Any new additions to the set?

He said something really crass about him at a previous Paris gig that really put me off old Mozzer for awhile.

Hello everybody, excuse my english ! I'm just back from the Paris Olympia gig. This was a good evening with the man, who seemed in a good mood. He played almost 1h30, with - as always - just one encore. I cannot give you the precise tracklisting, just know that he began with "... my arms around Paris" (of course) and finished with "First of the gang". In between : How soon is now, Stretch out and wait, crashing bores, Sister I'm a poet, The Loop, Life is a pigsty, Death of a disco dancer, etc.

I think Morrissey was really good (the voice was wonderful), but I won't say that the band was... I think that they play too loud, too heavy, too rock and roll... The best moments were the Smiths songs, when the band cannot be "wild" : "Please please please..." was so brilliant... Why don't they play that way the rest of the time ? Some songs have been almost destroyed : an example : Sister I'm a poet. This is a nice catchy song : it became tonight a heavy song, with no grace at all.

I end here. IMO, it was a nice evening with a nice man. Who needs musicians that play with him, not around him...

Bye fellows !

G.

Mozz talked quite alot with us. Can't remember everything. Of course a Julia moment. Mozz also said that he tried to buy his own new single at the Virgin Champs-Elyséees, and that he didn't find it.

He gave the mic to a fan, who said that he knew Mozz since 1993, adding : "That's the story of my life". Big reaction of the crowd there.

Mozz threw 3 (quite wet) shirts (one shirt had to be thrown twice).

… et mon Dieu, quelle étreinte!

Messieurs les anglais, vous qui aimez parier, j’espère que vous aviez misé fort sur la chanson avec laquelle il commencerait le concert de ce soir. Bien sûr, c’était gagné d’avance, il est arrivé avec sa bande de gredins et s’est lancé avec tous ses bras à l’assaut de Paris, une bien jolie chanson pour succomber.

C’est quasiment un spectacle gay que nous présente devant 3 Richard Burton les yeux au ciel Morrissey et ses mâles équipiers, chaussures vernies, pantalons gris, chemisettes noires, serrées… ouh la la, c’est au vestiaire que j’aimerais bien les suivre ceux-là, si un concert de Momo n’était pas aussi épuisant pour un petit vieux qu’on a laissé sortir de sa maison de retraite pour le concert de son idole. Car c’est affolant, c’est bien d’hospices que viennent les ¾ du public parisien, et ça fait beaucoup de cheveux blancs et de ventres débordants vu que l’Olympia est plein à craquer.

Plus sérieux maintenant :

Morrissey semble ne pas avoir complètement récupéré sa voix.
Une fille a réussi à « envahir la scène » durant le rappel (First Of The Gang To Die). Elle a bien été aidé par le Moz in person.
La première chemise n’est pas arrivée immédiatement dans le public. Elle est même retournée en coulisses. « Where’s the shirt ? » s’est enquis un Momo plus cabot que jamais. Elle lui a été rendue et réexpédiée illico-presto à destination.
Un bouquet de fleurs écrasé (malencontreusement bien sûr).
L’habituel paquet de vieux 45tours de Sacha Distel (« If I mention again Sacha, Hit me… » quelque chose comme çà… et puis un gros et sincère « Thank you »).
« If Hilary Clinton is the next president of the USA, well kill me…» quelque chose comme ça.
Julia bien sûr… enfin ce doit être elle, vu que les banalités qu’elle a dites sont mots pour mots celles que j’ai déjà lues ici.
Mais quelqu’un d’autre dans le public a eu droit également au micro et ce fut là un moment bien plus émouvant… je crois même que le Momo avait la gorge serrée.

Voilà, en français dans le texte (oui, c’est toujours une langue vivante) parce que mon anglais est trop nul et parce que, après tout, il y a des gens dans le monde qui parlent d’autres langues que l’anglais.

Bisous à tous. Ce fut un excellent concert.

... d'être revenu nous voir à Paris. Ca fait mon 3ème concert ici, et c'est toujours un sacré moment. Dommage que ton groupe ne soit pas toujours à la hauteur de ta voix de velours, mais on fait avec (ou sans, en l'occurrence).

Reviens quand tu veux, Momo !

I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
How Soon Is Now?
Last Of The Famous International Playboys
Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
That's How People Grow Up
Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed
The Loop
Sister, I'm A Poet
Death Of A Disco Dancer
Irish Blood, English Heart
All You Need Is Me
Life Is A Pigsty
Stretch Out And Wait
I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
Billy Budd
The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores
Tomorrow
Something Is Squeezing My Skull
Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want

First Of The Gang To Die

how dreamy was he?
that boy sure is hot.
jesse who?

