San Luis Obispo, CA - Fremont Theater (May 12, 2022) post-show

Post your info and reviews related to this concert in the comments section below. Other links (photos, external reviews, etc.) related to this concert will also be compiled in this section as they are sent in.

Setlist:

We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful / Billy Budd / Disappointed / Ouija Board, Ouija Board / Never Had No One Ever / Satan Rejected My Soul (aborted) / Knockabout World / I Am Veronica / How Soon Is Now? / The Loop / Little Man, What Now? / Everyday Is Like Sunday / Suedehead / Have-A-Go Merchant / Half A Person / Irish Blood, English Heart / First Of The Gang To Die / Jack The Ripper // Let Me Kiss You / Sweet And Tender Hooligan

Setlist courtesy of setlist.fm

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• Photo posted by @suedehead_shop / Instagram, courtesy of Facebook- Cesar Hernandez. Link posted by Famous when dead.
  
  
• Little Moz onstage with Morrissey - How Soon Is Now - Fremont Theater - San Luis Obispo May 12, 2022 - Martin Marshmallow / YouTube (embed disabled). Link posted by Mozzer1980.
  
  Description: Dreams do come true. Little Moz met his musical hero, the great and mighty Morrissey. Not bad for a kid's first concert!
  
  Link posted by Ketamine Sun:
  
  
• [Morrissey Central] "SAN LUIS OBISPO" (May 13, 2022)

 

[Surface]

A UK tour of smaller (c.2000 capacity) venues would be very welcome, and obviously a good strategic manoeuvre—so I expect it’s on the cards.

I'd love to see him in venues like that again, my fondest Morrissey memories are from gigs at places like Bradford, Halifax, Blackpool, Blackburn, Sheffield, all at theatres built with fabulous acoustics which suit him far better than the Arenas he's played over the last few tours.

 

[Surface]

Yeah, at first it looked awkward, then he seemed to be touched when he started singing.

I wonder if in moments like that he ever thinks about what life would have been like for him if he had or adopted a kid?

 

[Surface]

wee guys a star,he got his moment which he can remember forever.
these things happen at M concerts but i cant remember anybode else doing this.
wee guy from last night.
the blind girl who was lifted on stage.
M being lifted up like a baby in norway/sweden.
the wee boy from the refusal cover.
anybody got any others.

for most singers the stage is a no go area whereas M should have a sign saying everyones welcome.

James are another band who make a great connection with their audience but I agree there's not many who do.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

I wonder if in moments like that he ever thinks about what life would have been like for him if he had or adopted a kid?

maybe, just maybe. For some it’s just not meant to be, and that’s fine too.

Or maybe he hopes that this kid will grow out of this soon, and be his own person.

 

[Deleted member 28602]

The guitar solo at 2:25 is quite pretty.
There was a metal band in the 80s, but i can't put my finger on it.

 

[Les Tameside]

Nay. There is a conflict, because in the Christian order, the Lord God, who smelled a "sweet savor" in the smoke of the Hebrew animal sacrifices wafting up to heaven (Exodus XXIX.18), gave the fleshmeat of animals over to humans, not caring for the fright of the creatures:



And that is just the Old Testament. In the New, there are no restrictions on fleshmeats at all. Pigs are added to the Christian conveyor belt into the abattoir as well:



And Morrissey, as one who would forbid the eating of meat, would have to be considered a heretic counseled by demons, according to the Christian worldview:



Being an ethical vegetarian, he would be a very bad Catholic indeed. I suspect the crucifix is merely an homage to the enduring and adoring Mexican portion of his audience, whose own Catholicism is völkisch and aesthetic, not doctrinal.

Nice work; it’s a long book. I guess I can refer you to this (as you seem interested).

Can You Be Catholic and Vegan? - I Am Going Vegan

"Then God said, 'Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours

www.iamgoingvegan.com

My personal feeling is that Morrissey perceives himself as Catholic.

 

[The Wild Turkey]

I Am Veronica is kinda soundin' like a classic Moz song.
It's got a bunch of catchy sections.
Gonna be nice to here the studio version.

 

[Lucifer Sam]

Nice work; it’s a long book. I guess I can refer you to this (as you seem interested).

Can You Be Catholic and Vegan? - I Am Going Vegan

"Then God said, 'Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours

www.iamgoingvegan.com

My personal feeling is that Morrissey perceives himself as Catholic.

I have been a Catholic vegetarian myself, but a person is in a very lonely subset in such a position. And what you can't say, as a Catholic vegan or vegetarian, is that eating meat is ethically wrong. Because then you are making up your own sin, whereas the Church does not consider meat-eating sinful. So it's a contradiction.

