I was typing this originally on the Birmingham thread since this one didn't exist, and it popped up as I was typing, so....
=====

Panic
First Of The Gang To Die
In The Future When All's Well
All You Need Is Me
I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
Disappointed
Let Me Kiss You
Girlfriend In A Coma
You Have Killed Me
At Last I Am Born
That's How People Grow Up
Everyday Is Like Sunday
I Will See You In Far Off Places
The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
Irish Blood, English Heart
Please, Please, Please, Let Me [Have Who] I Want
How Soon Is Now?
[Encore:] The Last Of The Famous International Playboys

[CUT FROM SET, were shown on printed setlist that I got a glance in someone's hand on the way out:]

National Front Disco [after Disappointed, I think]
Life Is A Pigsty [after Please]

- t.v.

[1] Panic
[2] First of the Gang To Die
[3] In The Future When All's Well
[4] All You Need Is Me
[5] I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
[6] Disappointed
[7] Let Me Kiss You
[8] Girlfriend In A Coma
[9] You Have Killed Me
[10] At Last I Am Born
[11] That's How People Grow Up
[12] Everyday Is Like Sunday
[13] I Will See You In Far Off Places
[14] The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
[15] Irish Blood, English Heart
[16] Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want
[17] How Soon Is Now?
====================encore=======================
[18] The Last Of The Famous International Playboys

Went thin on the songs tonight. Interesting that it is identical and same order as Birmingham minus The National Front Disco & Life Is A Pigsty. Wonder if those were on the official setlist and then dropped during the gig. Maybe someone who grabbed the printed setlist will know.

Just got back to the hotel. Moz was in great form but a bit shocked at the venue crowd. I must say that the seating arrangement in the Pit Area is the worst I have ever scene, and the people were a joke. They sit there with their pretty table-clothes, eat their food, drink their wine, and proceed to talk during the entire show. Add to the fact that they are lame, they pretty much block the entire stage.

Moz walks out and looks like he is totally embarrassed. The place is half full and everyone is sitting on their asses. There were about, and I was one, 35 people right at the front, fought through the seated area and made a stake for a spot. Moz mumbled through Panic and FOTGTD and then during one song, even changed the verse to "sit there and eat your food" or something to that manner. Anyone remember what song it was. Another thing, Moz stated he was a serious artist to the seated lame ones, he looked shocked.

After about 5-6 songs things started heating up. I was standing to the right and left of the stage the whole show but still very-very close to the stage. The securtiy guards could hold no one back and the fire-marshalls even wanted to shut the show down becasue of the crowding in the front of the pit area. There was one real lame-ass who was seated in the front and would not let anyone pass. He was wearing a red polo shirt and bald, totally lame. Did anyone else see or interact with this guy?

Anyhow, after enjoying the show, and really it was good, we made our way to the stairs for the encore, just right off the stage. Moz came very close to the end of my side and I made a rush for the front to shake his hand. He was directly above me and although I did not get a good hand shake, I did make eye contact with him for about 3 seconds. Sounds short, but he is "directly" above me and I told him "great job Moz" and he acknowledged me with a head bow and raising of the eyebrow. Basiscally a priceless exeperience for me after over 35 Moz shows, I felt very privelged in my own way. Thank you Moz.

To wrap up,one of the strangest Morrissey shows I have ever attended, and as mentioned above, I've been to over 35 shows. But none the less, it was Moz and I appreciatted that. For this in the know, having known what to expect at the these shows, the Chastain Park crowd was clue-less. Moz never play their again, they do not understand artists such as yourself. They'll probably tear the place down for Peter Paul and Mary coming up the there later in the summer, I can only imagine the "vibe" for that show, what a joke.

BeeWee

Strange, strange gig.

The venue was half full at best.
The park was nice and the bats flying around were the most intersting thing to look at during this lacklustre performance.

The front section was like a Vegas showroom, all candles and cheese and wine.
The back section was like a Baseball game, people disinterested or sat motionless until he churned out an old Smiths number that they actually recognised!
There was even people walking around trying to sell me sparkling neon trinkets..unbelievable.

It certainly was not worth travelling over from England for..thank God Birmingham was half decent.

America..this is not how gigs should be!

OK, I can't tell you how I know, but I KNOW for a FACT Moz HATED the venue. And trust me, this I KNOW. People sitting eating while he was singing, and he's not used to that. Made a comment to the effect of always wanting to be a cabaret singer. Cut the set short because he just didn't want to be there. A few of us tried to make up for it, but to no avail. I honestly think that if he'd given the crowd- who were coming on as the show went on and it FINALLY got dark out- a chance, that we could have made it work, but he didn't. Some people actually openly showed anger when he made comments against Republicans... because they were season ticket holders, not true Moz fans. Horrible, just horrible... please forgive us and don't hold it against the town.