When youre miles away and crave home then wake up there
Nothing on Gods earth comes close
I'm sure weve alll been there
That craving for home and the bed you know and to wake up someplace that spells i know you lot

Heaven

Did anyone actually go to the show? Does anyone know how he sounded, what he said, what occurred? All I see are these French posts, talking about who knows what. Why does it always seem like no one even goes to these shows. It’s so sad, must be a few thousand people who attend and yet at best there are 5 or 6 reviews and half of those from one person’s alternate personalities in dialect with themselves. No wonder Morrissey is done with you people. Barely any comments on how his performance is - but let Morrissey cancel because he’s sick , or perform a song someone doesn’t like or not perform right on someone’s doorstep and everyone here crawls out of the cellar, and wipes the blood and semen off their eyes and types their rants and blasts here.
I know this because I have knowledge. I am the son of Satan and I know all. Morrissey is so gleeful to be through with you all, if he has to see your blood oozing out of your corneas and your stench filled dawt rags that you wear looking like Bozo in the front row, he will hide under his covers and ignore the doorbells and telephone and faxes because he is fearful that the fans that are performing tarot card readings on him will arove and they will be groggy and cranky like they are in the front rows. I would also like to note to please leave julia be, she is a wonderful pleasant lady who is very accommodating and she did not bother or annoy my ex gf when she asked julia if it was ok, julia is not a cranky crab like so many of you poor slobs that she fearfully has to be near like we do. He is fed up with the lack of brain cells and wit from you sludges and cursed blood soaked tampons. I am the offspring of Lucifer and I cast spells upon all of those who I hold grudges against. I perform black magic. I like to. can haha I can see your every move, your every evil hateful scornful thought against Morrissey and he has no greater wish then for all of you to join me in the world below so you can have the 666 sign branded on all your hemorrhoids in your anuses. I see the grapes stemming from your anuses as I perform my black magic spells on the pictures you send in to websites. I know each and every one of your fat faces and I sit in my photography room while everyone is sleeping in my house eating my tasty hamburgers while executing my bewitching powers on your pictures that are compiled from my printer next to all computers in the house. I know what is to be as I know what to do as I myself have the 666 sign branded on my penis, I had it tattooed right near my one big ball because the head of my penis is always sore, I told my ex-gf that it was irritated I tell her this to throw her off so she won’t think that I am the son of Satan. I like to trick her by mocking her through insulting her intelligence. can haha; it resembles another infection from my erectile dysfunction. This woman whose door I enjoy ranting at, who I like to bore to the point of a coma so she will fall asleep while writing poems about my evilness as I am Satan, she falls asleep and wakes up with the pen having drawn my symbol on her arm. I like that. it is fun. Then I hiss and groan and bellow out like the dog I am, releasing air into the night. this woman can hear me release air as can the FBI who have placed bugs in my room to listen to me plot my evil intentions. They hear all and break in to search when I am out, to find the tools I use and my witches brew of bloody yokes, and curses and the eye of a newt. They come in also when I have a fresh pizza pie with extra beef toppings and help themselves to it as that is one of their many kickback they are used too. I’ve seen it I know as I am the spawn of Satan and I control the blood that oozes from this woman each month, making it drip out from her when she least expects it. I like that it’s fun. My menstruation spills are the especially interesting because when she is not home I go through her trash and I slurp in the blood from her tampons. this is part of my Satanic ritual I love to freak her out by asking her how are your cramps and she’s like how do yo

Read the rest of this comment...

For those short on time but not necessarily stature (and not that I fully trust major newsources)...

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/

And debates- a bit of waffling in person compared to print (at least internationally):
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/debates/

How unfortunate (but heartening), I find out now, that my fave liberal in the race, Alaskan Senator Mike Gravel, has toughed it out and not given up the race, despite being totally sidewinded by the press and left out in the cold of northern media latitudes. Is he the only one that fully supports gay marriage (without waffling), pro-choice, anti-Iraq war from the start (he ended the Vietnam War draft and exposed the Nixon Pentagon papers in the 70s for heaven's sake) and did *not* vote for the Patriot Act (both versions) which took away/diverted our civil right to due process as citizens (Habeus Corpus)?

Well, for the Primary, I'll vote where my heart's really at (like I did Sharpton last primary). The actual Presidential, it's Democrat whoever it is. Wish it wasn't all about flash. Richardson wasn't bad, either. aaaarrgghh!!!!

