View From The Top Of The Circle...
1.- Background
As mentioned earlier I just signed up to this forum yesterday having got a ticket a few hours earlier, I have seen Morrissey a couple of times live before, last time I think was in 2013/14 (The O2). Before that some time waaaaay back in the 90s probably.
So please treat this as an amatuer semi part time Fan review. I don't know too much of his last couple of albums, but had been listening the last few days to his recent one, which I thought was pretty good on the whole (I love I Bury The Dead).
Basically I love classic Moz and Smiths and think he has some absolute thumpers, such as November Spawned a Monster and some stunning showcase songs like Maudalin Street (I think that's my fave song of his, so emosh... But I am normally a thumper kind of guy).
2.-Logistics
(might aid future Moz Gig Goers time wise, etc)
Arrived outside the Brixton Academy about 19.50pm, and was a bit surprised to see folk starting to flow in already as I was aware he was on stage at 21.00 ish (he came on about 21.05 eventually).
I went in about 20.00, and there was the usual security pat down, etc. Staff were good at getting people moving and into the place in my opinion.
Went upstairs grabbed a double whiskey and coke, for which I think I paid a rather daft £11 or so (?)...I used contactless so didn't see for sure,I was in a devil may care kind of mood, it that's right then blimey though..., and sat right at the top of the Circle, which began filling up.
The 30 min intro video thing started at. 20.30ish
As I looked around (Circle only, can't see ANY of the crowd below from there unless in the front rows, which isn't great for atmos)....I saw many, probably most, folk still wearing their big winter coats cos of Snowmagedon outside. It was nippy though, and I kept mine on too. Bit odd for a gig...and with a generally older crowd upstairs it felt a bit like a large coach party to Skegness in January.
I was surprised I didn't see some hot Bovril in a flask.
Anyhow the band played and the singer sang till approx 22.35 as One was expecting.
3.- Moz
I thought he was on GREAT form. When he first came out on stage he bared a fair bit of chest before launching into his opener, and he sounded pretty fantastic I thought. It and He was REALLY thumping.
When I last saw him a few years ago I believe there had been some concerning health issues, etc, and he did look and sounded tired and drawn that time to me...but he was like a thirty year old out there. Very impressive performance wise, vocally, physically (he did a fair bit of hip shuffling early on, haha, he looked like he was enjoying it for sure).
4.- Buts
But to be honest even though I was impressed with him very much, I was not impressed with the gig as an ''event', mainly because of setlist and audience issues (maybe particular to the Circle, I dunno)
Started brilliantly, with Playboys. And the Circle was up in its feet for that and heralding and screaming his name at the end of it....but that was pretty much the whole time all night that the Circle reacted enthusiastically to anything really.
Sure there was cheers for How Soon Is Now, Everyday, Irish Blood Later on, but it was just a few pockets of folk in the upstairs REALLY getting into it.
And I think a reason for this is the setlist simply lost a lot of folk, and for me the particualy point where the crowd lost a fair bit of interest was the combination of the Bullfighter song, and Then the Munich 1958 song.
I could just see some of the crowd around me looking bored, getting phones out, shaking heads etc. I personally know the Munich 58 story pretty well having a father / relatives who support United, but why he doesn't keep that song only for Manchester performances I do not know, it just feels SO odd.
The crowd didn't seem to have heard the new album at all. Moz did a great performance of I Bury The Dead, but the folk around me seemed pretty non plussed, etc. 98% of the Circle were sat down quietly for 98% of the time.
5.- Conclusion
I dunno, maybe being a bit harsh, maybe I had higher hopes of more of an event which the gig I had last seen him in had felt like.
Maybe I should just avoid the Circle in Brixton.
Anyhow, As You Were LG x
