Los Angeles, CA - The United Theater on Broadway (December 29, 2024) post-show

Post your info and reviews related to this concert in the comments section below. Other links (photos, external reviews, etc.) related to this concert will also be compiled in this section as they are sent in.

Setlist:

All You Need Is Me / You're The One For Me, Fatty / One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell / Shoplifters Of The World Unite / Rebels Without Applause / Black Cloud / I Am Veronica / I Ex-Love You / I Wish You Lonely / Sure Enough, The Telephone Rings / The Loop / Darling, I Hug A Pillow / Life Is A Pigsty / Everyday Is Like Sunday / Jack The Ripper / Speedway / I Will See You In Far-off Places // First Of The Gang To Die

Setlist courtesy of Thewlis (setlist scan).

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• [Morrissey Central] Night 2, another view by Ryan Lowry [photographer] (16 total)
• [Morrissey Central] Even more … night 2 by Ryan Lowry (5 total)
• Photo posted by charlespham27 / X. Link posted by Famous when dead.
  
  

 

[CrystalGeezer]

Dave really is robotic. I was lucky enough to see Depeche Mode at the 550 capacity Bowery Ballroom in NYC, thinking it was going to be amazing. It wasn’t. Their cases took up 1/4 of the floor of the club, and Dave just didn’t know what to do in a small room… all his moves that make sense in stadiums, suddenly didn’t. I preferred seeing them in arenas. I saw Morrissey there too and he seemed to love that it was so small. It was a great show.

“ARE YOU READY TO HAVE FUN TONIGHT, [insert city name]?

 

[bhops]

I’ve been to the last several DM tours and with the exception of maybe 4-5 songs from the album they just released it’s entirely a greatest hits tour. No deep cuts, no b-sides, no surprises. If Morrissey did that, he’d be crucified here. But then he plays something like Black Cloud and he’s crucified here. #cantwinonSolo

The thing about Morrissey's back catalogue is that it's so vast he could do back-to-back-to-back tours of Greatest Hits and play 25 completely different songs each tour.

 

[Light Housework]

 

[clone_clone]

Disclaimer: I went into the show thinking this might very well be the last time I see Morrissey live due to the sheer amount of work and money that goes into seeing a concert in Los Angeles. Im 50 years old now and have been fortunate enough to have seen most of my heroes live, including Morrissey maybe 5-6 times now, so all that goes into my thoughts.

The man sounded GREAT. I dont think Ive ever heard his voice sound so strong and sure. Maybe this was due to the small size of the theatre, but that was the first thing I thought. It was also theatre size that pulled me in, and this was probably as close as Ive ever been (row 12).

I though the band was average. They didnt blow me away and they didnt necessarily disappoint either. Somebody jumped the solo on Shoplifters (if memory serves) but that was the only glaring thing that I noticed. If I’m being completely honest here, the band is typically an afterthought for me and as long as the songs sound mostly right, I stay in my lane as far as criticism goes and dont focus on them much at all.

Energy was lackluster. I didnt really feel any strong vibes from either party - band or crowd. Sadly, it felt like going through the motions on a few levels for me. Dont know if thats me/Moz getting older, but you could def. tell when he played never material. The bit about cell phones was very telling and I feel for performers dealing with the zombie phone crowds. Hit song = a million phones up and recording. New material = no phones and blank stares. Very noticeable.

Which brings me to the setlist. Have to say I was mostly disappointed. With such a great catalog, I of course have my favorites. I know he has to push new material for a myriad of reasons, but I felt (correctly and strongly) that as time goes on, Ill probably hear less and less of the songs I would pay top dollar to hear and more and more of songs that dont drive me to concerts. That was not a top dollar setlist IMHO. I think “Far Off Places” was the highlight for me.

In closing, it pains me to say that we can never go back in time and recapture the magic and mystery of the past (even if it has been mostly created in our imagination.) Morrissey is probably damned if he does and damned if he doesnt at this point, so who am I to judge the man for what is his life/art? Im just glad I got to see him as many times as I have and that his legend lives on.

All in all, I still think it was probably my last Morrissey show. But dont worry, I picked up a pair of those sweet signed vinyls to cherish all the rest of my days!

