Morrissey Fans Bombard Stage, Encore Cut Short – Shrine Auditorium Show

Last night, there was an obvious culture clash on USC’s campus, as rabid Morrissey fans clad in black fought with rabid USC Trojan football fans for parking spaces. Morrissey himself even acknowledged the awkward mash-up with the comment in concert, “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather be down the street with the Chicago Bears or whatever the hell they’re called?” teasing about America’s favorite past time and USC’s home team that had important home game against their arch rival UCLA that same night.

[Gallery] Morrissey Bombarded By Fans On… True – the jam-packed Shrine Auditorium was there for one man and one man alone, Morrissey. But based on the amount of bodies and limbs that were flung around campus last night, Morrissey fans and footballers may have more in common that you’d think.

From the moment Morrissey burst onstage with “I Want The One I Can’t Have,” he had the crowd screaming and squealing with excitement, tethered to his every word. He rolled easily through “You’re The One For Me, Fatty,” and newer tracks “You Have Killed Me,”  from Ringleader of the Tormentors and “When Last I Spoke To Carol” from his latest Years of Refusal.

Somewhere mid-set, the first crazed fan bounded on stage – only to be dragged off kicking and screaming by four bodyguards. Morrissey didn’t even wink. (After all, to note, a stage stormer or two is not uncommon at a Morrissey set.)

“ There is no doubt that I will be the first in the gang to die.
” Morrissey “Meat Is Murder” added a heavy solemnity to the set, as film of slaughtered cattle flickered in the background. Morrissey then proceeded with a delicate cover of Lou Reed’s “Satellite’s Gone,” before introducing his mates behind him, Boz Borrer on guitar, Solomon Walker on bass, Matthew Walker on the drum kit on steroids, Gustavo Manzur on piano, and Jesse Tobias on electric guitar. After the intro, he noted cheekily, “There is no doubt that I will be the first in the gang to die.”

However, it was in the encore when things really got out of control. Out came Morrissey – in a new fresh, starched shirt- ready for a ripe finale. But as he launched into his first song, “Still Ill,” one by one, as if on queue, fans began to fling themselves onstage – like fruit or flowers or crash-test dummies – in order to touch or smell or hug the icon. Equally dramatic was the way one by one, each manic fan was plucked and flung off the stage by the overwhelmed and ill-prepared security guards.  Throughout, Morrissey – always the gent – obliged and hugged back or shook a hand. Never once did he lose composure or miss a beat. However, the rest of the band got hit a few times as well as the security as they feebly tried to secure the stage. The show slowly started to resemble a battle of man vs. machine, love vs. war; at the end of the song, after at least 10 bodies had catapulted onstage. Appearing at least slightly flustered, at the end of track, Moz wiped his brow, bowed, and walked off stage-  cool and collected. However, no one got to see Morrissey’s famous shirt flinging and the show seemed to stop short, at 17 songs rather than the usual 18. When the lights came on, everyone appeared to be still wanting more and the crowd filtered out smiling yet slowly.

It’s great that despite decades of touring, Morrissey’s seductive lyrics, valiant gestures, sweeping falsetto, and dramatic strobe lights still make people go bat-freaking mad. However, on Saturday, some of the crowd proved no different that the footballers down the block. Next time, it’d be nice to be able to concentrate more on the sound rather than the fury. Perhaps then we’d get a bit longer set, and perhaps even a shirtless Moz.

Set List:

I Want The One I Can’t Have

You’re The One For Me, Fatty

You Have Killed Me

When Last I Spoke To Carol

Black Cloud

Maladjusted

Alma Matters

Ouija Board, Ouija Board

Meat Is Murder

Satellite Of Love

I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris

Action Is My Middle Name

All The Lazy Dykes

People Are The Same Everywhere

I Know It’s Over

Speedway

___

ENCORE

Still Ill