My guess he opens with tonight, Anyone else wants to play a guessing game?

Stop me, killed me.... that's my guess

my guess

that's my guess...anyone..

"No Woman, No Cry" I'm sure of it!

Wow - first attendee to post! The first song was "Stop Me...." the last song was "First of the Gang.." the middle was a blur because I MADE IT ON STAGE. I was the skinny tall dude in the white tee shirt. Others paved the way and I made a quick bolt immediately getting pulled in by security. I returned to my seat but not before I was able to touch Morrissey's forearm for a second. Finally, on my 10th show, my dream came true.

I love Boz but I have to poke fun at him - what is up with his pencilled in goatee. He looked like he was about to spontaneously combust when he was singing back up on Jack the Ripper. Lastly, what was up with his strange expression as he was admiring Jessie during his guitar solo on HSIN.

Some comments Morrissey made:

that's my guess, he did the the 13th afterall

Stop Me if You Think You've Heard This One Before
Tomorrow
Sister, I'm a Poet
London
The Loop
Jack the Ripper
Why Don't You Find Out for Yourself
Stretch Out and Wait
I Like You
The World is Full of Crashing Bores
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
Billy Budd
All You Need is Me
Death of a Disco Dancer
I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell
Shoplifters of the World Unite
Irish Blood, English Heart
You Have Killed Me
Dear God, Please Help Me
How Soon is Now?

Encore:
First of the Gang to Die

Sorry if my memory is off. He greeted the crowd saying it is a Wednesday in Waukegan and they were sent to cheer everyone up, and later on said if we have cheered you up for four seconds they had accomplished something (I can't remember exactly what he said), and then he said "that's IF". He also said that when he was in school the history books never mentioned Waukegan, and before The World is Full of Crashing Bores made some comments about why the American media is obsessed with dull women, naming Anna Nicole Smith and Hillary Clinton, saying something about her and Bill being the same person. When he introduced the band (which was either before or after The Loop, I'm pretty sure after) he said you could tell them by their name tags, and said it was Mikey's birthday. When everybody cheered but nobody said happy birthday he pointed out "you didn't say it!" then everyone did. Only one shirt was thrown out, and Jesse got up on the speakers at the end of Disco Dancer. Someone requested Speedway and he made an angry face and said "NO!". He asked the crowd who the person on the backdrop was and lots of people seemed to be rejecting the microphone until someone eventually said Richard Burton. Julia asked him how his trip was and he said he is staying in Lincoln, Nebraska and Julia said she is staying in Omaha. No one made it on stage until the encore when several people made it up there and several more tried.

Show was nearly almost identical to the last tour stop, except they played "last night i dreamt that somebody loved me" somewhere in the last few songs...

Songs played (in some kind of order)
Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
Tomorrow
Sister, I'm A Poet
London
The Loop
Jack The Ripper
Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself?
Stretch Out And Wait
I Like You
The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores
All You Need Is Me
Billy Budd
Death Of A Disco Dancer
Let Me Kiss You
I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell
last night i dreamt that somebody loved me
Shoplifters Of The World Unite
Irish Blood English Heart
You Have Killed Me
Dear God, Please Help Me
How Soon Is Now?

First Of The Gang To Die

Amazing show, small but full of crowd though.

Arturo gave me his...

STOP ME IF
2MORRER
S I'M A P
LONDON
LOOP
RIPPER
WHY DON'T YOU F ?
STRETCH
I LIKE YUH
CRASHING B'S
LAST NITE I
BILLY B
ALL YOU NEED IS M
DISCO DANCER
PARIS
ONE DAY G'BYE
SHIRTLIFTERS
IRISH
KILLED M
GAWD
HSIN . //
FIRST

Brilliant show... when he came out, he said: "It's wet, it's Wednesday, it's Waukegan..."

A bit later, he went over the drum stand and carefully read the slogan on the drum in a lovely, menacing tone: "SOME...OF...US...IS...TURNING...NASTY" That was delicious.

Security were obnoxious. Half the front row of the pit didn't show up by the start. Those of us in the second row hopped over. About two songs in, the front row people decided to show up. So security was tapping shoulders, asking to see tix, telling us to move back... to the seats and standing space which had been taken up by people from the first couple of rows of orchestra seats. It wasn't clear exactly where they expected us to move. Finally, they pulled a few of the people from way back out of the pit, and Arturo told them to stop bugging us, and all was well. There was room for nearly all of us in the front.