Anway, trivia...
http://www.gravel2008.us/issues

http://www.gravel2008.us/bio

did anyone out there head to the "after" party in Paris 2eme and if so what was the 'craic'?

I don't have many time to tell all that happened yesterday, but it was GREAT. Morrissey was in top form, and I fell in love with him when he entered, because he looked AMAZING in his black shirt and trousers, and with his white tie. He was absolutely gorgeous, and the fact that he was slim did add to my emotion. My god, he was so energetic, so intelligent. He made a little speech, and finished with(anyone can confirm?)these words: "I am throwing my legs around Paris"!!!!Then, the song began!(It was the 1st song of the night), and I liked it a lot. How soon is now followed, and it was absolutely epic! Morrissey showed us his back rather often, and it was poetic (the lights, the fact that he was slim, eh eh)and-yes-legendary. He was on the floor too during two songs. Very cute.
I am very surprised cause I really liked the new songs (Mama, that's how people grow up...). death of a disco dancer was great too.
  There was a song during which there was no light on Mozzie.
Boz Boorez was quite happy, he put his guitar on his hand at the hand, and Matthew succeeded in sending the drum's (I don't know the word-in french:it is "baguettes") in the mezzanine!!).
Morrissey introduced the band to us, and said "avec" in a great accent, wich means "with".The new guy was welcomed with warm applause.
Morrissey was charming and very nice (he thanked the guy for the records,and he said thank you to all the people who had come to see him on this tour).
He was a little teasy at the end, because he shook many hands, and made some people think he would shake their hands, and got off the stage instead!!
The girl who succeded in climbing onto the stage was very lucky because she was pulled by the security, but Morrissey was taking his two hands, and pulled too!! She succeeded to make a great hug to the Man, and there was an enormous cheer in the crowd!
At the end, people in the mezzanine has stood up! (with some exceptions: me,(ahem) as I was not in my real seat, so I did not want to annoy the people behind me)
That night was awesome.
(Sorry if my English is not vey good)

The man used his voice sparingly. Couldn't go high in most songs without using all his breath. Looks like he hasn't fully recovered yet.
The balance was just wrong: he played louder than this during the Ringleader tour in the same venue and it didn't sound half that bad.
There were highlights and great moments though "Please, Please, Please...", "Death Of..." and surprisingly "The Loop" being among them.
The main thing I will remember from this tour will probably be the nice purple t-shirt I got...

http://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/2008/02/04/ morrissey-emigre-pour-un-soir-a-l-olympia_1007134_ 0.html
(It is more about the NME than about the concert which had to take place that night.

(I'd like to add that France-Info talked about Morrissey a lot at 11.30PM, after the concert at The Olympia. It was more about his carrer than about the concert, but the journalist said the audience was enthusiastic.)

Morrissey est de retour à l'Olympia lundi 4 février, deux ans après son précédent passage dans la salle parisienne. Le même jour, une compilation de ses oeuvres en solo, sobrement intitulée Greatest Hits, paraît chez sa nouvelle maison de disques, Decca. Cette année, la venue en France de l'ancien chanteur des Smiths, âgé de 48 ans, est précédée par une polémique liée à la parution d'un entretien au NME (New Musical Express), influent hebdomadaire musical.

La "une" du 1er décembre 2007 montre Morrissey, le visage fermé, sous le titre "Bigmouth Strikes Again" ("La grande gueule l'ouvre encore"), allusion à un tube des Smiths. Deux citations ont été extraites de l'interview - et de leur contexte : "Les frontières de l'Angleterre sont des passoires. La nation a été bradée."

Ancien lecteur assidu du NME, Steven Morrissey a porté plainte pour diffamation. Sur son site Internet, il affirme que le journal a "délibérément essayé de (le) dépeindre comme un raciste (...) de façon à donner un coup de fouet à un tirage en baisse". Sans contester la teneur de ses déclarations.

L'auteur de l'entretien, Tim Jonze, a expliqué que l'article avait été réécrit sans son aval. Il maintient toutefois la véracité des propos, qui ont été confirmés lors d'une conversation téléphonique. Lorsque le journaliste demande à Morrissey, qui vit aujourd'hui à Rome, s'il envisage de rentrer au pays, le Mancunien répond : "La question de l'immigration est très problématique. Je n'ai rien contre les étrangers, mais plus leur présence est forte, plus l'identité britannique disparaît. Si vous allez en Allemagne, c'est toujours l'Allemagne. Si vous allez en Suède, l'identité suédoise est toujours là. Mais allez en Angleterre et vous ne saurez pas où vous êtes. Si vous traversez Knightsbridge, vous entendrez tous les accents sauf l'anglais."