I agree, Morrissey might perceive himself as Catholic, but I think it's probably a vague, aesthetic, cultural sort of Catholicism, one which most people would not recognize. He's not a practicing Catholic. His Catholicism is probably more like James Joyce and Oscar Wilde, who admired the Latin Mass, and the altar surrounded with flowers at Easter, and the pious old hunchbacked ladies in black veils praying their Rosaries.

 

[The Wild Turkey]

I believe this is the same kid …

If the kid really wants to be like Moz, he should
take a stand against Turkey murder.

 

[Janice]

wee guys a star,he got his moment which he can remember forever.
these things happen at M concerts but i cant remember anybode else doing this.
wee guy from last night.
the blind girl who was lifted on stage.
M being lifted up like a baby in norway/sweden.
the wee boy from the refusal cover.
anybody got any others.

for most singers the stage is a no go area whereas M should have a sign saying everyones welcome.

Two others I know of
Paramount in Denver (2017) during Sunday
Hollywood High in 2013 (encore - TBWTTIHS)

 

[Les Tameside]

I have been a Catholic vegetarian myself, but a person is in a very lonely subset in such a position. And what you can't say, as a Catholic vegan or vegetarian, is that eating meat is ethically wrong. Because then you are making up your own sin, whereas the Church does not consider meat-eating sinful. So it's a contradiction.

I agree, Morrissey might perceive himself as Catholic, but I think it's probably a vague, aesthetic, cultural sort of Catholicism, one which most people would not recognize. He's not a practicing Catholic. His Catholicism is probably more like James Joyce and Oscar Wilde, who admired the Latin Mass, and the altar surrounded with flowers at Easter, and the pious old hunchbacked ladies in black veils praying their Rosaries.

Nice points, nicely made. My sense is that (over the past fifteen years or so) he hasn’t been a stranger to the church. But that thought is admittedly based on the growing number of aesthetic references.

My mum was Catholic, when she was young. I was baptised Methodist (thanks to my dad). But I’ve decided my youngest kids are going to be christened Catholic—like their own mum.

 

[TheSmiths_1985]

I'd love to see him in venues like that again, my fondest Morrissey memories of are from gigs at places like Bradford, Halifax, Blackpool, Blackburn, Sheffield, all at theatres built with fabulous acoustics which suit him far better than the Arenas he's played over the last few tours.

Didn’t he do this for the Ringleader tour? I remember seeing him in small theatres in Dunoon and (I think) Aberdeen and they were great.
No-one stole my merch there, either.

 

[TheSmiths_1985]

I have been a Catholic vegetarian myself, but a person is in a very lonely subset in such a position. And what you can't say, as a Catholic vegan or vegetarian, is that eating meat is ethically wrong. Because then you are making up your own sin, whereas the Church does not consider meat-eating sinful. So it's a contradiction.

I agree, Morrissey might perceive himself as Catholic, but I think it's probably a vague, aesthetic, cultural sort of Catholicism, one which most people would not recognize. He's not a practicing Catholic. His Catholicism is probably more like James Joyce and Oscar Wilde, who admired the Latin Mass, and the altar surrounded with flowers at Easter, and the pious old hunchbacked ladies in black veils praying their Rosaries.

It’s an odd situation. I was raised catholic, went to catholic school, did the whole communion and confirmation thing etc.
I don’t do any of it now, I don’t even believe in god, but if someone asks if I’m catholic I say yes.
Culturally catholic, is that a thing?

 

[Moz Fan]

I wonder if in moments like that he ever thinks about what life would have been like for him if he had or adopted a kid?

Yes, it could be.

Also, when I first saw the scene, I thought Moz might have pictured his younger self in the boy, since when he was a boy he too would go to concerts to see his idols.

A very emotional moment, I guess.

 

[TheSmiths_1985]

I wonder if in moments like that he ever thinks about what life would have been like for him if he had or adopted a kid?

On the instagram video, you can see on his face he’s thinking, is this really the right message to be giving to an 11 year old? And he has a bit of a “what the f***?!” moment.
It’s a touching moment, though. It’ll be in video packages for years to come.

 

[Stan Doffish]

This was an interesting show strangely marred by a pronounced absence of drama and ceremony. With no pre-show videos, no band introduction, no words about "I Am Veronica" and practically no banter at all, at times it felt more like witnessing an extended soundcheck rather than a gig proper. Even as a longtime fan who has watched him pass through several phases of his career, there's still something that doesn't feel quite right about seeing Morrissey in what essentially felt like an underpopulated high school auditorium (condolences to Vegan Cro and @Redacted, this show was most certainly not sold out). This seemed to be reflected in his mood, which was overtly short and distant.