Can't think what else... met a bunch of people from here, very nice. Each show makes me happier than the last. Thanks, Moz!

What an awesome show. No one can claim that Mozzer does not put on a great show. He was concerned that the audience was trapped in our mouse traps (folding seats) which he said can be purchased at Home Depot. He asked if we were trapped in the seats to which the crowd yelled "No!" in an attempt to sound defiant. This only backfired on the audience when he said that we then must be standing still by choice. He is a quick wit. Too bad people don't tell the truth instead of saying what they think Morrissey will think is cool.

Morrissey came out in his black t-shirt bearing the slogan Je Suis Morrissey, with a couple of songs left in the show. Despite his comments that the band were wearing name tags, which they were not, he was the only wearing clothes that identified himself.

If Moz is going to "interview" Julia every concert, he needs to start feeding her some lines. I'm sorry, I don't know her or her story, but she is a show killer. I've been to five concerts this year now and she has had zero to say at every one of them. I brought two of my friends tonight to their first Morrissey show and they looked at me dumbfounded after Julia's comments. "I stayed in Omaha." Neat! What did you have for lunch? Please, do tell.

Moz commented on the US media being obsessed with boring women; Anna Nicole and Paris Hilton (ironic for him to say, considering his attention to Julia). Someone in the front made the argument that Hillary Clinton is covered a lot in the media and Moz asked something to the effect, "Do we really know if Hillary is a woman?" He then said that he believes Hillary and Bill Clinton are the same person because he has never seen them together.

Despite being a republican, I enjoyed his change of lyrics during IBEH when he sang, "I've been dreaming of a time when...the Americans are sick to death of Republicans!" It really made me understand how powerful the actual lyrics must be to the English.

Boz is always entertaining. While Jesse gave a solo guitar performance standing atop a speaker, Boz walked over without his guitar to admire Jesse's performance up close.

One shirt was thrown into the audience tonight. When you witness people fighting over his shirts like that and getting injured you have to wonder if Moz gets some sick enjoyment out of watching that. It's almost like he's dropping a piece of red meat into the ocean just to watch the sharks fight over it. I'm not knocking the guy - it's just an observation. Hell, I wouldn't mind it if 20 people fought over the clothes I take off every once in a while.

The theater was only half full - if that. There were loads of empty seats. I think it was during "I'm throwing my arms around Paris" that there was a moment when a lot of really bright red lights were shining out into the audience, illuminating us. It appeared that Morrissey took this opportunity to shield his eyes from the lights and look out into the crowd and check the attendance. He gave a quick look of of what I interpreted to be disappointment.

it was my third time seeing him, and perhaps my favorite. my only complaint? bad seats (which is ticketmaster's fault.) i wish it had been general admission, i really do. congrats to those of you who got on stage. i never imagined i would hear some of tonight's songs live. i'm also very tired and babbling. and kudos to the band! they never disappoint us.

Yes, many empty seats, but he was just in Chicago in May (which was sold out) and now playing a quaint old theatre way up the north shore. The marquee even stated "Tickets Available" so it couldn't have been a surprise that this was going to be an intimate show.

I scored a row A center seat on Ticketmaster last thursday, so it worked out well for me, and after 22 years of fandom I finally got to shake his hand at the end of the show, tell him I love him and thank you.

the security overreacted to people getting too close to the (mostly sparse and stagnant) pit, but then again they're more used to Johnny Mathis type shows up there and were likely blindsided by the frenzy.

I must say I think the throwing of shirts should stop. It always gets brutal and inevitably puts a damper on anyone's experience to witness that infighting over sweaty fabric.

In any case, a beautiful night indeed.

Long black hair, black shirt with red sleeves singing every word with almost tears in your eyes - I think I love you. You had another girl on each side of you. Say hello to me.

Yes I agree great show. Moz was chatty, set list great, and venue beautiful. Does anyone know if the show was advertised well?

The venue was less than 50% full, I would guess more at 30%. Milwaukee had no ads, eventhough we are only 60 min away. Was there much promotion in Chicago??? Moz put on a killer show as if it were a sell-out.

I wish the best for "Team Morrissey" in Motor City!!

