I stopped following Morrissey in the late '80s, after his time with The
Smiths and his debut solo album, Viva Hate in 1988.
Recently, having the opportunity to see him live not far from home, I dusted
off and re-listened to my old vinyl records—The Queen Is Dead, Strangeways,
Here We Come, and Viva Hate—and checked out some of his more recent
work online. Fully prepared, I attended one of the two Italian events on his
tour ( Cernobbio on July 19th).
I must say, it was a truly beautiful evening, made even better by the
splendid setting of Villa Erba overlooking Lake Como and the perfect weather.
I had expected a nostalgic concert filled only with old Smiths songs, but
that wasn’t the case. Despite his age (which shows), Morrissey’s voice remains
as captivating and engaging as ever. The setlist alternated between classics
from The Smiths era and tracks from his latest solo albums. His backing band
was excellent, delivering a crystal-clear sound that complemented his vocals
perfectly. On stage, Morrissey was affable and empathetic with the audience,
which was diverse and multinational, though not particularly large.
I'm really glad I was there.
HERE: Encore of the concert