All in all, a short show and clearly., DEFINITELY the worst stop yet on the tour. Sorry Moz- your true fans knew better. Whoever picked the venue needs to be fired. Or shot. Or both. We still love you.

I was nervous about the response Moz would have at "Chatty Stain". Picnicing and not allowed to be close to the stage for the majority of us is not really his style.

I have to say that I was impressed that his sense of humor was in tact and that he did an encore, despite the sad arena in which he performed.

Hats off for being true to your fans and making the best of the situation.

I really hated Kristeen. Poor dear, I hope she doesn't kill herself tonight.

As a devoted Morrissey supporter, I was literally embarrased to be at this show. The venue absolutely sucks! And even more than the venue, the snobby "nouveau riche" lounging at their tables made me sick to my stomach. I wish they would have spent as much time selecting a concert more suitable for their viewing as they did with all their ridiculous indulgence in lame appetizers and petty dinnerware. FOOLS pretending to be rich.

I thought Morrissey handled it rather appropriately. He addressed the painful situation and communicated his confusion. I enjoyed all of his remarks and found him to have more personality than I expected. Whoever books his events missed big time here. I drove to Bham last night to see a true Morrissey show. Tonight was unfortantely a "chastain" show, not a Morrissey show.

He cut Pigsty (which made me happy anyway) and National Front (which is a shame because I love that one). I would have loved to see There is a Light but just seeing Morrissey live after being such a big fan for over 20 years (wow I'm getting old) was still a treat. I felt like I was not being a "good" fan though. It is impossible to describe unless you were there.

Morrissey is a great guy for playing his full set-list (minus only the two exceptions mentioned earlier). If I were him, I would have been tempted to only play about 7 songs and get back on the road. But he delivered a wonderful show in far less than optimum conditions. He deserves a special thank you for that!!

Thank you Morrissey for coming to my hometown. Next time please play the Fox, Woodruff Arts Center or the Tabernacle. Or maybe just Bham. After tonight, we (Atlanta) probably deserve to be cut from any future tour stops.

My full, quick and dirty review of the show is at my site [jeffx.com]. Sorry if that is blogspam but I don't want to type my whole review in again.

A quick synopsis. I will be getting some Kristeen Young CDs. The venue was not the proper venue for a Morrissey show. The crowd was a bit of a buzz kill. This show was a lot better than when I saw him in 1997.

I took some photos with my phone. I will post a link as soon as I can get to my sync cable.

I agree with the general consensus on the board that the venue was ridiculous and it was obvious that Moz wasn't feeling it. After such an incredible event last night in Birmingham, tonight was really underwhelming. National Front Disco was by far my favorite song of last night so I was pretty confused when he didn't even play it tonight. It might have helped the vibe.

Although when all's said and done a Moz show is better than any other show, I have to say my memories will focus mainly on last night's show and not this one

The venue was bad. When I originally heard where he was playing, I thought that that's not the place for him. I was worried that he wouldn't last through more than a few songs. When he had been playing for a few minutes, I commented to my neighbor that his booking agent should be fired. The Chastain folks come to be seen, not to see or hear.

Not only was it bad for Moz, but there was no collective groove or spirit to jump into. At his last show in Atlanta at the Tabernacle everyone was on the same page singing and dancing. Everyone was feeling the moment, Moz and his music. At this show, I was the only one standing up for "miles" around.

Chastain is a place for washed up bands and jazz singers, not Morrissey.

Morrissey did the best he could, although I sorely missed National Front. Don't hold it against us, Moz, just go back to the Tabernacle or the Fox. He could even manage at Chastain if he demanded the rock format (without tables).

You can even come to my back yard. We love y'all.

It really sucked tonight!!, I had read some much crap about Chastain Park and I just couldn´t beleive it, but sadly it´s true, Chastain is not for Rock concerts!!

You don´t even know how cute the people think they look, eating and drinking White Zinfandel and Merlot in their small tables with candels and flowers.

I saw a lot of people who went because they were invited by somebody else and not because they are real fans, you know? at least around me I saw a lot of people with a big "what????" in their face.

Mozz was so annoyed with this and at the end of the first five songs he couldnt help make fun of this, saying and asking repeteadly if he was in the right place, he even asked if he wasn´t at the Tabernacle.

I must say that the sound was perfect, I tought the show was going to be cancelled because it was rainy in the afternoon. Mozz had his chance to leave the venue but he gave it a shot, altough I´m sure he didnt enjoyed it.