More variety, more songs played than ever before:

1. How Soon Is Now 17
2. Why Don’t You Find Out For Yourself? 17
3. Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before 16
4. Stretch Out and Wait 16
5. First of the Gang To Die 16
6. All You Need Is Me 15
7. I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris 15
8. Billy Budd 14
9. Tomorrow 14
10. Sister I’m A Poet 13
11. One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell 13
12. You Have Killed Me 12
13. The Loop 12
14. Death Of A Disco Dancer 12
15. That’s How People Grow Up 11
16. Irish Blood, English Heart 11
17. I Like You 10
18. London 10
19. I Just Want To See The Boy Happy 9
20. In The Future When All’s Well 9
21. Life Is A Pigsty 8
22. Dear God, Please Help Me 8
23. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side 8
24. Let Me Kiss You 8
25. Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want 7
26. Everyday Is Like Sunday 6
27. The National Front Disco 6
28. Shoplifters Of The World Unite 6
29. Jack The Ripper 5
30. The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores 5
31. Disappointed 4
32. Ganglord 4
33. Human Being 3
34. I Will See You In Far-Off Places 3
35. Last Of The Famous International Playboys 3
36. Girlfriend In A Coma 2
37. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me 2
38. Good Looking Man About Town 1
39. At Last I Am Born 1
40. Whatever Happens, I Love You 1
41. You’re Gonna Need Someone On Your Side 1
42. Lucky Lisp 1
43. The Youngest Was The Most Loved 1
44. Good Looking Man About Town 1

That was the name of the bar is the venue. They also served ham and roast beef sandwiches. It's true. I kept a walmart lounge cup.

Need some help! I really love the music on Morrissey's film intro, but I don't know who it is. Can anyone please tell me who it is so I can buy the music?? I do appreciate it!

My seventh show... best one yet. The band was fucking rock solid this evening.

For some reason I can never log-in to the main page, but this is the Comtesse.

Some random thoughts about the show:

Great energy shown by Moz, despite his disappointment with the rather meager crowd. (His fault for having a show in Waukegan - with nearly no publicity in the Chicago media.) Early on he asked if we were being held down by those adhesive mouse traps that you buy at Home Depot. "No? Then you're choosing to be that stiff? My fault, sorry..." Not a good feeling for those of us who *were* dancing and singing along. Alas...

I was back four rows in the seats so I didn't have the best of a view (I kept having to shift from left to right to look around the very very tall guys in front of me). But I noticed Carson down in the front getting a handshake at one point early on. Hey, no fair!!!! I wish I wasn't such a rule follower, or I might have snuck down to the pit too...

During the rising chord progression at the end of "Stop Me..." Moz pointed at the drum and read off the slogan, "Some... of... us... is... turning... nasty!" It was a great moment.

Moz asked us why the American media was obsessed with stupid women like Anna Nicole Smith and Paris Hilton. "Does anybody care about Anna Nicole Smith?" he asked. Somebody yelled out Hillary Clinton and he said he wasn't sure if Hillary was actually a woman and wondered if she and Bill had ever been seen together and whether they weren't actually the same person. I was amazed that no one answered him when he asked why the media was obsessed with stupid women. If I'd been brave I would have shouted, "Because the world is full of crashing bores!!" but I'm too shy for that sort of thing. So, Morrissey said it himself and the song began.

Morrissey seriously has the largest head I have ever seen. With that short haircut it's even more noticeable. I was fascinated.

He looked so much better during the encore when he ditched the dress shirts and wore his "Je Suis Morrissey" shirt instead. Viva Casualness!

DJ Tony got onstage during the encore ("First of the Gang...") and got a full hog from da man. Great job!!! A couple of people got onstage and simply ran across the stage and off without so much as touching Moz. Ummmm... unclear on the concept or what??? They must have been from Waukegan.

I thought it was very sweet of Moz to stick around at the end of the show and shake the hands of everyone who made it down to the left side of the pit. Usually, he runs offstage and is out of the venue before the last song even plays, so this was a touching display to me. I was stuck up in the seats so I didn't make it down there, but maybe I'll be luckier Saturday night?

Moz commented that when he was in school in history class, they never mentioned Waukegan. But, he supposed, when we were in school they never mentioned Morrissey either.

Someone yelled out for "Golden Lights" and he stopped and expressed his disbelief. "Golden Lights???" Aw, if only he'd sang a verse for us - it would have been classic. Alas...

More boring banter with Julia. You'd think she'd think of interesting things to say knowing that he's probably going to hand her the mic every night. She asked how he was doing and he said he was very well, thank you. And she asked where he stayed the previous night and he said Lincoln, Nebraska. Julia replied that she'd stayed in Omaha and he replied, "Well, there you go."