I agree, I thought the show was horrible, just the same old same old, like he was going through the motions. He was great at one time.

 

[Redacted]

I agree, I thought the show was horrible, just the same old same old, like he was going through the motions. He was great at one time.

Interesting to read this because some people try to convince us that what we see on video is not what happens live, thank you for confirming that the shows are indeed horrible

 

[gordyboy9]

Interesting to read this because some people try to convince us that what we see on video is not what happens live, thank you for confirming that the shows are indeed horrible

you will be back on here tomorrow saying the exact same thing whether the show is good or bad,wouldnt fancy spending the new year with you,a bundle of laughs your not.

 

[Surface]

you will be back on here tomorrow saying the exact same thing whether the show is good or bad,wouldnt fancy spending the new year with you,a bundle of laughs your not.

And so will you Gordy. Just listened to the 2 versions of Spring Heeled Jim in another post and the version served up the other night is horrific, no wonder it was dropped for the 2nd night.

 

[Thewlis]

It could very well be back tonight

 

[Surface]

It could very well be back tonight

Have you listened to the 2 versions that Bhops posted, the one from the first night is awful compared to the version from years ago. As Bhops says its sounds like Morrissey is on some sort of sleeping drug.

 

[Thewlis]

Have you listened to the 2 versions that Bhops posted, the one from the first night is awful compared to the version from years ago. As Bhops says its sounds like Morrissey is on some sort of sleeping drug.

Hard and unfair to compare a recording through a phone to an official one.

General consensus from people who were there is that Morrissey sounded great, his voice as strong as ever.

 

[Thewlis]

MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY - MORRISSEY CENTRAL

MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY on MORRISSEY CENTRAL

www.morrisseycentral.com

 

[gordyboy9]

And so will you Gordy. Just listened to the 2 versions of Spring Heeled Jim in another post and the version served up the other night is horrific, no wonder it was dropped for the 2nd night.

thats the fun of msolo,people will moan and people will stick up for him.

 

[Odbmke]

thats the fun of msolo,people will moan and people will stick up for him.

Morrissey himself cut SHJ from night two because it was embarrassingly bad, yet Gordy is still here saying we are bad people for also, just like Morrissey, hearing how god-awful it was.

As I always like to say, Denial is not just a river in Africa.

 

[Redacted]

Morrissey himself cut SHJ from night two because it was embarrassingly bad, yet Gordy is still here saying we are bad people for also, just like Morrissey, hearing how god-awful it was.

As I always like to say, Denial is not just a river in Africa.

The personal allegiance to Morrissey is so bizarre, it's a cult. People should be able to criticize him, his band, his shows whatever without people acting like your attacking their mother. They take it so personally, wonder what's missing from their lives. Wonder what tonight's set will be, and I will bet no BOT announcement and I would be happy to be wrong about that just so people will stop whining about it.

 

[TheSmiths_1985]

The personal allegiance to Morrissey is so bizarre, it's a cult. People should be able to criticize him, his band, his shows whatever without people acting like your attacking their mother. They take it so personally, wonder what's missing from their lives. Wonder what tonight's set will be, and I will bet no BOT announcement and I would be happy to be wrong about that just so people will stop whining about it.

But.. but.. but.. Bonfire really speaks truth to power and, when released, will bring the MSM to its knees. God bless MOZI and all who sail in her.

 

[Andy W]

I was wondering the same thing, why is there a Krays tshirt when he didn't play Playboys or even a James Dean tshirt when he didn't play Suedehead.
And I also wondered why he doesn't add more Smiths to the setlist since he's been whining he's been erased from the Smiths. If Johnny is the only person who is going to keep the songs alive, then obviously he is the custodian of the legacy.

Agreed. If I paid hundreds of dollars to see Morrissey and he just played one Smiths song and not even one of the best ones, I’d be very disappointed. I guess the latest kerfuffle with J Marr really soured him on the Smiths. Luckily, Marr does excellent versions of the Smiths songs people want to hear. Moz seems to have given up on the Smiths and left it to Marr to carry on. J Marr has a fighting spirit and i don’t doubt he will use his energy to do bigger and better things in 2025. They really are complete opposites.

