That's the most people I've personally witnessed rushing the stage to hug him, though that's been a practice among his fans for more than twenty years. Maybe they tried extra harder because it was his birthday, May 22. Which is also, as he told the audience, the day of Saint Rita, the patron saint of impossible causes, which does seem strikingly appropriate for him.
For a guy with so many songs about being alone, I noted with some amusement that I appeared to be the only one who'd come to the concert alone. No-one even bought the tickets for the seats next to me, or they never bothered to find the seats--the numbers on them were these little brass embossed things that were difficult to read when the lights were on, impossible in the dark. Otherwise, it was a nice venue--the same venue, Morrissey, remarked, in which he began his solo career. It was the first time, I think, I've seen him in San Diego when he didn't seem upset by the acoustics.
He performed a lot of his most popular songs, starting with "How Soon is Now?", and also getting to "Everyday is Like Sunday" and "You have Killed Me". He changed the lyrics slightly for that last one--Instead of "Pasolini is me, Accottone you'll be," he sang, "Pasolini is me, Pasolini you'll definitely be." One always has the feeling he's singing to someone specific with statements that only have meaning between the two of them.
He performed two of his new songs, "People are the Same Everywhere" and "Scandinavia". The lyrics to "Scandinavia" are strange and provocative, expressing outrage at the whole of Scandinavia for the massacre in Norway before expressing a love for the whole of Scandinavia. This has apparently provoked some outrage, I guess simply for the fact that someone would sing about what happened. There are no official lyrics online, but worldofmorrissey.com has this audience transcript.
The combination of love and horror is certainly not atypical of Morrissey's work. I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It seems a little unfocused. I may need to wait until I've seen official lyrics. It certainly didn't seem to go over well with the audience--among the otherwise screaming and standing people, many sat down or went to the restroom during the song.
I'm pretty sure someone shat their pants near me, because that's what the stench was like, but otherwise I enjoyed myself. Morrissey concerts I guess have gotten to be a bit of a touchstone for me, since I've been seeing him once every couple years for nearly a decade. There's a strange feeling of continuity and a reminder of all the things that have changed in my life, heightened by the fact that this venue was in a part of town I lived in ten years ago. I parked a mile or so away, and up a hill, so I had to walk through old familiar streets. I saw a Taco Bell and a Jack in the Box I remember having to get quick meals from on my way to work in the morning, or when I was dashing between my two jobs. I sure eat a lot healthier now, yet it seems like I used to get sick less back then. Maybe I ought to go back to fast food.
There are a lot of bars, sex toy shops, and strip joints in the area, one place having a sign that said, "The only gentleman's club in San Diego that sells liquor" which was rather surprising to me. Maybe liquor licenses are really expensive around here, or maybe the place is the mayor's personal harem.
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