PROLÉTARIAT ANGLAIS

Pour Jean-Daniel Beauvallet, directeur adjoint de la rédaction des Inrockuptibles, magazine qui a soutenu les Smiths, "Morrissey glisse souvent sur ce terrain, et ce ne sera pas la dernière fois. Mais il n'est pas raciste, il est juste un pur produit du prolétariat anglais. Ce sont des gens qui vivent en quasi-autarcie ; on peut sortir Morrissey de Manchester, mais pas Manchester de Morrissey." Celui-ci avait défrayé la chronique, en 1988, avec Bengali in Platforms, chanson où il évoquait déjà la question de l'immigration : "Indiens, Indiens, Abandonnez vos projets (d'émigration) vers l'Ouest/La vie est déjà bien difficile quand vous êtes d'ici."

Une autre rockstar avait fait scandale sur le même sujet en 1976 : Eric Clapton. Le mouvement Rock Against Racism s'était formé notamment en réaction à sa sortie lors d'un concert à Birmingham. Le guitariste avait incité le public à voter pour le conservateur Enoch Powell afin d'empêcher l'Angleterre de devenir "une colonie noire". Clapton avait fait amende honorable en attribuant ce dérapage à l'ébriété.

Sans aller jusqu'à la xénophobie, la pop britannique est irriguée par un courant chauvin, nostalgique de l'empire et de sa grandeur passée, attaché à ces symboles que sont l'Union Jack, le thé et le chapeau melon - il est d'ailleurs impossible d'imaginer un groupe français faire sérieusement de même avec le drapeau tricolore, une baguette et un béret.

Avec un sens aigu de l'ironie et de l'observation sociale, cette vision fantasmée a fait la force des chansons des Kinks, de Jam, des Smiths ou de Blur. Et, plus récemment, de Pete Doherty, dont le groupe, Babyshambles, se produit, par un hasard de calendrier, le même soir que Morrissey, au Zénith de Pa

Read the rest of this comment...

Moz: I still love you, oh I still love you...only slightly, only slightly less than I used to...!!!

First that things are clear: Moz shares my everyday life. His songs often saved my life, and I have the deep impression of food with a brother in my sides, who expresses what I feel in the depths of my heart. But, after this show in Paris: what a disappointment ! I really was crying in the street. Moz does not sing any more with his "tripes", but he makes his show as a good professional, that's all. Why to encircle himself with so bad musicians ? On stage, they play as robots. Booz is so disdainful. The others are nonexistent -which look to get bored on stage-. Songs after songs, jokes after jokes : always the same (Julia, the shirt thrown into the public etc.) the game on stage is identical. Except when he said "now you know that there is something else in the world than Britney Spear). I have the impression that Moz plays old songs from the Smiths because the audience came for. Where is the flame which enlivened him another 4 years ago for the exit of "You are the Quarry" ?...Mozz is the best, when he is in danger, when he has a feeling that the press slaughters him. In brief when it is urgent ! There, actually, he plays quiet, as a civil servant does his job...I think that Moz enchaine too much tours. My feeling is shared: I am at the same time very thrilled to see him, but disappointed by his benefits. Which seem to be far his English years in Manchester. Now, Moz is a citizen of the world, and it suffers in his songs. Indeed, he cuts himself more and more his roots. Except "English heart, Irish blood". And what about the clothes of the band very ridiculous...As a matter of fact, I have impression to live the song "when reader meet author". And I hope I will never sing: "Morrissey I still love you, oh I still love you...only slightly, only slightly less than I used to..."!!!

cheese eating surrender monkeys!

wheres a decent review?

Yesterday's gig was really nice, Morrissey sounded pleased to be in Paris
The atmosphere was good. I guess people enjoyed the concert, so let's hope that the feeling was mutual and that Moz did enjoy his night in Paris.
He was rather talkative and comfy, which is pleasant too. VIVA MOZ!!
Soph

that Moz played in Paris.

I got tickets for the Roundhouse and was scared that the sunday show was canceled. So Paris was more than georgeous to me .-)

Very well...

See "Life is a Pigsty" from Paris in my myspace site. Scroll down - left side :-)

http://www.myspace.com/be_jay [myspace.com]

cheers from Cologne

30 seconds of How Soon Is Now? at L'Olympia. Not the greatest footage you'll ever see.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1LTQ1UNY3Y