Morrissey has duped me before. It’s not easy convincing my husband to go to a Morrissey show. I had to convince him to go to see him at The Fillmore in Philadelphia in 2017. After buying some last minute tickets on Stub Hub a few hours before the show, I thought it was safe. Nope. Cancelled!
So here we are again. This time, I had to bribe my husband with a cheesesteak from Donkey’s to convince him to go.
Just like 2017, I wait until a few hours before the show and find a pair of ridiculously cheap tickets on Stub Hub. Then I just keep my fingers crossed and hope that Morrissey actually shows up and that the show isn’t a total train wreck. Keep reading to find out!
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THE VENUE
This time around, Morrissey is playing BB&T Pavilion in Camden, NJ. This venue is an odd choice for a couple of reasons. First, at this point in his career, I feel like Morrissey is better suited for an intimate, indoor venue – not an outdoor amphitheater. Second, the venue holds 25,000. There are not 25,000 people that want to see Morrissey. There might not even be 2,500 people that want to see Morrissey.
If you are going to see a show during the week, be sure to stop at Donkey’s for a cheesesteak before the show!
Nevertheless, that’s where he’s playing so it’s off to Camden we go! You can read more about the venue here.
THE SHOW
INTERPOL
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Interpol was formed in NYC in 1997. The current line up consists of Paul Banks (vocals, bass guitar), Daniel Kessler (vocals, lead guitar) and Sam Fogarino (drums).
Interpol started their careers as part of the indie music scene in NYC. It wasn’t until 2002 that they signed with a record label – Matador Records – and released their first “label-backed” self-titled EP. Their first full-length album – Turn On The Bright Lights – was released in August of that year. While the album received critical acclaim and the band was compared to bands like Joy Division and the Smiths, Interpol did not find much commercial success.
In 2004, Interpol released their second album – Antics – which outsold the total number of copies their first album sold in just the first four months of its release. The band also hit the road, including as the opener for U2 and The Cure.
With the success of Antics, Interpol signed with Capitol Records and released Our Love To Admire in 2007. Their time with Capitol Records didn’t last long. Interpol returned to Matador Records before the release of the fourth album – Interpol. The band was booked as the opener for the third and fourth legs of U2’s 360 tour, but only played 3 shows before Bono hurt his back and postponed the tour. Luckily, they were asked to join U2 again once the tour started back up in 2011.
After wrapping up the U2 tour, Interpol went on hiatus for a few years. They made their return in 2014 with the album El Pintor. And in 2018, Interpol released their most recent album – Marauder.
THE PERFORMANCE
Interpol took the stage at 7:30 p.m. and played a full hour set. With an Interpol banner hanging behind them on the stage and some cool lighting effects, it definitely made for some great visual entertainment.
Interpol’s light show was pretty cool!
It had been a while since I saw Interpol live. I’m not a huge fan of theirs, but their style of music is definitely in my wheelhouse. While they were as hard rocking as ever, I felt like they were a bit off the whole night. Case in point is this false start to “If You Really Love Nothing”.
I know the tour is just starting up, so hopefully Interpol just needs to shake the dust off and get going, and they will be back in true Interpol form.
Paul Banks is not much of a talker during a show. Other than telling the crowd what song they had just played each time, he really didn’t say much. Interpol is clearly one of those bands that lets the music speak for itself.
Interpol didn’t talk to the crowd much, but did shake some hands.
Interpol wrapped up their set with “Obstacle 1”. You can catch Interpol on tour with Morrissey through October. Following that tour, Interpol will be in South America with a few shows. Check out their website for all of their future tour dates.
Be sure to check out Interpol while they are out on tour with Morrissey.
Set List (click on any song to download on Amazon): Untitled, C’mere, If You Really Love Nothing, The Heinrich Maneuver, NYC, Stay In Touch, Evil, The Rover, Rest My Chemistry, Narc, Complications, The New, Slow Hands, Obstacle 1
MORRISSEY
ABOUT THE ARTIST
I could write a book about Morrissey. He’s someone you either love or hate. If you love him, you probably know everything there is to know about Moz. And if you hate him… well, you probably aren’t reading this anyway.
Morrissey got his first taste of success as the front man for the Smiths. With big hits like “How Soon Is Now?” and “Bigmouth Strikes Again”, the Smiths had a big impact in music over their very short 5 year career.
