Morrissey Doesn't Disappoint Faithful

By CURTIS ROSS The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jul 13, 2007

CLEARWATER - Few performers inspire the near-fanatical devotion former Smiths singer Morrissey does.

It's the sort of devotion that required security guards on the side of the stage in three-point stances whenever the singer made himself vulnerable Thursday night at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater for a crowd of 1,540.

The stage in fact was rushed twice: once with the singer on one knee with head bowed, the second time with Morrissey lying on stage, legs propped on the drum riser.

Even without those interruptions, the show didn't lack for drama.

Morrissey and his excellent five-piece band (someone's homoerotic fantasy in their matching rolled sleeves, close-cropped haircuts and trim bow ties) led off with a thunderous take on The Smiths' "The Queen Is Dead," a powerful performance that set the bar high for the rest of the show.

Morrissey didn't disappoint. Smiths' favorites were sprinkled in with solo hits as well as tunes from last year's "Ringleader of the Tormentors."

Although that album got mixed notices from fans and critics, most of the material sounded fine Thursday night.

The dirge-like "Life Is a Pigsty," with the stage bathed in moody lighting, was sheer theater (abetted by one of the stage intrusions) as Morrissey lay on stage while the music swirled and clashed around him.

The piano-led coda segued into "Auld Lang Syne" and began to fade. Suddenly the stage was awash in strobes and reverberating guitars as the band charged into a version of The Smiths' "How Soon Is Now" that bested the original for sheer intensity.

Morrissey, 48, looked and sounded magnificent, offering a fictional history of Ruth Eckerd and responding to one of the stage rushers with, "See? Someone cares."

Kristeen Young opened with a set of intriguing, keyboard-led tunes that suggested a more belligerent Kate Bush.

Reporter Curtis Ross can be reached at (813) 259-7568 or cross@tampatrib .com.