Morrissey at the Aragon Ballroom 04/04/09
Morrissey at the Aragon Ballroom
04/04/09
I arrived at the Aragon ballroom with not too much time to spare before the concert was set to begin. I’d say maybe about 20 minutes, and therefore I did not expect to get a good spot, but, as I was still recovering from my car accident and my ankle wasn’t totally better and good for standing on for long periods, I deiced that it would be better not to wait in a line outside for a couple hours (as had been my original plan).
While waiting to get to security I noticed a poster on the wall advertising an upcoming show and was surprised to see at the center of it, Allison Lozano, the lead actress in the telenovela that my brother and I watched last year (and loved, except for the ending). I knew that she sang, but was surprised that she was coming here.
Due to my having to carry and Epi-pen with me wherever I go I had to have three security people look at it and verify that it was in fact an Epi-Pen. I hadn’t had that issue at a concert before; though in years past people were suspicious of the spacer that I used to use with my inhalers. Anyhow, once I got done with that I walked as quickly as I could up the stairs and to the concert area of the venue. Surprisingly, there was still some open space in the front row - off to the side, but still a totally amazing view.
The opening band, The Courteneers, was pretty cool. They said that they were also from Manchester, England. I don’t remember much about their set other than I enjoyed it.
Between The Courteneers and Morrissey a series of short film clips and music videos from the 60s and 70s played including: some guy who seemed like Elvis but I don’t think was; the original band that played “I’m Your Venus” doing that song, and then at a different time another song in music video format, I think, though one of them may have been footage from a live performance or a TV performance; and some footage of the New York Dolls performing.
When the curtain/sheet that these films had been playing on dropped, the lights went out, and Morrissey and his band came on stage obviously everyone went crazy with cheering. Morrissey was dressed in a tux with a white bow tie, and the rest of his band was wearing black suits with matching ties that featured Morrissey’s face on them. They opened with “This Charming Man” which was very cool.
I don’t totally remember the set list, but I do remember a number of the songs that they played, and now I looked up the set list from the show and find myself confused because I do not remember them playing a few of the songs, but they must have, so I guess I’ve just forgotten?
So here’s the set list that the Chicago Tribune posted:
This Charming Man
Something is Squeezing My Skull
Billy Budd
Black Cloud
How Soon is Now
Irish Blood, English Heart
How Could Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel
Ask
I’m Throwing my Arms Around Paris
The World is Full of Crashing Bores
Death of a Disco Dancer
The Loop
I Keep Mine Hidden
One Day Goodbye Will be Farewell
Seasick, Yet Still Docked
Best Friend on the Payroll
Let Me Kiss You
Sorry Doesn’t Help
When Last I Spoke to Carol
I’m OK by Myself
Encore:
First of the Gang to Die
After “The World is Full of Crashing Bores” a single spotlight shone on Morrissey and he said, “You may know, or some of you may know, or you should know, 24 years ago I stood on this stage for the first time, and if you told me that in 24 years I would be back on this stage - I would have believed you.” I love Morrissey’s sense of humor. Then he went into “Death of a Disco Dancer”
Sometime, I think it was after “Black Cloud,” Morrissey introduced his band mates, several of which were “born and raised in Chicago”, which he kept saying with a Chicago accent which was amusing. Then he got to Boz and he just said that Boz was “born and raised”, and then he introduced himself by saying “and me, I have no identity.”
Morrissey changed some of the lyrics to “How Soon is Now” to be more morbid, such as instead of “and all my hope is gone” he sang “and most of my life is gone”. At one point during the song, I think it was the ending, he lay down on his back in the middle of the stage.
During the line in “How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel” about the uniforms Morrissey saluted.
As is normal with Morrissey concerts, he went through several changed of shirt. Most of them were done offstage during instrumental parts of the songs, but during “Let Me Kiss You” when he got to the part where it goes, “and then you open your eyes and you find someone you physically despise”, about when he said “open” he ripped his shirt off and sang the remainder of the song without a shirt, which got some squeals from the audience.
There was some song in which an upright bass was played, and during that Morrissey played the tambourine.
Fans kept trying to reach out to Morrissey during the show, but the way that the stage is set up, it is near impossible to do because of both distance from the crowd, and also the height the stage is at. But near the end of the show a couple fans did get to touch Morrissey’s hand and then everyone cheered because it was like those people were representing all the fans, and instead of feeling jealous of them, we were honestly happy for them because someone from our group got to touch Morrissey. I haven’t experienced something like that at a concert before.
At some point Morrissey announced the Boz wanted to be called Bob for the rest of the night, which was pretty random.
Near the end of the show, or maybe at the encore? Morrissey came over to this box at the side of the stage I was at and curled up in a ball on top of it and pretended to sleep for a little while, which was really cool.
When they came back on stage for the encore the band and Morrissey took some bows in the center o the stage together, with their arms around one another. Then Morrissey pretended to try to throw one of the guys in his band off the stage.
The encore was “First of the Gang to De” and during the performance it seemed that either Morrissey had a little trouble with some of the lyrics, or he was just being funny. I don’t remember which. There was also some point when he barked and talked mockingly but I don’t remember when that was either. Sometime around the performance of this song Morrissey said “this is it” or “this is our last one” but I really didn’t believe it and expected them to do another encore, but it really was their last song at that concert.
Before they left the stage however, a fan had thrown some gladioli on stage, which is the flower that Morrissey used to have stuffed in his back pocket during the days of the Smiths. He went over to it, looked at it curiously, picked it up and started ripping the petals off of it and throwing them to the crowd until it was completely free of petals, and then he put that behind his ear. He also had a red carnation behind his ear; I guess a fan must have thrown that on stage too?
After the concert was over, I made my way down to the merchandise area and noticed that they were selling the ties that the band had been wearing, however those cost $50. There was an assortment of t-shirts, a limited number of LPs of “Year of Refusal” (Morrissey’s new album) some of which were signed, but those had sold out already. I think that they also had posters and some other stuff. I wound up buying a green “Irish Blood, English Heart” t-shirt, and a blue one that has Morrissey’s face on it and for some unknown reason says “South Paw Grammar” which is the name of an old album of his. I think that shirt may have had tour dates or cities listed on it, but am not totally sure.
The concert was really awesome!