I was disappointed with the band during some of the uptempo songs. They seemed to drag quite a bit - especially during "Sister I'm A Poet" and "The Loop". I longed for the Alain and Gary days during those songs. The bassist is particularly poor in comparison to Gary Day. (Incidentally, I used to hate Gary back in the Kill Uncle and Your Arsenal tour days when I called him "Plod", but he improved considerably during the later tours.) The current band is excellent during the slow songs like "Dear God, Please Help Me" and "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" but they really need to drink

do any of you guys know the name of that european male singer (italian or portugues) who's first on the video screen in black and white. he also wears these different hats. his song is so cool but a cant decifer it. thanks guys!

Despite the venue being 1/2 full and there not being a general admission section, the crowd was really into it, and so were the band. Morrissey seemed to really be having a great time entertaining us.

Kristeen Young was excellent. She gets better and better everytime. Anyone who says she has no talent is way off. The crowd were very respectful of her and seemed to enjoy it.

I found the new intro clip really entertaining - It's a black and white gangster film where they keep saying Morrissey's name...like "We're gonna get Morrissey...Somebody's gotta take care of Morrissey for good" etc. That was great.

Surely this must be the best tour Morrissey has done yet. Longer setlists, more varied setlists from night to night, and a much better mix of Moz hits, rarities, and Smiths songs. Only 2 ROTT songs last night! Sweet! I have always wanted to hear Stop Me and Tomorrow live...And those were the first 2 songs!!! Throw in Jack the Ripper, London, and Billy Budd, and truly my heart was full. And he seemed so happy and appreciative. Even after the last song ended, instead of running off the stage, he stayed and shook several hands...I don't recall him ever doing that AFTER a show was finished.

Honestly, when I think of Morrissey shows 12+ years ago, you were looking at 15-16 songs and Morrissey seemed either uncomfortable or like it was a chore...and rarely a word to the crowd. How things have changed. Thank you Morrissey!!!

anyone else notice that the tour sets started off with a good amount of older songs, but has recently melded into sets full of ROTT songs similiar to sets from earlier this year and last.

Sucks.

I forgot to add... at one point, he was playing a tambourine, and one of the pins in it broke- the little disc pieces fell on the stage floor. He tossed it under the drum stand, then knelt and picked up the pieces carefully, with a very sweet, sheepish expression on his face. What does it say about me that I even like him when he screws up?

Entrance Music - Big Break theme tune ("It's Only a Gameshow")

Golden Lights
Swallow on My Neck (Morrissey plays rhythm guitar but demands Boz plays off-key to make him look good in comparison)

--Brief intermission in which Morrissey asks Julia what her blood-sugar level is. During the time she takes to check it, Matt Walker and Morrissey have a game of darts on Boz's stomach which bears a tattoo of Mike Joyce's face as Jesse Tobias hums the Bullseye Theme Tune--

I Want a Boy for My Birthday
NEW SONG - Have You Seen Your Facebook Lately?
This is Not Your Country (sung with a jaunty Welsh accent)
Will Trevor Marry?* (including Boz beatboxing hilariously for 3 minutes)

--Brief intermission in which Morrissey starts a conga with the band, violently shouting "na na na na na NA!" into the mic eventually descending into an unintelligable scream--

Let The Right One Slip In
The Edges are No Longer Parallel (Morrissey demands Boz files down the edge of the stage to make the song more literal)
Knights in White Satin (Moody Blues cover, Morrissey changes the lyric "I love you" to "I hate you", giggling each time)
Get Off the Stage

--Brief intermission where Morrissey chooses not to throw his shirt into the crowd but throws his socks instead. Socks, by nature, are relatively flightless and do not make it past security. This is met by a large jeer from the crowd - Morrissey raises his eyebrows until they cease and start applauding--

NEW SONG - I am Morrissey, I Cry When I Make Love (But I Know You Like it)
Black-Eyed Susan (Moz sings each line alternately loud and quiet for "shits and giggles")
You Have Killed Me (Lyrical ammendment incorporating the Band intros, perhaps to save time - Boz Boorer is him, Matt Walker is him, etc)
Death at one's elbow - After the song, in a typically self-deprecating move, Morrissey boos himself off-stage

ENCORE---
The Sum Mums
Asleep (After which, The band tuck Morrrissey into an ikea bed which Boz lovingly assembled pre-gig. Jesse invites anyone who wants to sleep over to do so. Gary Day stands in his boxer shorts with a maniacal grin)

*Word play/rhetorical question version of a Bona Drag classic

Exit Music - Copacabana

morrissey is letting his fans down by not including bear-anthems 'good looking man about town' 'i knew i was next' and 'king leer'

FYS (ever I am the eye who sees...)

