CONCERT REVIEW: Morrissey, Central Park, New York City

- Patrick Carmosino

The quiff is dead!

When Morrissey first set stage this evening, it was difficult to telll from where we were whether it was him or an impeccably dressed Henry Rollins. Amazing how the absence of a flapping pomp can change the visuals so drastically because that's about all that has changed in 14 years time - though this evening certainly was arch evidence that it is the song, not the singer.

Opening up with the title track from his latest opus, Maladjusted (Mercury), the song proved to be one of only three or four from the new lp to hold anyone's attention for any amount of time (except for the bobbing sycophant all too visible stage left). That's really sad at this stage of the game because Morrissey heroically revived his career in 1991, not with the horribly boring Kill Uncle but with a follow-up tour that reminded all those concerned what was so charming about this man in the first place.

Perhaps violating the Smiths' taboo by performing "Paint A Vulgar Picture" and "Shoplifters Of The World Unite" made things better and worse at the same time. Their placement in the set made the shabby songs look all the more shabbier (although material from his two previous outings ( Vauxhall And I and Southpaw Grammar ) was riveting and stood up well. But were these played out of self-acknowledgement of a fantastic catalog or sheer desperation and patronisation? The performance is certainly still there but this time it will take a brilliant album that avoids self-indulgent spoken word diatribes rather than stage redemptions to save our Mozzer.