueled, one-with-the-universe, rave dance. Sadly the Academy concessions were not selling glow sticks.
Moz eventually built up a steady stream of banter between songs. There were vague allusions to his personal life, a lesson on the etymology of the word Academy, and a short discourse on the therapeutic nature of song writing. During the last few songs, crazed fans began their assault on the stage. One by one, dudes climbed their way up to make a run at Morrissey only to be tackled and yanked away immediately by brawny security guards at the sides of the stage.
After about an hour, the band left without any fanfare. Roadies emerged to tune the instruments making it clear there would be some sort of encore. The band returned quickly, each member wearing the same t-shirt. I was too far away to see what the shirt said. They played one more song and that was it for the night.
March 25th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Is Moz holding your kid on the album cover?
I’ve always been curious about a Morrissey show, especially since, just from his personality, it doesn’t seem like he’s all that “into” the scene of performing live.
March 26th, 2009 at 4:39 am
It’s not my kid. Mine has a totally different forehead tattoo.
Morrissey puts on a good live show. He’s not a stoic guy. He gets into the banter between songs, interacts with the crowd, and puts a joking spin on things. The previous Moz shows I’ve been to were just a little bit more lively.