The band was rough. Perhaps I'm being unfairly analytical, but Alain's presence seems to offer not much beyond a cynical advertisement for a past of greater credibility. He stands there underutilized while Jesse still clearly directs the show. His joyful leads on "Have-a-Go Merchant" were impossible to hear, though maybe the mix was better elsewhere (I was third row center which isn't always ideal for sound). It's a tough situation for a band; the stop-start schedule with sporadic gigs and a revolving cast of characters robs a group of musicians from truly gelling into a synergistic unit. I imagine they'll hit their stride just in time for the Vegas residency to conclude, which is a shame. For now, they sound like what they are: a timid, incohesive group of session players.

Still, the euphoria of watching the man step out in front of the microphone remains. Observing his movements (slightly more encumbered) and listening to his voice (just a bit dispassionate), you can't help but wrestle to reconcile the many different versions of both Morrissey's and your own life as a song plays out that you've been listening to for decades.

I feel, as I've felt for a while, that the inclusion of Smiths songs is unnecessary. I say this not to arouse the Johnny-haters, of which I am certainly not one. "Half a Person" worked best last night, while "How Soon is Now?" was easily the dullest and most lethargic rendition I've personally seen him perform. I'd always rather hear him do a solo deep cut (or even modern classic, as "Irish Blood English Heart" seemed to get one of the loudest crowd reactions for whatever reason.)

Finally, the charade with the kid was really nauseating and forced. As these things usually are, it was very clearly all about the father. There was a collective cringe in the first few rows as this little performance was taking place. It may appear sweet in the abstraction of an instagram video, but it was very awkward on the floor. After the show ended, this nut was propping up his kid against the flow of human traffic in order to force each person to acknowledge him as they filed out of the theater. I also had the misfortune of hearing him somewhat berating the child before the show in the men's room, which raised a red flag for me. I assume these picture perfect social media moments involving children are often motivated by some sort of pathetic ego agenda by the parents and this didn't seem too different from that.

Anyway...nitpicking aside, this was actually one of the better Morrissey shows I've seen over the past 10 years. Something has changed, a bit for the better and bit for the worse. He finally seems old, an inevitability it seemed like he would somehow avoid. It's a different sort of show now, perhaps labored in ways where it once came so naturally.

 

[Janice]

Didn’t he do this for the Ringleader tour? I remember seeing him in small theatres in Dunoon and (I think) Aberdeen and they were great.
No-one stole my merch there, either.

Dunoon was 2011
But all the Ringleader gigs until the end of the year were all small venues. Some great places

Greenock
Aberdeen
Glasgow Academy
Dundee
Striling
Whithaven
Gateshead
Salford Lowry
Halifax
Manc Apollo/Opera House/Bridgewater Hall
Grimsby
Oxford
Llandudno
Leeds
Blackburn
Liverpool
Portsmouth
Truri
Cheltenham
Kings Lynn
3 x Palladium

There were a few more but all the above were small and very small venues
Ace they were

 

[Stan Doffish]

Dunoon was 2011
But all the Ringleader gigs until the end of the year were all small venues. Some great places

Greenock
Aberdeen
Glasgow Academy
Dundee
Striling
Whithaven
Gateshead
Salford Lowry
Halifax
Manc Apollo/Opera House/Bridgewater Hall
Grimsby
Oxford
Llandudno
Leeds
Blackburn
Liverpool
Portsmouth
Truri
Cheltenham
Kings Lynn
3 x Palladium

There were a few more but all the above were small and very small venues
Ace they were

All of the Ringleader shows I attended were in small, general admission venues. Even on an off-night, it's always more intense to catch him in an intimate space. I'm at a point in my fandom where I most likely wouldn't bother seeing him elsewhere, which is why I'm skipping the festival this weekend.

 

[Surface]

Dunoon was 2011
But all the Ringleader gigs until the end of the year were all small venues. Some great places

Greenock
Aberdeen
Glasgow Academy
Dundee
Striling
Whithaven
Gateshead
Salford Lowry
Halifax
Manc Apollo/Opera House/Bridgewater Hall
Grimsby
Oxford
Llandudno
Leeds
Blackburn
Liverpool
Portsmouth
Truri
Cheltenham
Kings Lynn
3 x Palladium

There were a few more but all the above were small and very small venues
Ace they were

Nice one, I went to 3 of those.

 

[TheSmiths_1985]

Dunoon was 2011
But all the Ringleader gigs until the end of the year were all small venues. Some great places

Greenock
Aberdeen
Glasgow Academy
Dundee
Striling
Whithaven
Gateshead
Salford Lowry
Halifax
Manc Apollo/Opera House/Bridgewater Hall
Grimsby
Oxford
Llandudno
Leeds
Blackburn
Liverpool
Portsmouth
Truri
Cheltenham
Kings Lynn
3 x Palladium

There were a few more but all the above were small and very small venues
Ace they were

Was Dunoon 2011? f***ing hell, I’m getting old.