 

[Thewlis]

Agreed. If I paid hundreds of dollars to see Morrissey and he just played one Smiths song and not even one of the best ones, I’d be very disappointed. I guess the latest kerfuffle with J Marr really soured him on the Smiths. Luckily, Marr does excellent versions of the Smiths songs people want to hear. Moz seems to have given up on the Smiths and left it to Marr to carry on. J Marr has a fighting spirit and i don’t doubt he will use his energy to do bigger and better things in 2025. They really are complete opposites.

He played two.

But he never was that keen on playing Smiths songs. He rarely played them the first 10 years or so as a solo artist, and afterwards usually only 4-5 max.

The difference is, Johnny needs to play Smiths songs to draw a crowd, where Morrissey has a huge and vast solo career to fall back on.

 

[Young And Alive]

I was wondering the same thing, why is there a Krays tshirt when he didn't play Playboys or even a James Dean tshirt when he didn't play Suedehead.
And I also wondered why he doesn't add more Smiths to the setlist since he's been whining he's been erased from the Smiths. If Johnny is the only person who is going to keep the songs alive, then obviously he is the custodian of the legacy.

He has said numerous times that he is utterly selfish when it comes to putting together his setlists.

He sings the songs that mean the most to him at any given time. That is why he sticks with the same setlist gig after gig after gig. Songs are only chopped when he tires of them - not when the fans do.

He has had around five or six Smiths songs per gig for about 20 years now. That's not bad at all. Clearly, at these late December shows, he's more interested in his solo catalogue and so is giving Smiths songs a rest. That's fine. He co-wrote them and if he isn't feeling it right now, there's no point including those songs to please the fans only to phone it in whilst singing.

Don't get me wrong, personally this set list doesn't grab me at all. But I consider Morrissey giving 100% singing the songs he wants to be the lesser evil - as opposed to a setlist I like, which Morrissey doesn't, where he's going through the motions.

Most fans will always prefer the Smiths material and the 80s and 90s solo material over everything since 2004, and that's OK. But put yourself in Morrissey's shoes. Everything since 1982 has been his lyrics. There is a story behind every song, and they are all very personal and powerful to him. Logically, he is going to feel more emotional towards the songs he has written more recently, because they will be more relevant to his life now as opposed to songs like Reel Around the Fountain or My Love Life. That is why he wants to sing the newer songs.

 

[Andy W]

He has said numerous times that he is utterly selfish when it comes to putting together his setlists.

He sings the songs that mean the most to him at any given time. That is why he sticks with the same setlist gig after gig after gig. Songs are only chopped when he tires of them - not when the fans do.

He has had around five or six Smiths songs per gig for about 20 years now. That's not bad at all. Clearly, at these late December shows, he's more interested in his solo catalogue and so is giving Smiths songs a rest. That's fine. He co-wrote them and if he isn't feeling it right now, there's no point including those songs to please the fans only to phone it in whilst singing.

Don't get me wrong, personally this set list doesn't grab me at all. But I consider Morrissey giving 100% singing the songs he wants to be the lesser evil - as opposed to a setlist I like, which Morrissey doesn't, where he's going through the motions.

Most fans will always prefer the Smiths material and the 80s and 90s solo material over everything since 2004, and that's OK. But put yourself in Morrissey's shoes. Everything since 1982 has been his lyrics. There is a story behind every song, and they are all very personal and powerful to him. Logically, he is going to feel more emotional towards the songs he has written more recently, because they will be more relevant to his life now as opposed to songs like Reel Around the Fountain or My Love Life. That is why he wants to sing the newer songs.

That’s all well and good for him. Would the majority of the audience be paying top dollar for tickets if they knew he was only going to play 1 Smiths song? He does have to please the audience to keep them coming back, and it looks like they’ve fallen off by at least 50% in Moz Angeles in the past few years.

 

[DubbalinGirl]

there's a shit ton more in the middle of your two extreme examples that he could play that would make people a whole lot happier.

But that’s my point about Black Cloud, which I consider more “the middle” and people are all pissy about that.