We look at danger and we laugh our heads off…

A Concert with a Classic Artist in Akron, Ohio
June 29, 2015

Morrissey and band in concert — Courtesy of Jodi V

Memories
’Twas the day of the concert, and visions of the ’90s danced in my head. It had been nearly 20 years since I’d last seen Morrissey in concert with my sister in downtown Cleveland. We were huge fans of The Smiths, so seeing the band’s former lead singer was the thrill of a lifetime for us. I remember screaming fans and multitudes of young men throwing themselves on stage, security guards dragging them away. I remember the T-shirts we bought that said, “We look at danger and we laugh our heads off.” (Man, I would love to find that shirt, as it was always a fun attention-getter. Our family doctor, however, was not pleased, because upon seeing the shirt during one office visit, he said, “What the shit is this? No! We look at danger and we run like hell!” RIP, Dr. Burns. Love ya!)

Left: My sister, Andi, wearing a Smiths shirt in the ’90s ● Right: Wording on the back of a 90s Morrissey T-Shirt

Songs and Lyrics
Morrissey is incredibly intriguing to me because his lyrics are absolutely original, witty, wry, and slightly bizarre. I love that he’s able to cheerily sing in Unhappy Birthday, “I’ve come to wish you an unhappy birthday, ’cause you’re evil and you lie.” Or, in Bigmouth Strikes Again, “Sweetness, sweetness I was only joking when I said I’d like to smash every tooth in your head.” And, of course, in Stop Me If You Think That You’ve Heard This One Before, “I was detained, I was restrained, and broke my spleen and broke my knee.” (If you want to hear a great version of this song being covered and sampled, I highly recommend checking out Mark Ronson’s Stop Me, featuring Daniel Merriweather.) I wonder about the inspiration to the lyrics, especially the last set. I mean, what happened?

Too, his lyrics are classic and unforgettable. For example, The Smiths’ How Soon Is Now? is a timeless masterpiece that appeals to multiple types of music lovers and has influenced many a song (Hippychick, anyone?) and artist—including Morrissey himself! Although released in the ’80s, “How Soon Is Now?” simply does not get old. If you haven’t heard it before (gasp!), you must listen now.

Usage
I can’t claim credit for the best idea ever (thanks, sis!), but I used to play Panic to signal the end of my DJ shift each Tuesday night because the lyrics at the tail end of the song are, “Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ!” over and over again. I’m not sure if the audience appreciated or understood why I played this, especially after their very heavy nights of drinking in this particular bar, but I thought it was funny. I laughed to myself every time.

The Venue
The concert was held at the historical Akron Civic Theater, a beautifully renovated, former “movie palace” in Akron, Ohio, built in 1929. Seating up to 5,000 people, the theater has been host to concerts, musicals, events like proms, and movies back in day, where my father was an usher as a teen.

Akron Civic Theater, host of the Morrissey concert

The Concert
With his strong and beautiful voice, Morrissey and his band naturally performed an incredible show. I would wager a bet that the music appeals to people with varying musical tastes, so that almost anyone could have enjoyed the music performed. The fans were very well behaved, until the very end, when one woman ran on stage and a couple others were held back by security before making it fully to the stage floor.

Drawing of Morrissey handed out at the concert by PETA

The Message
In addition to the fun of it all, the artist shared some heavy messages in the form of two videos: one of police brutality and the other of the inhumane treatment of animals, particularly for the purposes of mass production. I won’t go into the details, but I could only watch about 10 seconds of each. The animal video, played during Meat Is Murder, was intended to prompt the audience to “quit eating animals,” a message that Morrissey has been very well known to tout throughout his career. I’m not sure of the enduring effect, but a few weeks have passed since the show, and I have yet to eat meat. We’ll see what happens.

Favorites
• Favorite Smiths songs: There Is a Light that Never Goes Out (“take me out tonight!”) and I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish (“typical me!”)
• Favorite Morrissey song: Suedehead
• Favorite lyric: “And so I drank one, it became four, and when I fell on the floor… I drank more.”

The Setlist
Courtesy of setlist.fm

1. Talk of the Town (a cappella) (Pretenders cover; link is to the original version)
2. Suedehead
3. Alma Matters
4. First of the Gang to Die
5. Ganglord
6. Staircase at the University
7. Speedway
8. World Peace Is None of Your Business
9. Kiss Me a Lot
10. I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris
11. Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before (The Smiths song)
12. Yes, I Am Blind
13. Istanbul
14. Neal Cassady Drops Dead
15. The Bullfighter Dies
16. Now My Heart Is Full
17. I Will See You in Far-Off Places
18. The World Is Full of Crashing Bores
19. Meat Is Murder (The Smiths song)
20. Everyday Is Like Sunday

Encore:
21. What She Said (The Smiths song)

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