Concert Review
By Stacy Sardelli
Editor in Chief

Bands: Morrissey & Kristeen Young
Location: Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois
Date: 11/21/06

Kristeen Young took the stage first. She describes her music as Rock / Glam / Alternative. She is signed with Morrissey's vanity label, Attack Records (w/ Sanctuary). "A vanity label is a term given to a situation where a famous recording artist is allowed to run a "label within a label" and release music by other artists he or she admires," per Wikipedia. This gal's got it all - an amazing talent, the admiration of Morrissey, and a wealth of beauty.

I'm pretty new to Kristeen Young's work but her voice is that of a rebellious angel's. Powerful and extraordinary, her voice completely seduces you. I found it interesting that her keyboard playing alone expressed much warmth and emotion. It was amazing to me how she turned this electronic instrument into something so "real". The drums are played by "Baby" Jeff White. His style was a delicious accompaniment to hers.

I thought her and Jeff put on quite a good show. The majority of the audience seemed to be into it. There were a few that will come around eventually. So, make sure to check out her music. It's very unique, interesting, exciting, and beautiful. Do you question Morrissey's taste? No, of course not. Her official website link is below the review.

There were some very entertaining vintage film clips shown on a big screen above the stage before Morrissey took it: some great New York Dolls footage, a funny version of the "Twelve Days Of Christmas", James Dean outtakes, Brigitte Bardot, and some obscure stuff.

When Morrissey took stage, wearing a red shirt and black slacks, the crowd went absolutely nuts! Would you expect anything different? The rest of the band, in matching tan and white outfits, took their places. They opened with 'Panic'. The second song was 'First Of The Gang To Die'. Some of the other songs played were 'Girlfriend In A Coma', 'I Will See You In Far Off Places', 'Ganglord', 'Life Is A Pigsty', 'William, It Was Really Nothing', Irish Blood, English Heart', 'How Soon Is Now', 'Everyday Is Like Sunday', and 'I've Changed My Plea To Guilty'.

I have seen Morrissey, as well as The Smiths, live before and I don't recall him being as personable as he was tonight. He was never unfriendly; I just feel like he was much more comfortable opening-up on this particular evening. He spoke to the audience after almost every song. He was kind and funny. He joked about loving only himself (as he made a clean version of a naughty gesture). At one point he thanked the audience "for being you." He spoke of the "American press" and how they don't cover his work. He asked the audience why they think that is. He joked, "No, it's not because I'm crap" (I'm pretty certain he used that term). The audience laughed. He asked the audience again and called out to "Julia" in the front row. She answered, in an authoritative English accent, that "they're (American Press) not sufficiently intelligent." The crowd booed at first but then they laughed. He's does have a point, you know. He also informed us that the quality of the toilet paper at the Aragon Ballroom is much better than it was the last time he played there.

He changed shirts from red, to black, to white. I saw him toss at least one of them into the audience. Hey, I got just under three hours of sleep last night... I can't recall everything. I do recall seeing some skin. Hey, I, like many, think he's a fine looking fellow. Ahh, cheap thrills.

They came out for an encore, performing The Smith's song 'Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want'. Afterwards, they all lined up and took a couple of bows. Morrissey was extra gracious, taking the time to thank each section of the crowd by walking from one side of the stage all the way to the other as he bowed, waved, and made other kind gestures.

This was the only U.S. show this fall. It was held at my favorite venue, The Aragon Ballroom - which is absolutely charming and gorgeous! It was a real treat to see the loyal Chicago crowd ferociously clapping, dancing, and singing along throughout the show. I think we welcomed them and departed them well... proving once again that Chicago always needs to be a stop. Of course, there were many who traveled a great distance to see the show. I had a fairly short drive from Wisconsin, I met one person who flew in from California, and I heard a couple talking about coming down from Canada.

Next time Morrissey or Kristeen Young comes to your town, make sure to get tix!

Links:
Official Morrissey
Official Kristeen Young