He talk a lot between the songs, he even pass the mic at least five times to people to interact with him.

This guy gave Mozz a present and asked him "What is this?", the guy responded: "It´s a photo album of the last 20 years", Mozz asked again: "Of you or me?" and the guy said "Of us!!", "that was pretty funny" Mozz said.

There were 5 stage invaders, 4 of them in the last song and a little girl, which Mozz said was her daughter and immediatly let her go.

Hopefully he´ll never play in this venue again cause it´s a waste of time and money for people who drive or fly a lot of miles to enjoy an energetic concert and it´s waste that we only have a date in his tight schedule every 3 or 4 years.

I agree with the person who said they were "embarassed" for Morrissey...

The half-full venue comments need to be caveated with the fact that this is a venue that can stretch into 7,000 people...so, 3,500 means this was his biggest ticket selling show, outside of arenas, of course...

The problem was, of course, the tables...

I'll do some more tomorrow...but quickly:

*Enhanced musical ending to How Soon Is Now? actually made me forget how this is the most overrated Smiths song...great flashing light and drum pounding...

*Voice on "In the Future..." was as good as I've ever heard it...

*Disappointed was great...

*Everyday Is Like Sunday won for crowd participation, from where I was sitting...

*Mozz communicated quite a lot in the first 20 minutes of the show about his dissatisfaction with the venue... I guess you could say he handled it well, but I would have completely understood if he walked off after the third song and saying, "Sorry...this isn't for me"... It was beneath him, and undignified...

In the end, whoever it is in his "camp" who lines up the planning of tour dates and coordinates that massive undertaking is to blame...It wasn't "America's fault", it wasn't the "Chastain Crowd's fault"... Whom ever booked him at this venue without doing research is to blame...maybe to the point of a job termination, it was that bad of a mistake. For all he has earned, he should NEVER be put in this position...

(The moment the announcement went up that he'd be playing in Atlanta at Chastain, I turned to my wife and said, "This is not going to go over well when Mozzer takes the stage and sees 90% of the first section eating chicken legs and drinking cheap wine...and chatting..."

After scanning through these posts, I would just like to say that I feel very sorry that you people and Morrissey had to go outside tonight. I feel very sorry that you all had to go there; after reading through these posts, I think I won’t need a sleeping pill tonight. When I was thinking about getting tickets, then was informed in regards to the setup with front row and so on, I thought the setup sounded very very , like no way would I go to a place that has tables set up by the stage? I mean what the hell was that about. My intuition told me ---- avoid. And what you people described it sounds like there were just like formless lumps of clay -- so called fans just eating and “bats”? I also feel very sorry that this tour is going to end -- seems like this whole summer flew by so fast. I mean Saratoga is going to be opening soon -- where does all the time go? The one thing I really cannot handle is that it’s like you can’t wait to go and see Morrissey -- and all the long plane flights, road trips, taxis and so on and the hour and a half is just so mesmerizing but then it’s like over. Then when you are going home, well I’m going to speak for myself -- I have to recap to the person that I was with -- “and what happened at that time, and what happened at that other time” -- and it’s like I forget so much of what had happened while being so close up to Morrissey and having the most monumental times. Then there are days and days when I miss him sooooo much and I don’t understand why I get sort of amnesia at the highlights. I mean at one show his shirt landed in my hands and it was like I must have been in the Twilight Zone because -- because I had to ask the person that I physically despise on the way home while I was wearing his Dolce & Gabbana drenched in his sweat with his beautiful, beautiful cologne especially around the shoulders -- I had to ask him how did it land in my hands. I mean I remember holding it but I couldn’t remember literally how it got in my hands; it just landed. This whole Morrissey amnesia thing is very perplexing. It is very disheartening and it makes me very sad that he won’t be playing the states after about one more week. Now everything is back to the way it was before he came -- and -- and -- and I do not N I do not N I do not like it.

Well I guess I went out with a bang -- after having to pour bottles of water on me in the 1,000 degrees heat that night and it felt like I was in a wet tee shirt contest so I really went out with a bang. And then I think the lesson learned here is I have to seize the opportunity when I can get front row again whatever the state and just seize the opportunity and go because now I am sad that I won’t see him anymore until ---- God knows.
There are people pressuring me right now telling me to stop writing and they are really irritating me-just more formless lumps of clay like people and this is why I can’t stand most people but I love Morrissey -- now, today, tomorrow -- and always.

There.

