Dickie Felton | 8 March 2023
Morrissey debuted two new songs in a mesmerising concert in Paris.
The show at the art deco Salle Pleyel was the opening night of a seven date European soirée.
Dressed in brown jacket, 70s-style jean flares, and T-shirt bearing his own name, the icon played for 90 mins.
He was in astonishing form – as was his band.
Song highlights included title track of his yet unreleased album ‘Without Music the World Dies’ which has Morrissey berating the media and party-gate politicians:
“You don’t need to respect your government. They can’t even govern themselves…”
Another new track had fans in a spin – the uber funky ‘The Night Pop Dropped’ which could just be the catchiest song he’s ever written.
It includes the lines: ‘So sad for me, for us, so sad for the universe’ with a closing refrain: ‘The best thing you can do is just be yourself…’
Not known for extensive chat in-between songs, the 63-year-old turned raconteur in the French capital.
You couldn’t shut him up as he eulogised about almost everything. And the fans absolutely loved hearing his thoughts on life:
“Look after your mother, look after your cats, look after your dogs and hold onto your friends…”
Commenting on the national strikes in France (over proposals to raise the pension age from 62 to 64) Morrissey said it was ‘so sad’ how governments act:
“They should just leave people alone because they don’t ask for much. They really don’t.”
Similar to the autumn UK tour, Morrissey turned to early solo tracks including ‘Our Frank’ and ‘The Loop’ before a scintillating rendition of ‘Trouble Loves Me’.
Only three Smiths songs featured with a barnstorming version of ‘Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before’.
Animal rights usually finds a place in the Moz setlist and ‘The Bullfighter Dies’ was played to an utterly gory backdrop video.
The x-rated footage of humans sticking stakes into living things a reminder of how utterly warped this world is.
Fans had travelled from as far away as Australia and America to get to Morrissey’s two Paris shows.
They’d suffered transport problems due to French strikes against the pension ‘reforms’.
It felt like a ‘Who’s Who’ of Morrissey disciples with familiar faces everywhere. One fan quipped “All the big names are here.”
Morrissey acknowledged fans for dedication to get to the concert despite the disruption: “Thank-you for crawling here…’
Those fans left the venue to be greeted by torrential rain.
And it was just all so Morrissey.
Lovely write up!