alainsane
Charter Member (since 1998)
Morrissey makes his misery catchy
Chicago Sun-Times (IL) (Published as Chicago Sun-Times) - June 26, 1991
Author/Byline: Jae-Ha Kim
Edition: FIVE STAR SPORTS FINAL
Section: SECTION 2 FEATURES
Page: 39
Column: ROCK MUSIC
Few musicians have made careers out of selling their misery as well as Morrissey has.
In a concert Tuesday night at the World Music Theatre in Tinley Park, the brooding Mancunian masked his paradoxically dark lyrics in catchy melodies that grabbed the audience's attention with their raw power.
Morrissey's songs work well live because he's not afraid to improvise, creating different twists on the recorded versions. The LP rendition of "Angel" is a slow, almost dirgelike ballad, with his tempered singing style surprisingly restrained. Live, that song turned into a tour de force, with dueling guitarists Alain Whyte and Boz Boorer playing a manic, sped-up version of the song that Morrissey dictated with his fervent vocal delivery.
As the leader of the Smiths, Morrissey presented a more self-absorbed image, as a striking front man who was as enthralled with his own talents as his fans were. That post-punk band sprang from Manchester after the fallout of the Buzzcocks and Joy Division but before that industrial English city became the hotbed for today's psychedelic-inspired dance bands, such as the Charlatans UK and the Inspiral Carpets.
On this, his first American tour in five years, Morrissey played just a little more than an hour but showed strong confidence in his current popularity, refusing to use oldies as a musical crutch. His set list included cuts primarily from his latest album, "Kill Uncle," as well as a few selections from his debut solo LP, "Viva Hate." If fans were disappointed they didn't get their dose of Smiths music, they hid it well, responding as well to "Asian Rut," his attack on racial injustice, as the country-and-western flavored "Every Day Is Like Sunday."
Looking like younger, handsomer versions of Morrissey, Whyte, Boorer, bassist Gary Day and drummer Spencer provided strong, entertaining backup as Morrissey literally shook his thin, gauzy white shirt to shreds.
Regarded as one of this generation's brightest tortured souls, or pompous poseurs, depending on your outlook, Morrissey fell somewhere in between these generalizations Tuesday night. Making art out of inner pain is difficult for any musician to pull off, even Sting. But Morrissey's years of turning brooding into a creative process paid off splendidly, making this concert a nice antithesis to his bleaker performances with the Smiths.
Opening for Morrissey, Thranc delivered a fragile, impassioned vocal style that belied the severity of her Marine-style buzz cut and punk-rock roots. Singing wry, ironic songs like "Gertrude Stein," Thranc kept her patter short, letting her lyrics tell her politics of life and love.
Singing to the accompaniment of her acoustic guitar, Thranc gave a performance that went over well. It's too bad the publicity surrounding Thranc focuses on her sexuality, distracting from the real issue: the quality of her music.
Caption: Morrissey bared his brooding, tortured soul Tuesday night in a concert at the World Music Theatre in Tinley Park, on his first American tour in five years.
Correction: The opening performer for Morissey was Phranc, not Thranc.
Chicago Sun-Times (IL) (Published as Chicago Sun-Times) - June 26, 1991
Author/Byline: Jae-Ha Kim
Edition: FIVE STAR SPORTS FINAL
Section: SECTION 2 FEATURES
Page: 39
Column: ROCK MUSIC
Few musicians have made careers out of selling their misery as well as Morrissey has.
In a concert Tuesday night at the World Music Theatre in Tinley Park, the brooding Mancunian masked his paradoxically dark lyrics in catchy melodies that grabbed the audience's attention with their raw power.
Morrissey's songs work well live because he's not afraid to improvise, creating different twists on the recorded versions. The LP rendition of "Angel" is a slow, almost dirgelike ballad, with his tempered singing style surprisingly restrained. Live, that song turned into a tour de force, with dueling guitarists Alain Whyte and Boz Boorer playing a manic, sped-up version of the song that Morrissey dictated with his fervent vocal delivery.
As the leader of the Smiths, Morrissey presented a more self-absorbed image, as a striking front man who was as enthralled with his own talents as his fans were. That post-punk band sprang from Manchester after the fallout of the Buzzcocks and Joy Division but before that industrial English city became the hotbed for today's psychedelic-inspired dance bands, such as the Charlatans UK and the Inspiral Carpets.
On this, his first American tour in five years, Morrissey played just a little more than an hour but showed strong confidence in his current popularity, refusing to use oldies as a musical crutch. His set list included cuts primarily from his latest album, "Kill Uncle," as well as a few selections from his debut solo LP, "Viva Hate." If fans were disappointed they didn't get their dose of Smiths music, they hid it well, responding as well to "Asian Rut," his attack on racial injustice, as the country-and-western flavored "Every Day Is Like Sunday."
Looking like younger, handsomer versions of Morrissey, Whyte, Boorer, bassist Gary Day and drummer Spencer provided strong, entertaining backup as Morrissey literally shook his thin, gauzy white shirt to shreds.
Regarded as one of this generation's brightest tortured souls, or pompous poseurs, depending on your outlook, Morrissey fell somewhere in between these generalizations Tuesday night. Making art out of inner pain is difficult for any musician to pull off, even Sting. But Morrissey's years of turning brooding into a creative process paid off splendidly, making this concert a nice antithesis to his bleaker performances with the Smiths.
Opening for Morrissey, Thranc delivered a fragile, impassioned vocal style that belied the severity of her Marine-style buzz cut and punk-rock roots. Singing wry, ironic songs like "Gertrude Stein," Thranc kept her patter short, letting her lyrics tell her politics of life and love.
Singing to the accompaniment of her acoustic guitar, Thranc gave a performance that went over well. It's too bad the publicity surrounding Thranc focuses on her sexuality, distracting from the real issue: the quality of her music.
Caption: Morrissey bared his brooding, tortured soul Tuesday night in a concert at the World Music Theatre in Tinley Park, on his first American tour in five years.
Correction: The opening performer for Morissey was Phranc, not Thranc.