It's true. What everyone is saying is true: This venue SUCKED. I couldn't believe all the conservative (Republican) looking people sitting around eating gourmet MEATS and cheeses and sipping wine from fancy wine glasses... either oblivious or bemused while Kristeen was on and then slightly bored and/or irritated while Morrissey sang his guts out.

All while burping their rare murdered meat. Idiots.

Why would they show up for a Morrissey gig without researching him first? This confounds me. A quick google or trip to wikipedia could have saved these people and Moz a whole heck of a lot of trouble. They came to hear some croonin' while they dined alfresco. They didn't count on us insane and obsessive fans trying to bite off a piece of our hero. I think they were unnerved.

Morrissey was a darling though. He made some wiseass comments, but he sang his heart out and he was kind to the people screaming their adoration at him from the pit.

At one point he picked up a little girl who had gotten onto the stage and said she was his daughter. So cute. I was up close and saw it all. He had a really sweet look on his face.

There were other stage invaders. Morrissey seemed in the mood for it and didn't try to escape from them at all.

As I mentioned, I was in the pit. The guards were HORRIBLE. They were threatening to shut down the show the entire time. They were pushing us back and screaming in our faces. Eventually some sort of official looking people in policesque (smelly) uniforms became involved. At one point, two of these uniformed brutes were pushing on me to move, but I refused. Where was I going to go?! I was surrounded on all sides. (Idiots.) Morrissey pointedly walked over to me, reached down between the officers and took my hand. He was stickin' it to the man. Well, we both were. It felt good!

I had an amazing time. I got the setlist. I got two picks that Jesse threw. Morrissey grabbed my hand and squeezed. It could have been awful, but he really made it nice for those of us who matter to him.

This was my 8th Morrissey show (2 Kill Uncle and once for other tours) and the Chastain Amplitheatre is without question the worst venue anyone could have chosen for a Morrissey show. I've always been up front (in the pit area), but I wasn't able to afford the very expensive tickets for the table seats (even though, of course, there should be no tables at a concert), so my friend and I purchased lawn seats. Many of us with the cheap seats moved down into the terrace area once the show began, but a really irritating security (he was one of those horrible people in the blue polos) guy with huge glasses kept following us - I assume so he could tell us where our seats really were. Fortunately he was a bit pokey, so he was easy to out-walk. There were way too many very serious folks in those blue polos. I personally think it would have been nice if the chicken-eating (at a meatless show no less), wine drinking crowd were told to move to the lawn (or at least the terrace) so those of us there to see Morrissey could have gone near the stage - where we belong!

Morrissey's voice was wonderful and I thought many of his comments during the show were great and fitting. I did miss hearing "Life Is A Pigsty" (one of my favs from Ringleader) and had hoped he'd open with "The Queen Is Dead", but I know that changed at the Birmingham show - It was great to hear "Panic" though.

We were early enough to see Kristeen Young perform. Morrissey often has very interesting opening acts (Gallon Drunk and Phranc to name a couple), but Ms. Young I feel is the strangest one yet. At first I thought she kind of sounded like Kate Bush (if Kate were being strangled), but then she's whip into these really long falsettos that made me wonder if she had forgotten her own lyrics. She looked upset about being there at all. I don't think she thought about Atlanta humidity at an outdoor gig.

As many other posts state, Chastain Park is by far the worst place I've been to see ANY concert and booking Morrissey there is nothing short of criminal. And, even though I'm sure they paid for their tickets, it is difficult not to feel contempt for those horrible people who weren't fans (previously referred to as the "wine and cheese crowd") sitting in the best seats and chatting during the show.

I had a good time at the show and really enjoyed the playlist and Morrissey was incredible, as always. I doubt I'm alone when I state that I'll never go to another show at Chastain Park and hope Morrissey's booking agent remembers the show at the Tabernacle a few years ago and book him there again in the future.

If Morrissey didn't like the venue he should bring it up with his tour manager, not take it out on his fans! I've seen him numerous times. It was obvious he was not into his performance and cut the set short. It's sort of like the old Johnny Rotten comment..."ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" I want a refund! This will be my last Morrissey show that I attend.

The comments made in first five minutes of Kristeen Young's performance were quite telling:

"I've never played a dinner theatre before"

I went down in front before the show with the other 30 people and - as my first Moz show - was in total shock when he came out SO close. Wonderful to finally see him.

But my wife and I were both extremely embarrassed by the lackluster crowd. We'd never been to Chastain before as we only moved into the Atlanta area about a year ago, but when our friends described the venue we were both confused and couldn't imagine a Moz concert THERE. Sure enough, we were correct. He'll certainly never play this venue again if he ever comes back to Atlanta.

