Oh, Morrissey. Where do I even begin?

[ferrumaeternum]

Those of you who have been reading this for a while know how much he means to me (you know, being a socially awkward loner and all), so getting to see him in person is always a big deal. Tonight’s performance was the second time I’ve seen him and hopefully not the last.

I got my mom into him and The Smiths over the years, so she insisted we go together, again. I compromised with getting there an hour and a half before it started, but once I got there, I realized it should’ve been earlier as there were already four rows of people lined up in front of the stage. I was able to get even closer during the show, and I still feel lucky I was able to get that close to him.

The Courteeners have to be the best band Moz has ever picked to open for him. I hadn’t heard their music before, but I was damn well impressed. They’re also from Manchester and although I’ve heard that they sound a lot like The Cribs, I also heard quite a bit of Joy Division and Chameleons influence, especially in the guitar. All the guys were cute and looked to be about my age, so I was very impressed how honed-in their sound was for being so young. Great vocals, cool keyboard sounds, and a shoegazing bassist. What else can I say? These guys were fantastic, and I’m definitely going to check out more of their music.

Morrissey’s overall show was an improvement from the last time I saw him. He seemed to be in a much better mood and his stage banter was witty and actually made sense. I loved how he changed around lyrics in “How Soon is Now?”. He also paid more attention to his band, even showcasing members on their instruments, and made more eye contact with the audience. His voice sounded immaculate and even clearer and perfectly on-key than last time. One thing I was confused about was that he was wearing a crucifix around his neck. Was it meant to be ironic or is he Christian now? I obviously didn’t get the memo, but if no one knows, maybe he’ll clear it up in the autobiography he’s writing.

Quotes:

• "Hello Milsquaukee."
• "Welcome to our jamboree of incredibly hostile songs."
• "This is how I earn my living. Some people they smoke, and smoke, and smoke."
• "It's a Friday night and you could be anywhere. Why are you here? *Hands mic to audience* "We're here because we love you." "You are so hot."
• "Rockford, Madison Green Bay? I'm certain nobody lives in Green Bay." 
I second this.

Highlights:

• Getting a close spot, right in the center of the stage. This led to Morrissey making eye contact with me a few times and giving me a little smile.
• Having Morrissey’s light pink dress shirt thrown directly to me during “Let Me Kiss You”. I was able to yank it away from quite a few people, and although I didn’t get it, I still have the scent of Morrissey’s sweat and cologne (which smells divinely sweet and fruity) on my hands after rubbing the shirt on his torso. I’m dreading when I’ll have to wash my hands next, and I’m sure people in the crowd thought I was nuts as I smelled my hands, grinning like a loon.
• “The Loop” with upright bass and Moz’s tambourine playing. Morrissey + rockabilly = <3 Also, “This Charming Man” and “Ask” (two of my favorite Smiths songs of all time), “Seasick, Yet Still Docked” (gorgeously heartbreaking), “Irish Blood, English Heart”, “First of the Gang to Die” as an encore, and stuff from the first part of the new album.
• Things from the audience, particularly the frink note. Frink is a combination of frisky and kinky and refers to a thread on his official message board where the more risqué, suggestive, and sexier pictures of him (or any that could possibly be construed that way) are posted. I think he kept asking us what the most disturbing thing he found here was, and while most of us were guessing meat, he held up the frink sign. There was also a banner that said, “We are your thoughts”, which Morrissey put over the bass drum. Someone also gave him a couple of 45 LPs, which I thought was sweet.
• Driving past Morrissey’s limo after the show. At least I figured it was his, since it pulled out of the venue and was headed downtown.
• This weird guy who was yelling before the show started, “There is prescription-grade speed on the floor 10 feet from here! It’s Adderall, and I dropped it a little while ago. Has anyone seen it? Prescription speed!”
• The guy who was rhythmically thrusting his crutch (yes, with a 'u') up in the air during Morrissey’s performance. Also, the guy with the rat-tail mullet combination with shaved sides.

Lowlights:

• The middle-aged woman in front of me with her daughter who had no business standing in the crowd in the first place. Both were barely over four feet tall and kept trying to make a huge space in front of them so they could see. The older woman had horrible body odor and could hardly stand on her own, so the arm she had spread across prevented me from getting closer to the stage. This was remedied after “Let Me Kiss You” once she landed on her back when we were fighting for the remnants of Moz’s shirt.
• Not getting Morrissey’s shirtsleeve after this girl’s man (both who were easily three times my size, so I put up a pretty good fight) pried my fingers one by one off it while she pulled. I pulled so hard that the bottom of my ring is now bent completely flat.
• Morrissey only shaking hands of the people standing on the sides of the stage and not the center. WTF, seriously?
• This was the biggest crowd I’ve been in at The Rave, and I was disappointed to see very few people getting into either of the bands. I almost felt stupid singing along, cheering, rhythmically clapping my hands when it was called for, and generally making any kind of bodily movement. The crowd were also acting like total sissies where the slightest amount of body contact was involved. If you can’t handle a little bit of pushing, get balcony seats next time, please.
• The security at The Rave (which I always complain about) were shoving our hands away when we were trying to reach for Moz. They also stopped the would-be stage invaders and even jumped into the crowd to prevent any attempts.
• Once again, the set list could have been a little better, but I can’t complain too much:

This Charming Man / Billy Budd / That's How People Grow Up / Black Cloud / How Soon is Now? / Irish Blood, English Heart / I Keep Mine Hidden / How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel? / Ask / I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris / Mama Lay Softly on the Riverbed / Best Friend on the Payroll / When Last I Spoke to Carol / Seasick, Yet Still Docked / The Loop / Death of a Disco Dancer / Let Me Kiss You / Sorry Doesn't Help Us / Something is Squeezing My Skull / I'm OK by Myself // First of the Gang to Die

Maybe part of it is because he's had the same or at least a very similar set list for the entire tour, so there aren’t any surprises.

All in all a great show, though. I pray there will be a next time, and the plan for that is to be right up against the stage and to the right, hoping I’ll be able to shake his hand. Then I can die happy. I also love how I just typed three pages on Morrissey when I have a huge midterm paper to write by Sunday, which I haven’t even started yet. It’s all about priorities. ;)

Pictures will be posted once The Rave’s photographer uploads them to the website.