Heaven knows, he doesn't seem so miserable now.
Morrissey, Manchester's prodigal pop son, returned to the city on Saturday for his Manchester Evening News Arena concert, and his demeanour bordered on the jolly.

Gone was the awkwardness and defensiveness displayed in the now notorious Jonathan Ross interview, replaced instead by the relaxed Mozza man engaging intimately with the audience throughout and cracking jokes between songs.

But then, he was among "family" - thousands of mostly fellow mancunian followers, for whom this was more a spiritual rally than a mere pop concert.

"Morrissey, Morrissey, Morrissey" they chanted to the refrain of "Here we go" in the build up to his first appearance on a Manchester stage for 12 years.

And he responsed by saying they had, through their loyalty and enthusiasm, made it the best birthday of his life (he turned 45 that day), before later adding, with typical facetiousness "Manchester, you've made a happy man very old". And in truth, Morrissey who fronted The Smiths in such a svelte, foppish way, is looking his age these days. But does that mean he is past it?

He was recently quoted as describing Bowie as "irrelevant", but the question is: What is the relevance of Morrissey now that his constituency of bedsit student Smiths fan has grown old and bald?
Well, judging by the reaction to the thumping new top 5 single, Irish Blood, English Heart, which signals a shrewd anthemic diversion for Morrissey, he's acquired a whole new relevance.

"How natural it feels to be back in the English top 10, along with such talents as Frankee and Eamon" he mocked. And he later scorn of the artistic merits of Britney Spears before launching into The World is full of Crashing bores, also from his new album, You are the Quarry. All the songs from the new album were well received, but the hysteria was reserved for those old Smiths classics and it wasn't until Shoplifters of the World Unite that the atmosphere turned truly electric.

Of Course, by the time the encore came, three shirt changes and flashes of torso later, it just had to be There is a Light. Everyone sang along, everyone knew every single word, and no doubt there were even tears shed.

A homecoming to cherish - let's just hope he doesn't leave it another 12 years for the next one.