Great show, of course. It was an awesome show, it's Morrissey, duh.

Great show!!! Songs played (100% accuracy re: songs played, but NOT in order - someone please correct it): Charming man/Ask/Death at one's elbow/Is it really so strange?/Cemetry gates/How soon is now?/Irish blood, english heart/Crashing Bores/Loop/Why don't you find out for yourself/Throwing my arms around paris/One day goodbye/Black Cloud/When last I spoke to Carol/Teenage dad on his estate/Don't make fun of daddy's voice/Ganglord/If you don't like me, don't look at me/OK by myself/Encore: First of the gang to die (incl. Swinging on a star lyrics)

on the setlist, Moz... it's shaping up!
I might just have to show up now...

Moz played basically the same set, but he switched out Because of my poor education for if you dont like me...I would have preferred he switched out teenage dad but alas, I am not moz.
Compared to seattles show which i saw last night, moz seemed a bit tired. He seemed really winded after the 3rd song, appeared the clutch his chest, and my sister and I were afraid he was going to collapse. we attributed his exhaustion the the fact that it was NINE MILLION DEGREES IN THERE. the paramount stayed quite comfortable. roseland is so small and we're so lucky to see moz at such a place, but dang that venue gets HOT! But no worries, he perservered. he did seem to forget lyrics, but hopefully it was just improv and ad-libbing to fend off the boredom of playing the same songs over and over.
I was in the very front, right next to a couple who was also at seattle. The young man was tossed off stage during that show, and we suspect moz remembered them because he seemed to intentially avoid the area. For the record, we found them a bit off-putting too! Typical moz scenesters who think they're cooler than us because of their flash tattoos and greased hair.
I find the lack of comraderie at moz shows this time around rather upsetting! The fans all seem to be competing with eachother, and it's more of a beauty pageant than a rock concert.
Moz asked a girl in the crowd how she afforded her ticket, she told him that her grandma passed away and left her money for an education and she said "fuck school, i'm seeing moz!". he did not seem to like this comment one bit. and i dont blame him, i hear he's quite the mamas boy. but i dont blame the girl, and perhaps would have done the same thing at her age.
All in all, it was a fantastic show, and my first time seeing him from the front row. my sister swore jesse (guitars) was giving her the sexy eyes. it's possible. I look forward to the two shows in el lay i'll be seeing, but still, i dont think anything could top seattle.
happy mozzings!
tara
ps: fauxmoz was in full effect after the show and people were FREAKING OUT thinking morrissey was out front smoking a cig (he doesn't even smoke, does he?) my boyfriend got a pic with the fauxmoz as a joke, and it's pretty uncanny. i'd be happy to post it somewhere, i dont know where.
pps: doll&the kicks were still awesome

Piccy of the setlist
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs060.snc3/14738_191404182691_551862691_2903642_3272214_n.jpg [fbcdn.net]

Nothing was omitted from the setlist.

DATK very warmly received in Portland. Hannah's outfit tonight was much prettier than what she wore last night.

Morrissey did indeed ask if we could smell the roses, but all I was smelling was skunk weed smoked by some stoner. Later, it was b.o. and ciggy-breath from people barging up front after Morrissey started singing.

This was a good show but not as exciting as Morrissey's past Roseland Theatre shows have been. It was quite disappointing that no one made it onstage during the encore, nor during the entire show. It was certainly very sweaty on the floor in front, and people were pushing mightily. But the barricade was placed a lot farther back than in the past. Morrissey sang “Swinging on a Star” all the way through at the end of FOTGTD because no one got up to stop him! What a far cry from last night's encore.

Moz was generally strong, but his voice cracked a little bit on some notes, and he can't hit the high notes, certainly not the falsettos.

Moz came out in a rather mal-coordinated outfit of brown trousers, black (or maybe dark brown) shirt with subtle raised pattern, and a navy blue blazer. Looked like someone with colour-blindness dressed him. Individually, these items could be very nice. It was much better when he came out after a shirt change wearing a white shirt, I think. He wore the sweat-drenched black shirt for at least 2/3 of the show. Th'Lads wore identical outfits of coordinated brown shirts with trousers – most boring outfits ever.

