Glen Burnie - Michael's Eighth Avenue (Nov. 18 1997)

Summary by Sam A. Bishop

"Welcome to the BAR MITZVAH!" was an appropriate greeting as MOZ, et al. took the stage last night. Equally appropriate however, would have been, "My publicist is FIRED!!!", and concerning the venue, many people were asking the same question: "WHY?!" Michael's Eighth Avenue is the last place you would want to hold your wedding / reception / awards dinner, so why the hell were we all gathered in the "grand", yet dividable, ballroom tucked away in an industrial park tucked away in one of the more unsavory suburbs of Baltimore? Well, to see Morrissey, of course. But still with DC no more than an hour away, and Baltimore around the corner, surely someone could have found a more appropriate facility for the King of the New Glam. "Surreal" is pat, I know, but somehow describes the scene perfectly. Seriously, picture Morrissey playing the "Rec Center" in the basement of your church (you do remember church, don't you?) and you'll understand the setting. The light show beautifully showcased the corkboard-paneled ceiling, and I'm sure Steven was more than pleased about the ALL MEAT Buffet provided to the concerned concert goers. I'm sure he took full advantage of the chicken-fried steak special. Well, he seemed to have a sense of humour about the whole ordeal, concerning the jokes he proffered during the course of his show. It is nice that he is embracing the beginning of the end.

Concerning the actual show, Morrissey was Morrissey. Very enjoyable, indeed, but like most who have witnessed stops along this tour, I was sorry that he didn't play anything from before Vauxhall and I. I would have to say that I enjoyed the first three songs the most (see above), as he really set the crowd afire with those relatively upbeat gems (excepting "Spring-heeled Jim", of course: not super happy, I suppose). I was very pleased with the Smiths' selections, and closing with "Shoplifters..." was probably a wise move, as it eased the pain of a mere 75 minute show. I suppose we were lucky that he didn't depart earlier when the crowd started lobbing pencils at him during "PUPILS eat TEACHERS alive". So all in all a "good" show, but I couldn't help but get the feeling that the MOZZER was going through the motions on stage. I mean, we've all seen the "my MIC cord is a whip" routine, and surely he was aware of that. I would hope that all that dramatic posturing was displayed because he was moved to do it, but, sadly, he just looked like he was over the whole touring thing.

Kudos to you Mr. Morrissey, but take some sage advise from some formidable peers: "Take a break, Driver 8. You've been on this shift too long." Was that cheesy? Well I can't help but be a little cornball when it comes to Steven Patrick.

Summary by Sadia Shah

The Glen Burnie show took place in a strange venue. It is usually used for events like weddings. It was decorated for the Christmas season. Morrissey joked about this. When he first came out he said, "Welcome to the bar mitzvah!" Then later he said, "This is my living room, please be careful of the decorations." And then, "Isn't this venue just beautiful; it reminds me of the Royal Albert Hall in London."

This show was much much better than the D.C show. The hall was only about half full, around 800 people. The crowd was mostly people in their twenties. They showed their enthusiasm without being unnecessarily rowdy. Morrissey was very interactive with the audience, throwing things back and forth and teasing us to come up on stage. Someone yelled out "Roy's Keen" and Morrissey said, "Did you say where are your jeans; no never mind." He made all the Morrissey antics like whipping his microphone around and making dramatic poses. I wondered if he was unhappy with the audience because he said, "You don't have to clap if you don't want to." We were too squished together to clap.

I found it very interesting that he played mostly Vauxhall songs. He only played two songs from Maladjusted, "Alma Matters" and "Satan Rejected My Soul." At one point, they started to play "Ambitious Outsiders" and then stopped. Morrissey said, "Spontaneity, there's nothing like it." (or something like that) and played "Hold On To Your Friends" instead. When he came back out for the encore he said, "One more song, and then I have to go back to the clinic."

Summary by Robert S. Rycroft

The Glen Burnie show was excellent! I have the worst bruise across my chest this morning from the barricade. It hurts to breathe (gasping-but somehow still alive.) Moz came out wearing a light pinkish shirt and grey trousers. During the first song, "Do Your Best And Don't Worry", I threw my letter onto the stage and Moz put it in his left pocket. I could ask for nothing more. Moz seemed in good spirits, but a little agitated at times. He cracked a joke at the beginning about "Welcome to the bar mitzvah" He also said that he liked the venue, which I thought was a weird place (and a few too many weirdo locals for my taste.) I think one person made it to the stage before "Shoplifters", which turned into bedlam. All and all a good show.