Morrissey

When we first found out that Morrissey would be playing at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, UT (approximately 30 miles south of Salt Lake City) we knew this would be a rare opportunity to see a musical icon. To date, we had never been to a Morrissey show (beside the Zephyr show in '02—which was probably the best Morrissey show we've attended) in a venue that held less than a few thousand people.

Thankfully, we weren't disappointed. Morrissey was in rare form.

We were concerned that with a smaller crowd and not selling out the venue, we could be in for a short set. We've had the short sets at Morrissey shows before. The Poly Pavilion show in '91 was a nightmare at less than 25 minutes (but that crowd was insane!). Anticipation for a longer set was high as had been the case in the Los Angeles dates over the 8 days in Los Angeles. However, after the opening act (which was much better than expected) we started having doubts about the length of the show as the crowd SUCKED!

To start, although we had front row seats, we decided to sit back a few rows because several individuals had conveniently "opened up shop" in front of our seats. Additionally, during the intermission video where there was no sound, the place was completely silent. We mean—like uncomfortably, why are these people even here—silent. While valiant attempts were made to get the crowd to at least talk, most people there just quietly waited for the show to start.

This would have been THE night for live recordings (if you have one, drop us a line).

When the curtain dropped most people moved to better positions and waited for Morrissey and the band to take the stage. Surprisingly, the crowd picked up during the show and thankfully, Morrissey and company played a full set.

Most of the songs nearly matched the first night's set played at the Palladium including the same encore. With four other songs played on different nights in Los Angeles, the Utah set was as follows (as written on the printed set list):

stp me if ?
2morrer
s i'm a p
london
loop
ripper
why don't you f ?
stretch
i like you
crashing b's
all you need is
billy b
disco dancer
lemme kiss
paris
one day goodbye
shirtlifters
killed me
gawd
hsin ?
first

Unlike most of the shows that we've seen, Morrissey was VERY conversational. Not only did he talk between every song, but he also turned the mic over to people several times during the night for statements and comments. He briefly spoke with an 8-year-old boy who was up front (did we mention that this audience was very well behaved?) and at one point gave Morrissey a shirt?!?

Another fan apparently had a "It's my birthday today" t-shirt on. Morrissey asked,"How old are you today?" (inaudible answer) "26? That's a serious age. It's all down hill from here."

Morrissey made comments about Rolling Stone magazine, the end of Tony Blair's time as Prime Minister and (of course) the end of George Bush's term next year—stating, "Next year the monster (or possibly munchkin) will be gone. And believe me, if you travel, believe me, the whole world—not just utah—the whole world will be relieved."

Our favorite quote from the night however was between Jack the Ripper and Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself when he said, "I've been banned in 12 states . . . for cruelty to humans." Oh, Morrissey.

Of course there were audience members young and younger that made the pilgrimage to the stage that-oh, so-many before them have attempted. A few were successful with little or no "wackyness". And, there were those that got a little dose of reality from the lurching security squad as well.

Overall, the show was great. While at times it felt a little like watching Morrissey play a show in a high school gym, the quality of the band was light years beyond any band that would be playing in a high school gym.

Whether this may or may not be his last tour for awhile (or for good) make every attempt to see one of the remaining dates. Not only will you see a true master at work, you'll be witness to a musical legend that will not be soon forgotten.

Click here for pictures of the event.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT: a high held "cheers" go out to the trio from the SF Valley! They made the trip up, watched the show, and turned right around to drive the 9 1/2 hours back to be at work in the morning. Only Morrissey fans are this devout.