My personal highlight of the show was hearing “If You Don't Like Me Don't Look at Me” live, which was soundchecked twice this afternoon, first just instrumental and then with Moz vocals. First part of soundcheck was all instrumental, then most of the songs were repeated with Mozzer's vocals. Other than “If You Don't Like Me” nothing of the soundcheck was out of the ordinary.

Kudos to Barky for her turn at the mic. Moz looked at me and asked, “Can I ask you a question?” Sure. He asked, “How do you get the money to do this?” But then he faked right and gave the mic to someone else. Just as well, because he already asked me that question before, at the Fillmore in SF, and I told him that I had robbed a bank. At that time, he smiled, slapped his thigh, and said, “That's the way to do it!” At tonight's show I think he was aiming for Hugh to give an answer, but Barky took the mic instead. Her answer was brilliant, went something like, “I asked my grandmother for money to go to school, but fuck school! I need to see Morrissey!'

Yes, give up education as a bad mistake. Have an education in reverse and go see Morrissey with his 90 minute lectures on life, lerv, and things that flatten your hair.

The afterparty choices were interesting. There was one that was held at a video arcade behind the venue. There was another club, but it charged a cover. And there was also Mary's. Didn't go. Instead had wine, cheese plate, and pommes frites with a 50 year old and someone born in 1975.

Would someone be kind enough to name the bands in the clips projected before the show?

I recognized Nico and the NY Dolls, but not the others. Thanks.

It was a beautiful drive from Seattle, tall evergreens like native Christmas trees lining the highway.

Arrival in Portland: Servers at my hotel restaurant ultra hip and nice; "I'm good to go" is printed on my room's privacy sign (cool enough to keep as a souvenir, ahem!). I got a great first impression of Portland.

No use queueing by the time I arrived in the city, but as a result, had tall people in front of me and the balcony was full. But from what I was able to see, Moz still put on an excellent show despite us all baking together in that airtight dry sauna (the very next thought in my mind after the music was how badly I needed a drink of water!). And afterward it seemed a lot colder outside that Seattle. The area seemed a bit ghetto, more homeless and loiterers (that were not Moz fans ;) than Seattle. There was a tall, solid wrought-iron gate behind the venue and even the band's bus was inside the gate.

The venue: clubby, plain blackbox style, low ceiling, wraparound balcony with seats about 4 rows deep (just about opposite in all respects from the palatial Paramount in Seattle). About 2500 people capacity overall? I would say similar to the El Rey in LA. Comically, there was a beam literally on stage left side which separated Gustav a bit from the rest of the band. He was a good sport about it. In Moz's band intro (didn't quite catch the topic today) for him included a light-hearted reference to him being off over there behind it. The beam was comically marked (by the venue?) with huge X's in glow tape so performers do not run into it!

The crowd: packed(!), applauded very well, but quite still during the songs (and balcony people remaining seated) during the songs. Portland is supposed to be a music city, so maybe people are more intent listeners here? People around seemed nice but about halfway through the show, several a-holes rammed themselves forward in the crowd when there was no room and blocked the view of the original people there (including the fauxMoz! I was so disappointed!). In LA that kind of rudeness would just not be tolerated in a GA audience. This was way before the encore, too.

