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ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN - This is a fitting place for the reluctant pop star. The city of Royal Oak probably has more in common with the English crooner Morrissey than remote Flint, Michigan. Without getting into the specifics of the concert and track listings I will cut right to the crash. The bizarre, and abrupt ending to the Morrissey concert stemmed from an enthusiastic audience and macho meathead bouncers.
The melee that occurred was up in the front rows of the show nearing the end of the performance. This wasn't reported accurately and left some Moz and Smith fans somewhat confused. Some of the audience members tried to climb over the barricades. I was near the front, maybe two rows back, and could see a scuffle. One of the fans got over the barricade and neared the front of the stage.
It is still unclear if he was going to jump on the stage or crowd surf. Bouncers grabbed him immediately and then hauled him off quickly. It was over in seconds.
Morrissey then looked at the audience, and the band sort of stopped, and he blurted "I wish I could laugh". Moz then told us to make sure we thanked The Royal Oak Music Theater and their aggressive staff and then he walked out on us. It was a rare moment but one that set the stage for future shows to come. In Michigan, Morrissey has had a track record of leaving the audience up in the air. His scheduled Flint shows have since ended up in cancellations and false alarms.
Jumping up on stage is part of the Morrissey concert experience. Fans have done this in France, Brazil, and around the world so it comes as nothing new. The former Smith's lead singer evokes passion from his audience and its nothing to take lightly.
IS PASSION MISSING FROM OUR MODERN DAY AUDIENCE?
There wasn't a rush of people on stage at the Morrissey event in Royal Oak, Michigan. There were just a couple of people in the front who could not contain their joy. This was nothing like the videos you see on Youtube where Morrisey is attacked onstage while singing "Sister I'm A Poet" or The Smiths classics like "How Soon Is Now".
This was a pretty subdued audience in comparison to earlier shows. Part of that reason is that the show was in a small venue. The audience was in awe of their pop superstar and were glad to get this close to the Alternative rock star legend that is Morrissey.
Moz has picked up a cult-like following and it's attributed to the bizarre lyrical themes he employs into his songs. Morrissey explores jealousy, love, envy, one-sided love, death, love in the afterlife, murder, hatred, and it touches all of humanity. In much the way politics shocked the Punk Rock phenomenon Morrissey has taken the human emotion into unexplored musical territory.
His music is now in sharp contrast with society and the establishment's restraint on human behavior. Perhaps, seeing that up close, and the way the staff handling of it was enough to make Morrissey pissed off and end the show.
One could say that he was overreacting but in the bigger context of things it makes sense. Right now we are facing lockdown for a mysterious virus in light of the empty hospitals in New York, Detroit, and the shut down of the entire state of Michigan. In Michigan's supposed darkest hour the ever bizarre Governor Whitmer is getting limelight from Saturday Night Live and getting press for a rap single instead of focussing on her job.
What Morrissey flipped out about actually has bigger consequences at the end of the day. And to be quite fair, some consequences are bigger than others.
ICONIC MUSIC !!
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