Another Moz comment:

"We were driving on the road and saw a restaurant - 'Pig 'n Chick' - can barbarism get any worse? Well, I suppose it can."

I wonder how many of the nouveau riche cheered when he said the name of the restaurant having no idea he's a vegetarian and thinking he'd say something nice.

At least he got his jabs in.

How did this venue compare to the venue in Sparks, Nevada, aside from the fact that this one was an outdoor venue?

Could someone please explain and describe what the venue actually looked like. I am from England and am having difficulty in trying to picture this place.
From what I have read in all the posts above, it was an outside venue, but with people sitting at tables dining??!!! It's just not coming together in my mental image somehow! Maybe somebody could send a link to show the venue, then I can get a better idea.
All very strange really!

I don't think anybody has mentioned that he walked out on stage at the start holding a box of Cheez-itz and said "You have your dinner... and I have mine."

He also mentioned seeing a place en route called "The Pig n' Chick" and said it was the most "the most barbaric thing he'd ever heard of."

I liked the show actually. Yes, the venue wasn't right (I knew what I was getting into w/ the table situation) But I was able to go down right in front for about half the concert. I don't think security knew what hit them, they were kind of freaking out, threatening to stop the show.

I got a piece of his shirt. The band was tight. The weather was perfect. It was what it was.

To be honest, I think the whole "venue debacle" added an entertaining-dramatic element to the whole show, making it incredibly unique. (i'm not saying BETTER, but DIFFERENT)

I live in Atlanta and when it was announced that Morrissey was playing at Chastain, I was "truly disappointed". I was absolutely correct that Chastain was NOT the venue Morrissey should have played at here. It was so sad to see all the "season ticket" holders drinking their wine and eating their food at their tables. I could immediately tell more than half of the crowd had no idea who Morrissey was and sitting at their tables was exactly what they planned to do the entire show. Who goes to a rock concert just to sit at a table sipping wine??????

The night soon changed into the best Morrissey concert I've been to!! Thank you to whomever at Chastain for not having a clue about Morrissey and how dedicated his fans are to him. Because of their lack of preparation and absolutely no security on-hand at the venue, we were able to move from our terrace seats and walk right up to the front of the stage for the show (thank you to my wonderful husband for this idea!). There were only three people between me and Mozzer on stage!! I almost touched his hand twice too. It was absolutely incredible to see him up so close! As the concert went on, more and more true fans moved closer to the stage and it was great being around fellow Moz fans. Clearly Morrissey was not happy about playing at Chastain (he made numerous references to that), but he seemed very happy to see all of us at the front to the stage. He was very playful with the crowd shaking hands and handing the microphone to people.

As I mentioned earlier, security was not prepared and it was a total joke. There were two security guys walking around during the show yelling at all of us up front to go back to our seats. I and many others just ignored them.

I was disappointed that Moz cut two songs from the set list (National Front Disco and Life Is A Pigsty). I was hoping he would open with The Queen Is Dead, but was just was happy when he opened with Panic. I was overcome with happiness when he played Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want, since that song has a lot of history and personal meaning to me.

All and all - Chastain was absolutely dreadful as a venue for Morrissey. However, it was the BEST Morrissey concert I've been to since I was up so close to him!! For the first few songs, I kept thinking to myself, "Am I REALLY this close to Morrissey right now?!" Ahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

And now I wait for the next album and tour - in the meantime, I have my music and memories...........Viva Moz!!!

Oh yeah - and one more thing. Whoever wrote the pathetic write-up about Morrissey in the Chastain program guide, the song "You Have Killed Me" is NOT on the "You Are The Quarry" album. Loser...............

I am trying to think why Morrissey would perform at Chastain. While I disagree with the class warfare and bashing on the people who brought food, it seems we are all in near universal agreement that Classic Chastain was not the proper venue. So I have a few questions to ask that I am too lazy to research myself and someone might be able to answer for me.

I have reviewed the show and loved it. That is not what these questions are about.

I heard a number of 3500 fans last night. I also heard that 3500 is one of the larger shows he has done this tour. Is that true?

Many of the attendees last night were season ticket holders or people who bought ticket packets and Morrissey was one of their fill ins. That part I am pretty sure of. Hell, I almost bought a ticket pack just to get closer to the stage.

What are the current sales numbers on Morrissey's new albums and singles?

If 3500 is one of your largest shows and a large portion of the audience is not your core fan base. Couldn't this be the right event if you are a manager? Let's say 500 people are there because they are ticket holders. 1% of this 500 like it enough to go buy an album. That is 5 new fans. 5 fans quickly can becomes 25 so on and so on.