After wanting to see Morrissey live for 15 years (and having no decent excuse for not having done so before), I made it to the Waukegan show last night and was not disappointed. The charisma and showmanship you hear on his live albums is even more enjoyable in person. For an old guy, he puts on a great show :)

But like others on this board, I was curious about the venue choices in the Chicago area (Waukegan and Merillville) -- not places you'd expect to find a strong constituency for Morrissey. Has anyone raised the possibility that he is subject to some sort of non-compete restriction that prevents him from playing in Chicago proper (or within xx miles of Chicago venues he's performed in recently)? I know local promoters used to include these sorts of restrictions in booking contracts, but I don't know if that's common anymore.

Im getting fatter sweatier and more hairy by the minute,

FYS (i'veseenyou)

Thanks to Moz and the boys for another wonderful show. I have seen him five times in the past 15 years and every show is an event. I always fret that I will never get to see him again.

Here's to the next time.

Dear Morrissey,
Some of the posts on this part of the site are enough to make decent people sick to their stomachs. Why the site owner allows it I'll never know. He knows that you detest this site, mainly because of the destructive behavior of one or two people, and I use the term loosely, who think it's funny to post abuse here, and make nasty attacks on you, the band, or other people who use the site.
PLEASE understand that the actions of these few, possibly even one person, are just as sickening to many of us as they are to you.
Maybe one day the site owner will abolish anonymous posts ( I have a registered screen name, but I don't want to become the target of the person who posts all the hate messages) and introduce the same kind of restrictions as there are on the forums, which have eliminated most of the hate posts there.
Until then, this site will continue to drag your name through the shit, and decent site users will continue to be disgusted by what they read here.

I don't know how true this rumour is, but is it correct that Morrissey has to take a Swingball with him everywhere on tour? I heard he's got some superstitious ritual of insisting that before he can go on stage he has to knock the ball from the very top of the pole all the way around to the bottom, with one mighty serve. Apparently the great man has sometimes kept the crowds waiting over half an hour until he achieves his perfect 'Swingball ace'.

VH1 Classic Now!!!
10:30pm In CALI.

Whatever. To all the rants.

Ok, I admit I'm been doing this for the last 17 years. That is following Mozzer to the last ends of the earth. Or at most the outer reaches of Chicago. Waukegan? Birthplace of Ray Bradbury, considered by all the greatest SF writer of all time. Waukegan was also in the news recently due to their crackdown of illegal Mexican immigrants. Could these be factors in Moz's decision to play here? Who knows?

I must say the KY gave the boys in the front rows something to look at! Short skirt plus high stage equal a more "entertaining" opening act. I enjoy her less each time I see her and this time (5th but who's counting) was no exception. Her time as an opening act has long expired.

Now on to Moz. Came out and opioned, "It's Wednesday, it's Wet and it's Waukegan!" Well then, get on with it. And so he did with "Stop Me...". Poor choice for an opening song as it sounded limp and all too soft though it was nice hearing it "live" for the first time. Next up, "Tomorrow". Wow, was not expecting this. Sounded great. Too bad the crowd feigned indifference. Damn you, Waukegan, damn you all to Hell. "Tomorrow" has to be one of Moz's best songs and you just "sit there". And this is how the rest of the show went. We're then graced with "Sister..." which he hasn't dusted off in years. Which follows "London", "Why don't you...", "Jack..", "Stretch..". You can't go wrong with Smiths (of which he's never performed before as a "solo" artist) and early solo works. Folks, the setlist was primed for diehards like you and me. Best setlist in years! And we were not tormented with a lot ROTT (he picked the 2 best songs from ROTT). Mozzer has heard us and acted accordingly.

"Stretch..." took on a particularly poignant point of view. Life disaffirming? You better believe it! "Death of Disco.." sounded like a man reborn. Never have the "Smiths" sounded so good. Where's yer Johnny Marr now? Oh yeah, making music for college seniors to smoke pot to.

Yes, there were asides about Hilary Clinton, Anna Nicole and Julia but those are best forgotten. Well, maybe not the Hilary jab.

Now about the encore. All seemed safe and sound in Mayberry, I mean Waukegan, during "First..." until the first stage invader. Then it was payback for all the jabs Moz threw at us for being so sedate. That "mouse glue" mysteriously came undone and man, woman and child tried to get on stage. Mozzer took it in good cheer and seemed somewhat pleased.