For Anonymous, the intermission videos are listed here (courtesy of Kewpie/Sphinx & bf). I think we don't have the Portuguese/Spanish one there anymore and the Lipsynka is instead an ultra hilarious skit about narcissism:
http://forums.morrissey-solo.com/showthread.php?t=104334&highlight=Intermission

Great moments (some referenced already by zodismycopilot, Mel, and Anonymous'):
- If You Don't Like Me... (Moz and the band nailed it! It was so awesome)
- Lots of handshakes from Moz across the stage (making up for the far barrier?)
- Cemetry Gates ("when we stonely read the graves")
- Right before FOTGTD, I think Boz or Solomon's amps were out and Moz filled the time joking with us and asking if anyone could sing or play guitar
- Moz singing the entire "Swingin' on a Star" and after each animal saying "I would" (referencing lyrics "or would you rather be a pig/mule/fish").
- Jesse rockin' out with riffs and going far stage left at one point
- Jesse in a great mood singing along to himself with a smile for FOTGTD, stopping of course when Moz went into "Swingin' on a Star"
- Better outfit for Hannah of Doll and the Kicks. Changed out leopard-print knickers for short ruffly black skirt, bra with gold stars to plain black ruffly bra. Classier yet still sexy. And the crowd was also fantastic to the whole band.

New merch (I forgot to mention last time):
- shiny (waterproof?) red bag with crest printed with the Union Jack and "Morrissey" across the top of the crest, square, looks to be LP size(?)
- Sweetie Pie shirt
- black jacket with an "M" badge on the left chest (not sure if the back has any print).

Moz interestingly did not mention that it was the anniversary of Oscar Wilde's passing in Paris. Garrison Keillor mentioned it on NPR today on his daily Writer's Almanac series. Wilde's famous last words from a se

Why no:

Pregnant for the last time?
You're the one for me, fatty?
Suedehead?
Hold on to your friends?
Apparent heir?
Our Frank?
Sing your life?
Everyday is like sunday?
Picadilly Palare?

Morrissey's current setlist is piss poor.

PISS POOR, I say!

Is he still using the Shocking Blues and NY Dolls preshow?
http://www.sourgrapesclothing.com [sourgrapesclothing.com]

This is more a question about Artists in general more than just Morrissey, though the amount of touring Moz has done over the last two years makes this relevant specifically to him - how is HE not bored of this setlist?

I know a drummer in a band who gig regularly, not big per se but do the local bars and haunts. They have around 50 'full' songs, around 25 are pretty damn good and they play around 15 on the average night. They get around two gigs a week at the moment over the North-West and elsewhere. He says if they don't vary the songs by a couple each gig they feel the band aren't kept on their toes.

People will rush in and say 'Well that band don't have Moz's back catalogue and he can play what he wants' - that's very true. Just making a point that pretty much the same set for two YEARS the world over plus (with the exception of TCM and the odd little play of stuff like 'Nowhere Fast' which promptly disappeared), he must be feeling it somewhere?

Enchiladas in PDX last night.

anything new? i know the swords cd will be there but shirt-wise?

Mel's back
ms/mrs gin n tonic also?

use to have both good revieuws, the 2nd one, the day after, first oen a quick playlist and some
highlights

we're heading towards Cali

beware of leopard skirts Morrissey

So I heard.

This was my first Moz show ever, my best friend and I bought tickets the minute they went on sale and wouldn't have missed it for anything. We waited outside the Roseland from 10am to be at the barrier. We were the only fans from Portland to wait all day, which confirms our status as the biggest Morrissey fans in Portland! The people from out of town who waited with us (the die-hards who must have some means beyond mine and use it to follow Morrissey on tour everywhere) were amazing to us, we met some really awesome people from around the world who made sure we had an extra special time. I want to say thanks for that!

I was so lucky to touch Moz's hand 3 times during the show, then he actually looked at me and spoke to me, but I was so hysterical I had no idea what he had even said! He brought me the mic and I choked big time, saying just about the most embarrassing thing possible: "I love you, that's all, I just love you!" Even though I made an idiot out of myself in front of hundreds of strangers (who really cares about that) and worst of all, Morrissey himself, it was definitely hands down the greatest day of my life. (even better than my wedding day.)

Now, alas, life goes on. Where do I go from here? Back to my job, back to all the old familiar things. My heart is actually a little bit broken now, because I know that I will probably never have that thrill again. How do you cope with life after Morrissey?