Was this the first outside venue they played on this tour?

A few thoughts about the Chastain show:

This would be my first chance to catch Morrissey live after sixteen+ years as a fan. My wife and I made the drive over from Athens against some pretty brutal traffic - made it with time to spare. Wondered about the "muckety-mucks" (as my wife put it) wheeling in their coolers and carrying their deli trays. But, no matter. Found our seats...pleasantly surprised with our location. Aisle seats at Row 3 of the box seats directly to the right of the stage. We were about six feet from the edge of the stage all night long. Kristeen came out and played a dutiful set. I think it was still too light out when she played, which she referenced.

And then, here comes Moz, live and in person. He seems bemused by his surroundings..."Where are we? ...How did we end up here?...I'm a serious artist!...I've made two friends and four thousand enemies." But he perseveres and puts on a fine show, even if under duress.

The highlight of the evening...toward the end of the encore (Int'l Playboys) he wanders over towards our direction and I see open space between myself and the stage. I rush over, extend my hand...and suddenly there he is, the Master Himself, directly over me. He takes my hand and squeezes, I bow my head to him, he returns with a courteous nod. And then he's gone, show's over literally within a minute.

We drive home, me with a tingling hand and a stupid grin on my face. It's not every day that I get to shake the hand of the man who's meant so much to me. A very unexpected pleasure for my first show.

So, the venue may have been all wrong, and Moz might have been less than enthused by his circumstances, but this was an event that I'll always remember.

Entered the stage: "You've brought dinner; I've brought mine" and held up a red box of what looked like Cheez-Its or Ritz Crackers? (had pitiful seat so I couldn't tell exactly -- but poster above me did indicate they were Cheez-Its)

After Panic, "So I take it, I take it this isn't the Tabernacle then? I think we're in the wrong place. Bye."

After First of the Gang to Die: "Where am I? How did I end up here? I'm a serious artist." Then to person in front row: "What is this place?" Fan: "I'm not a season ticket holder; I'm a fan." Moz: "By the looks of things, you're heavily outnumbered." (then laughter erupted from crowd)

After All You Need Is Me: "So, I really am here; is that correct? I haven't been drinking or anything? This really isn't Birmingham, AL, is it? Well, it could be."

After I Just Want To See the Boy Happy: fan got Morrissey's attention and hands him a gift with a red bow. Moz: For me, what is it?" Fan: "A photo album of the last 20 years." Moz: "Of you or of me?" Fan: "Of us!" (crowd erupts in laughter)

After Disappointed: "So, this could either go that way (points to his left) or that way (points to his right)" (perhaps suggesting exiting the stage - and not coming back - in the left wing or the right wing?!)

After Let Me Kiss You: "So, if you could find a way to put down your ham and tongue(? - couldn't exactly make out the word there, but thought it sounded like tongue!) sandwich. You see it's so difficult to communicate. We passed a restaurant today called The Pig and Chick. Could barbarism get any worse?" Then a little girl was boosted onto the stage and Morrissey hugged her saying "This is my daughter." then a slight pause and, "It was never meant to be this way."

Next: band introductions. Preceded each name with "Please say hello to", but for Boz (introduced last), said "Fire, famine, flood but always there is Boz Boorer". (much applause of Boz here) Then "But say goodbye to me."

After You Have Killed Me: "So what the hell happens now? Anybody know?"

After At Last I Am Born: "I think with this exercise, we've gained 2 new friends and 4000 new enemies. That's How People Grow Up." (then directly into the song)

After That's How People Grow Up: "I was born and raised in a strange little place called England for which this next song speaks half a volume." (then into Everyday Is Like Sunday)

After I Will See You in Far Off Places: "So maybe afterall cabaret is my forte, and next week I'll be singing at the Pig and Chick."

After The Boy With The Thorn In His Side: "There must be a question." (hands mic to one person) Fan: "How are you?" Moz: "Do you really want to know? Another question." (gives mic to someone else) Fan: "I want to know what you did for fun in Birmingham." Moz: "Next question" (but did not hand mic off again, and went into Irish Blood, English Heart)

After Irish Blood, English Heart: "So, something has really confused me. When I came on tonight, I actually had hair." (believe he was talking about his head full of sweat that completely flattened his hair)

Agreed that Chastain Park was not the most ideal venue for Morrissey, but he still seemed to be in good spirits and enjoying hurling his "easy target" digs at the place. [Didn't mean he wanted to sing the entire 20 songs there though!]

