Scenestar

BY CHERYL CHENG
PHOTO BY SUNG KIM

Though Morrissey has probably never seen Jimmy Kimmel Live, he treated his fans to a free appearance on the late night chat show, which is particularly noteworthy given his ticket prices at the Hollywood Bowl.

It was a somewhat surreal experience for Morrissey and the crowd that had gathered for several hours outside, as everyone had to withstand the mindless chatter and the warm-up host who attempted to get the crowd as excited as possible (even Morrissey shot him an bemused glance).

Right before the performance, the camera crew noticed those who had gathered on the roof of a nearby building, where each held letter signs spelling out “Moz Angeles,” a welcome home greeting to the man of the hour. Even Kimmel noted, There has never been more excitement for a band here.

As the audience chanted “Mor-ri-ssey,” the band began to play the opening notes of “I Just Want To See The Boy Happy,” the latest single from Ringleader of the Tormentors. Morrissey appeared unphased by the TV taping, although toward the end, his enthusiastic clapping during the song’s instrumental part flagged, and he gave a semi-exasperated expression.

For the TV show’s ending sequence, Morrissey sang Ringleaders’ first single, “You Have Killed Me,” one of the highlights of the new album. When the taping was finally finished, Morrissey assured the audience that the cameras were now turned off and they could act as natural—or unnatural—as they wanted.

Morrissey then performed “Disappointed,” which was a regular inclusion from his recent Pasadena performances, as well as his love letter to the City of Angeles, and particularly his Hispanic fan base, “Last of the Gang To Die.” In addition to the audio introduction—“Los Angeles, you are too hot”—Morrissey changed the lyrics to “You have never been in love, until you have seen the stars reflect in the Silverlake reservoir.” The personal reference was greeted with enthusiastic cheers.

The last two songs, unreleased “All You Need Is Me” and b-side “The Most Loved Ganglord,” were fine closers, though the audience was probably hoping for more classic tracks.

In the end, Morrissey, as expected, removed his shirt and threw it into the crowd, which descended upon the fabric like a pack of hungry wolves. Kimmel laughed, shocked that people were fighting for a piece of cloth, and he was right. It was insanity. But at the same time, he didn’t really understand how much Morrissey meant to the audience. After all, the musician wrote the songs that saved their lives.