Back in the land of Moz

By KIERAN GRANT -- Toronto Sun

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MORRISSEY
Hamilton Place, Hamilton-Ontario
Wednesday, February 16, 2000
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HAMILTON -- "Call me morbid, call me pale."

Those were Morrissey's own lyrical instructions at Hamilton Place last night during his rendition of Half A Person, a favourite tune from his former group The Smiths.

And yes, the British singer's image as a self-deprecating, self-absorbed and terminally unloved spokesperson for sexually repressed bookworms of the world was indeed intact.

But that was just half the story for the British singer's much-anticipated -- by his southern Ontario chapter of cult admirers, anyway -- return.

Because if maudlin Moz is still morbid, pale and unlovable, he's also a sassy showman, a coy crooner who's got audience manipulation down to a science.

That's not to say there wasn't a hint of self-parody in last night's performance.

With the almost holy pop legacy of The Smiths -- the most original and enduring outfit '80s Britain had to offer -- and a solo career that has varied wildly in quality, the 40-year-old Steven Patrick Morrissey drew a seasoned collection of twenty- to thirtysomething supporters who knew all the moves: Always stylish and clean-cut, many still dress like him; bouquets are still proferred at stage front; fans still clamber on stage and reach for the Mozzer before being spirited away, rather violently, by security.

He was game to play along, of course, and while the unexpected presence of some trash-talkers down front clearly bemused him, he spent most of the show fishing the crowd for handshakes and the odd shirt-tail tug.

(That said, there was a weird twist before his set when, as duffle-coated Mozniks made their way past the "No Moshing" signs staff had posted at the entrances, a very obvious punch-up broke out between two young, female fans.)

What's most odd about Morrissey is how choppy his live sets can still be. Even with much of the set list dating back at least 10 or 12 years, there were times his band seemed on the verge of collapse.

Chalk it up to stamina or interest, but after a strong, bright opening that included the songs A Swallow On My Neck, Ouija Board, Ouija Board, Is It Really So Strange? and November Spawned A Monster, the quintet switched to autopilot.

They apologized for the sloppy middle section with favourites Alma Matters, Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me, Shoplifters Of The World Unite and a melodramatic reading of The Smiths' classic Meat Is Murder -- the song that launchd a thousand vegetarians. But at a mere 70 minutes in length, the show didn't need a trim as much as a new selection of tunes

With a new album supposedly in the works but no record deal to speak of, this may have been the best chance Toronto fans had to see Morrissey for a while.

Considering the dismal episode at Massey Hall two years back, where the singer was mistaken for a fan by security and ejected through a stage door during his encore, it was undoubtedly a better night for all involved

A quick huzzah for whoever decided to put Toronto's Hawksley Workman in last night's opening slot.

The quirk-witted singer won over Morrissey's characteristically open-minded crowd, and even may have even showed the headliner a thing or two about a fresh sound.