The people in the pit who wanted to get up by the stage were incredibly lucky because there was no moat/other large barrier separating the stage and the crowd area. So, there they were, leaning right on the stage. Security was very lax for people's proximity to the stage, and the movable green plastic barriers were in effect just pushed aside as more people wanted to move in and abut the stage. Wish I had known to trek down there and just move in too.

He obviously liked The Tabernacle from his 2004 date in Atlanta (per his favorable mention of it last night), but I have to wonder if Chastain was chosen due to higher capacity and with the season ticket holders it was guaranteed revenue from them + those coming just for him. Would certainly have rather seen him at The Tabernacle, though. [Nice that you could BYOB though. Didn't get gauged like in Las Vegas...]

Luckily no UPS brown covering the lads last night. Black on black with variety of ties displayed.

Yes, this outdoor venue was only ~ half-filled when Moz first took the stage (still light out then), but by the end, I would say it seemed 85% filled. Remember also that there were various (entire) rows vacant since they were blocked by signs explaining that they were designated exit rows and no one was to be in them. (I think these blocked off exit rows were a fire safey precaution due to the limited entrance/exits at Chastain.) So, by the end, it in effect looked filled up.

and

Don't knock the bats! They were quite entertaining whilst moz's intro video was playing but impossible to see because it was still light. Not to mention they kept the bugs off of us. :)

Adding my agreement that this really wasn't the place for Moz...

Security was incredibly annoying, but I didn't let them ruin my night. I was SO close to Moz in the pit and he gave us a wonderful show. It was a bit short but I did not feel cheated. I have seen Morrissey in several VERY different concert atmospheres, and he always gives 100%.

There were a few rather stuffy, rigid people in the pit who stood completely still taking cell phone pictures. They didn't seem very into it at all and it made me wonder why they even bothered coming down to the pit. Eventually the pushing got to be too much for them, I guess, because they left.

There was a bit of nastiness at the end of the show as the band walked offstage. A kid behind me in the pit got in some kind of scrap with one of the nouveau riche table guys who was obviously drunk and enraged. Shame on him, wasn't he ever young and excited to be at a show?

Anyway, don't listen to those saying this was an awful show. An awful crowd in parts but a flawless performance.

Oh, and to the guy in the very front with the "Moz/Boz '08: All You Need Is Me" campaign sign... genius!

Chastain Park was terrible! It was by far the worst venue I have ever seen the Mozzer in. I was late getting my tickets so I ended up buying the cheap seats in the back lawn.
Luckily security was crappy, so I just walked all the way down to the lower deck. I was trying to figure out how I could juke out the tighter security on the bottom, but I got caught 4 times.
I ended up sitting a hell of alot closer than where I was, so I cant complain.
The table setup was horrible, and the people who sat with their backs to him, were rude!! I felt there were alot of people there who didnt even know who he was, it seemed like it was more of a social, "I'm gonna be seen by the other socialites" thing.
Of course there were alot of us that were dancing in the isles, so it was good to see that and to be a part of it.
Overall, I thought theshow itself was one of the best I have seen. His voice sounded alot crisper and younger. The last time I saw him, he didnt sound quite as good.
I shed a tear during "Please, please, please...", after having a very crappy day myself, that put things into perspective for me...
crappy venue, but great show

Thanks Morrissey!

Lots of good comments so far. Don't want to repeat what everyone said so far which I agree with mostly, so will say simply that this was without a doubt my favorite concert ever.

I'm 45 and have seen a lot of shows. Morrissey has been my fav since early Smiths days. Saw him first at Tabernacle few years back which was great but stood in back. Small venue though, but still wasn't close as I'd like. Then a few weeks back went to Boston to the ill-fated post-David Letterman taping concert where Moz played four songs, complained his throat was hurting from the cold studio the night before, played one more song and left. Ugh, I paid to fly up for that one!

So for this show I got the best box seats I could find, went to woodrfuff art center box office the morning they went on sale and was first on the line. This after I tried to get a table from people I knew but couldn't and boy am I glad now. I was in box one right side of stage about ten yards from the stage, second row up.

Never been so close at any show and wow was it worth it. From where we were, you could see everything in detail and the sound was awesome. In Boston you could hardly make out the words at all, even if you knew them. But this was great, which is the one saving grace of Chastain.

Anyway, while disapointed he played it short a bit and that Atlanta might have left a bad taste in Morrissey's mouth, I left totally thrilled to have seen him. My personal highlight was Irish Blood, English Heart. Amazing performance and nice ad libs to personalize it for America. What do people expect him to do on that? It is an angry, highly politcal song about his feelings about the British monarchy. Adding an American spin to it on an improvised basis was what made it even better. Even if you support the Bush admin, you can see how that was really an amazing personal touch, whether you agree with the politics of it or not.

