Concert Review: Morrissey

Who: Morrissey and Girl In A Coma
Where: Orpheum Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts

Not only was it a "terrific experience" as attendee Chris DeCarlo said, but the Morrissey concert was also legendary and one of the best concerts that I have ever attended.
The 3 hour concert took place in the very old Orpheum Theatre in Boston. The smaller sized theater was packed with 20, 30, and 40 year olds but lacked teenagers. San Antonio alt-rock girl group Girl In A Coma opened up for Morrissey. Singing in a punk-like manner, the girls performed well given the fact that they were a late addition to the tour (added just last week). The lead singer, Nina, reminded DeCarlo of one Boston area band member. Said DeCarlo: "[Nina's] voice reminded me of Kim Deal (of the Pixies)." I thought it was pretty cool that Nina said in between songs that the group went to the Red Sox parade earlier that afternoon. Their set consisted of about ten songs that sounded strikingly similar, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
After the girls had left the stage, myriad videos were played on the overlay. Some, quite weird in nature, were black and white films of James Dean, whom Morrissey seemingly is addicted to. Following about ten minutes of Dean, the tube topic changed from short film to music video. A music video of who? No other than the New York Dolls, who are proto punk legends. Until the Dolls came on most of the audience wasn't paying attention.
Then came the Morrissey. Filled with energy and enthusiasm, Morrissey immediately captured the audience's attention. The 48 year old's dance moves in combination with his enonamoring presence brought the crowd to their feet immediately. In fact, most members of the audience stood for the duration of his performance. Singing a long with the Brit, the audience was as DeCarlo said "in love with their hero and his performance." One particular gentleman, sitting two seats to my right, was constantly in awe. At the beginning of every song, the man stood up, pointed forward, and screamed "FUCK YOU." And that isn't a bad "FUCK YOU." In obvious shock that the 80s legend was performing before him, the man also made his fair share of "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?" remarks. Hell, even at one point in the show, the man who must have downed at least five Sam Adams, started crying like a young child. A bit later he went on to hug and kiss an innocent lad one row in front of him. I think you can kind of guess the rest. Anyway, back to Morrissey.
Chris and I both agree that the best portion of the performance occured near the end. After singing an amazing "Dear God Please Help Me", Morrissey dropped to the floor and lay there for a few minutes with his legs resting on the amp. And what do you know: he pops up right up and starts singing "How Soon Is Now" which is considered one of his best tracks. This was the last "official" song of the night as the man himself ended up doing an encore.
Another song that brought the entire audience to their feet was "Shoplifters of the World Unite" a chart topper in the 1980s from when Morrissey was the lead singer of The Smiths. Said DeCarlo: "Masterpiece is the only way one can describe that song. There are many interpretations of that song, and that's fine if you're a fan of the "shirtlifter" theory, but I believe its meaning goes far beyond that. To me its all about seizing what one wants instead of adhering to the general rules and of course Morrissey wants all these individuals to come together and possibly ameliorate the world in a profound way. My heart was rushing when I heard those chords blast out of the amps. "
An amazing concert by an amazing performer.