Shortly after the Smiths broke up in 1987, Morrissey embarked on a solo career. His first solo album – Viva Hate – was a big success and included the singles “Suedehead” and “Everyday is Sunday”. Morrissey’s solo career was off to a quick start!
In 1992, Morrissey released the album Your Arsenal. Around the same time, Morrissey’s image began to change. He began to be very politically outspoken, and his antics – both on and off stage – started to negatively impact his career. Then in 1996, the Smiths’ drummer, Mike Joyce, brought a lawsuit against Morrissey and Johnny Marr. Joyce claimed he was never compensated properly for his time with the band. The judge sided with Joyce. Marr paid what he owed, but Morrissey appealed multiple times, claiming the judge was biased against him due to some of his political beliefs. Morrissey lost all of the appeals.
Morrissey continued to record music and continued to upset fans. He has become notorious for canceling shows – many at the last minute. Morrissey has also been notorious for making controversial public statements. His most recent album of original work – Low in High School – was released in 2017.
Most recently, Morrissey played a 7-night residency on Broadway (and he showed up all 7 nights). He has just kicked off a new North America tour and released an album of covers entitled California Son.
THE PERFORMANCE
Shortly after Interpol left the stage, a video screen started showing various videos from everyone from Siouxsie Sioux to Tom Jones. While the venue was half empty, they moved most of the crowd towards the front so it appeared a bit more full.
Morrissey fans held their collective breath that Moz would actually take the stage. When he did, the crowd erupted. Morrissey took the stage in a suit and tie, as did the rest of his band. I was thrilled to see Morrissey start the show with my favorite Smiths song – “How Soon Is Now”.
The fact that Morrissey showed up was a win for me!
If you were a Smiths fan and hoping to hear a lot of their songs, you would have been disappointed. The set was primarily Morrissey solo songs. Morrissey fans did get two of his biggest hits – “Everyday Is Like Sunday” and “Suedehead”.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Morrissey. Would we get a lot of ranting and raving, or would Morrissey just play songs? The answer is that Morrissey mostly just focused on the music.
Having said that, Morrissey still has to be Morrissey. Early in the show, he did a set of three cover songs from his California Son cover album. Morrissey made the comment that the critics hated the album, but he was going to continue moving forward like the humpback whales.
Morrissey just does his thing – whether you like it or not!
Morrissey also told the crowd, “If you don’t like me, don’t look at me”, and then went into the song of the same name.
There was also an awkward moment. Morrissey made a comment that it was the week of the 9/11 anniversary, and we should all remember those that were killed. The crowd clearly wasn’t sure what the proper reaction to that comment was, and remained quiet. So Morrissey repeated it again, with some stifled applause from the audience.
While there were a few awkward moments, Morrissey mostly just entertained the crowd with his singing.
Morrissey also included “The Bullfighter Dies” in his set with some pretty disturbing video playing in the background. But again, Morrissey has to be Morrissey and he honestly doesn’t seem to care if you like him or not.
Morrissey actually made a good connection with the people on the rail.
All in all, Morrissey sounds fantastic. He was very engaged with the crowd, including grabbing some hands in the front during the show. His cover of The Pretenders’ “Back On The Chain Gang” was a lot of fun and had everyone dancing and clapping along with him.
Morrissey’s cover of “Back On The Chain Gang” was a lot of fun!
Personally, I’m glad I went to the show. I got all the songs I wanted to hear and I was thoroughly entertained. Even my husband said that Morrissey was not as “whiny” as he expected him to be!
Morrissey is on the road through the end of October, so there is still time to catch him. Check out his website for upcoming dates.
Set List: How Soon Is Now? (Smiths cover), Alma Matters, Hairdresser On Fire, Suedehead, I Wish You Lonely, Morning Starship (Jobriath cover), Wedding Bell Blues (Laura Nyro cover), Lady Willpower (Gary Puckett & The Union Gap), I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris, Why Don’t You Find Out For Yourself, If You Don’t Like Me, Don’t Look At Me, Munich Air Disaster 1958, That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore (Smiths cover), Seasick, Yet Still Docked, Never Again Will I Be A Twin, Back On The Chain Gang (The Pretenders cover), The Bullfighter Dies, Everyday Is Like Sunday, Jack The Ripper, Some Say (I Got Devil) (Melanie cover), Satan Rejected My Soul Encore: Speedway
Have you tried to see Morrissey before? Did he show up? What did you think? Let us know! Comment below or e-mail me at tips2livebywriter@gmail.com.
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