Now this is where I come in. Having 5th row seats on the left side, Moz made his way over to my side. He's shaking hands about 15 feet in front of me. Should I leap over the 2 rows in front of me and grab the bull by his horns? Nerves, old age and that damn mousetrap got the better of me and it was not to be. Regrets, too many to mention but I've got tickets for Merrillville so I'm coming for you, Moz. And only you!

I feel like an old and forgotten bear queen, im yesterdays news.

FYS (the old queen keeping watch)

I count 7 Smiths songs, is that a record for his solo shows

Paul you will be beaten for the crimes you have committed one way or another, sooner 'or' later, i am closing in on you.

Remember this word Paul 'Karma'

Some of Morrissey's comments were harder to understand than usual. I heard him replace the lyrics in You Have Killed Me with "Diana Dors you'll never be!"

I thought at one point he made a comment about Kenny Loggins (is that possible?). What was he saying?

Although my comrades have summed up the Waukegan show very well, here’s my loose change…

We were among the first few people to walk into the theater –which was a first for me- very beautiful, ornate, small and not a bad seat in the place. I thought Kristeen Young sounded pretty good. She’s either growing on me or the acoustics toned things down into something more palatable from the last time I had seen her. I like how their stage is so minimal, just a girl and her keyboard and a guy and his drums (love baby Jeff!) and a big backdrop that largely projects her shadow (I do like this ‘special effect’). I admit I spent the majority of her set in the Roadshow Lounge but it wasn’t anything personal to her –just wanting to hang with solo’ists and friends. It’s funny that all you need to say or hear is “Are you on –solo?” Hello, insta-Friend =o)!!

Kristeen set was quick, on then off and then came Morrissey et al, on and off. The night seemed a bit business-like. I wanted more! Get on, get off, get outta town. It was like the calm after a storm, the roads were silent there’s nothing, no one, nothing around for miles…I thought I saw a tumbleweed roll by :p

I was stage right, six rows from the stage near the speakers. Great seats. I was pissed I didn’t try to sneak my camera in but the girl next to me with her boyfriend did. I’m anxiously awaiting her (“I got about 5 good ones”) pictures. U betcha I’ll post ‘em. The band seemed to overpower that little Theater but I like to make some noise myself =o) Matt Walker’s m’boy and I do like gongs :D but the droning, drumming, gonging end of Disco Dancer was a bit much on my ears. It’s aiiight tho-no pain, no gain! Moz gave a lot more energy than I was expecting--and was in a great mood. Am I the only one who doesn’t like the in between silence (well, the white noise that’s after the clapping, wooing, Morrisey!, I love you!, Speedway!, etc.) Dunno what exactly I expect, but it’s like it’s almost turning into dinner theater or a lounge act. C’mon, this is MORRISSEY! I haven’t quite put my finger what ‘it’ is. Anyone?

The crowd around me was all dancing and singing (and living) much more so than the crowd at last year’s Chicago Auditorium show. It’s obvious that die-hard fans will travel to see him and we did. He comes to say, the City and it’s almost like a novelty act. “Hey, that Morrissey guy from the Smiths is in town -let’s go see him –see if he’s still got it” I like to call them the “How Soon Is Now” fans. Wednesday’s crowd was very respectful and generous and way into it (sans the peeps in the VIP balconies like it was dinner theater. Well…) I kept trying to picture crowd surfing here (as in LA) and it just wouldn’t or couldn’t fit. How I wish. I would have gladly helped pass some peeps around.

I was at the end of my aisle, two guys to my right and one of them went to deliver flowers to Moz and the security guard took it (nicely--a simple handoff) and placed them up on the stage (very nice). Everytime Morrissey came stage right and reached out –which was not very often at all :o(- we left our seats to reach to him but left empty-handed. Still, it seemed that security could have cared. Each time we moved to the stage, we were gentle and kind and then calmly returned to our seats. No harm, no foul. I kept looking at the guards near us –a guy and a girl (“I think we can take ‘em”) like this is the most ‘lax, EZ looking security I’ve ever seen’ –hence the many successful invaders. I regret not trying myself, like if I ‘couldn’t make it there, I wouldn’t make it anywhere’ but last song/encore wasn’t registering with me and I was caught up in seeing my two friends successfully hit stage. One older woman started the whole thing !!! and then a few people got up and ran criss-cross across the stage ?huh? and then it was like popcorn, peeps left and right. One guy near me trampled on a bunch of girls to reach stage and was taken down by security, which caused a big mess –I’m sure somebody got hurt. Tha