Maybe a psychological question here but why do you think it took Moz so long to re-embrace the Smiths stuff live? He did play Shoplifters and London with the Lads back in 95 and I believe they were staples in the live set until the Oye Esteban tour, which is when he really began showcasing more and more Smiths songs live.
I feel that it was during that time when he finally felt content with what he had achieved as a solo artist. Anyway, what do you all think?
I don't think it ever had anything to do with not feeling content with his solo stuff until '95; if anything, a lack of confidence prior to that time would have caused him to fall back on his Smiths material.
I think he always had great pride in his post-Smiths output, which is what allowed him the confidence to focus on solo-only material for almost a decade after The Smiths disbanded.
But proving he felt that way to the public was a different story. Hence the total moratorium on Smiths' songs until '95, the artwork/sleeve aesthetic change, etc. He needed to show people he was going somewhere else.
He was basically re-inventing himself, and establishing himself as a solo artist and he wanted to show he wasn't dependent on Marr, or on The Smiths' legacy. Once he felt he had made that point; he gradually began re-incorporating The Smiths' music into his live sets as music he was proud of and still enjoyed playing.
And I mean, that '95 tour was only his third solo tour...his first four years solo he didn't tour at all (except the Wolverhampton show; which DID incorporate Smiths songs despite it being well over a year since they'd disbanded); he didn't even start playing live until '91. And after '92 he took another two years off...so in retrospect, waiting a few years to play Smiths songs regularly isn't that crazy.
It seems like a longer gap than it was, I think.