I did think much of the crowd was pretty funny. I heard someone remark to a friend, "I thought you said we were going to see Van Morrison." But there were also plenty of great hard core fans there like me. Funny thing is, I likley look like a lot of the preppy types sitting at the tables trying to figure out what the hell was going on. But I don't think anyone outsang or outbounced me. It was funny that right in front of me there was a guy who could have been Tommy Lee; pale, tall, skinny dressed in black, longish black hair and covered in tatoos with Tommy type rings. Definetly not a Morrissey type. But he sang every word and clearly enjoyed every second of it, just like me. At the end of the show I tapped him on the shoulder and said I was happy to have stood behind him to see someone enjoying it as much as I did.

This guy couldn't have looked more different than me in any way. But we both shared the great experince and performance of Moz and his band in the same way. And that is the kind of thing that made this show so great for the lucky fans who were fortunate enough to see it up close.

As a PS, I'll add that I do love Chastain for other shows. Someone invited me to go see America and Chicago recently (pls save me the "you should be embarrased to admit that comments," America's greatest hits was the first LP I ever purchased, when me and moz too were barely out of elementary school, so don't criticize me for saying I was thrilled to see them too) and it was a great gig and an ideal setting for that lineup. The America guys remarked Chastain is among their vavorite places to play anywhere and called it "The Hollywood Bowl of the East Coast." What a nice compliment for Atlantans.

Still, I knew like so many others have said, it was all wrong for Moz.

All I can say now is that if anyone in Moz'a camp is reading this or in the unlikley but I suppose possible occurance that Moz reads it himself, is please do come back and play for us again. You do have some great fans here and we want to see you until you decide to pack in. As you wrote in National Front Disco, "again and again"... "and you want t

Read the rest of this comment...

Just saw Moz in Myrtle Beach, SC last night. He said that they show in Atlanta got cut short because of the Sheriff's Department/Fire Marshal or something. He made some funny comments about Atlanta's Sheriff's Department and how they didn't want anyone to have fun, sing, or smile.

Then, he went on to give one of the best performances I have ever seen. The MB show was AMAZING. But I'll save that for the proper thread.

Anyway, I had a great time at Chastain, even though I, too, hated the venue. It was horrible. I was singing and dancing and generally making a fool out of myself and the girl in front of me and my friend said we should be in the front! Unfortunately, I'm a poor college student from NC and I can't afford the rich wine-and-cheese-khakis-and-polo-douchebag seats. Then that girl took a picture of me, and afterwards I asked her not to put it online because I made a fool out of myself and I looked stupid. And I think her boyfriend got pissed because I patted her shoulder. Oh well, I thought that part was funny.

But all in all, I thought it was a good show. Sound quality and Moz's performance were great. Tabernacle was far superior, though. All the problems with Chastain actually made it entertaining, as Moz's excellent wit was put on display.

I was the guy wearing the purple checked shirt and you aimed your first shirt of the evening at me. I even actually ended up with about 80% of it! You made a happy man very old that night, and I will never forget it... truly, one of the highlights of my entire life and I'm finding that I'm still unable to adequately put my feelings into words even now. And worth every bit of the severe beating I took for it. :) So by any chance, do your shirts come with their own PPO health plan?

Thank you again Moz- I will never forget your generous act of kindness to one of your most loyal fans. If you should ever require a liver or kidney, all you ever need do is simply reply to my email and mine is yours for the asking.

Truly awful venue for this type of show. Maybe that kind of setting works for LeAnn Rimes concerts or Jazzfests, but it doesn't seem suited to any kind of rock music. I mean, there's a reason sports stadiums don't put luxury boxes front and center. My seats were in the first row of folding chairs right beside the wine and cheese party crowd. The table in front of me and the seats around me were all middle-aged yuppies busy networking and discussing real estate. So after the first two songs, my wife and I moved to the front of the stage with the growing crowd there. Later, one of the ushers asked to see my tickets and told me I had to return to my seat. I told him that I was less than 20 feet away from my seat and that I didn't pay to sit in the middle of a business dinner. No one bothered us after that, but security was harassing people throughout, and especially during the last couple of songs. They should have stopped it at the beginning if they didn't want people standing up there. You would think they would be prepared for this sort of thing.

I'm not from Atlanta, I just came down because the Knoxville show was amazing. This show was still pretty good from a music perspective, but Chastain is shit. I can't imagine ever going back there for a show again.

One more lyric change that I haven't seen listed yet: on Disappointed - "This the last song I will ever sing, oh yes yes yes yes yes, thank you goodnight"

Any Pictures?