Toronto, ON - Sept. 12, 1997
Massey Hall (capacity: 2900)

Set List:

Maladjusted / Boy Racer / Alma Matters /Roy's Keen / Shoplifters Of The World Unite / Ambitious Outsiders / Nobody Loves Us / Now My Heart Is Full / Sunny / Wide To Receive / Dagenham Dave / Paint A Vulgar Picture / The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get / Speedway // Satan Rejected My Soul



Exclusive concert photos (4 total)- by David Andrew Scott

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"Morrissey weaves Massey magic" - concert summary at Jam!
"Morrissey has his moments" - concert review at Jam!


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Norm gives instructions
on using his camera

"Wide To Receive" by Norman Simpson.
A nice page with many pictures taken during Morrissey's arrival at the venue and some during the concert.



Summary by David Tseng


Exactly 5 years ago to the date, Sept. 12, Morrissey's began the "Your Arsenal" tour in Minneapolis. This tour seems to be on the same massive scale, hopefully giving everyone willing to make the effort a chance to see him perform live if they have not before. The tour was kicked off in an unusual (if not suspicious) way, with a strange ending to the first show.

Massey Hall is a large playhouse with two balconies and a floor area. While doors opened and people entered some classical music was being played, the CD "After The Rain" by Erik Satie. Then came the support band Elcka who seemed to impress the crowd. There were a few impatient people calling for Morrissey while they were playing, but handled well by Elcka.

Afterwards some intermission music was played, mostly older songs from the 60's and 70's chosen by Morrissey himself, similar to previous concerts. After a short delay in which stage rushers were forced back into their seats, the lights dimmed. Everyone rushed back to the stage of course, while the drum-solo from "The Operation" played. Morrissey wore a light blue button-down shirt with black slacks and "Maladjusted" began the set.

A strong set played, one that most of us were pleased by. A very emotional performance of "Sunny" and also its b-side "Nobody Loves Us" were a surprise since they have still not been released over here. The biggest surprise was of course "Paint A Vulgar Picture". One person near the front had actually been calling for it and when it was played nearly burst into tears.

Security was rough, only a few got on stage. Just before the encore of "Satan Rejected My Soul" Morrissey came out and said "God bless you", now wearing a purple v-neck sweater. A little more than halfway through the song two people got on stage tying up onstage security. Another fan came on and a venue security guard reacted by rushing Morrissey off the stage. It was obviously unnecessary as the stage had already been cleared while he was being rushed off.

According to Mundeep and Mona (from Toronto), Morrissey could be seen on the side of the stage pacing, visually upset. The song soon ended and there were a lot of boos from the crowd. Mundeep and Mona also let me know the next day that apparently the security guard who ushered Morrissey off actually thought that he was a fan rushing rushing the stage!

According to Sanjay from Toronto, "For at least 10-15 minutes, there were smackers of both cheers for Morrissey and 'boos' for the security staff. Figuring that Morrissey would return, the ever-faithful crowd remained (including myself). However, it was not to be and the security staff literally forced people to leave (even bringing in cops to ensure there was no trouble)."

The instrumental version of "Interlude" and the house lights signaled that the show was indeed over.

* No merchandise was available for sale (there wasn't any until Seattle).
* "Trouble Loves Me" was on the set list (before "Speedway") but was skipped.


photos: David Tseng (click to enlarge)
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Massey Hall - the sign outside Doors about to open

last modified: 17 Dec 2001 7:58 PM

All rights reserved. Copyright © 1997 by David Tseng