Morrissey at the paladium 4/10/09

It it undeniable that Morrissey still sounds great for a crooner about to turn the big 5-0.  (Anyone wanna roll to his 50th birthday show in Manchester next month?)  The opening number 'This Charming Man' was the highlight of the show for me.  For fans anticipating lots of Smiths material, this blastoff was quite the fluffer.  He performed five more Smiths songs out of twenty two:  'How Soon is Now?'(come on, sorry but this still reminds me of Charmed), 'The Death of a Disco Dancer', 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others'(''Look around", he ad libbed during the chorus), 'I Keep Mine Hidden' (b-side to 'Girlfriend in a Coma) and 'Ask'.  

Besides those Smiths songs, Moz performed mostly material from his last three albums.  Mostly.  'Let Me Kiss You' and 'The World is Full of Crashing Bores' sounded marvelous and reminded me of the last time i saw him on 2004's You are the Quarry tour.  He mixed up the set with  'Seasick' from Your Arsenal, 'Billy Bud' off of Vauxhall and I, and even 'Best Friend on the Payroll' from Southpaw Grammar.  It was good to see Morrissey sweat as it proves he is actually human.  Some amdmirers went nuts when he changed shirts and you could catch a brief glimpse of that Irish blood/English heart-filled body.  He finished with 'First of the Gang to Die' during his only encore.  Anyone who attended this packed show to see such a charismatic character could not have been disappointed.  

Even though this show was pleasing, I couldn't help but to think of how the previously mentioned show in Fort Worth at Will Rogers Auditorium had a better set list.  Smiths songs included that night were 'Bigmouth Strikes Again', 'Shoplifters of the World', 'Last Night I Dreamt That Someone Loved Me', and 'How Soon is Now?' (again).  At the end of his second encore, he closed with an enthusiastic version of 'There is Light That Never Goes Out'.  This show also covered solo classics like 'November Spawned a Monster', 'The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get', and 'Everyday is Like Sunday'.  oh, well...