Review: Hammerstein Ballroom, NYC - 22 Oct 2007

Morrissey, performing the first of five nights at Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. (Newsday / Ari Mintz)

BY GLENN GAMBOA | glenn.gamboa@newsday.com
2:57 PM EDT, October 23, 2007


It would be easy for Morrissey to be one of those singers who seal themselves and their music away in an artistic time capsule, emerging every so often to relive the glory years and rake in some dough by trotting out exactly what fans want to hear.

Truth be told, in the late '90s, that seemed exactly where he was headed, rolling out some, half-finished, half-hearted albums and a whole lot of reissues.

But since the release of "You Are The Quarry" (Attack/Sanctuary) in 2004, Morrissey has been as vital and relevant as his days when he was leading The Smiths. And on his current tour, which sets up shop at Hammerstein Ballroom through Saturday, Morrissey has not only returned to the top of his game, but it seems like he has discovered all new ways to play.

There are moments in his 90-minute set that are so stunningly fresh and original that they make you forget that some of these songs are well-worn classics that are more than two decades old. Crafting another version of "How Soon Is Now?" is a bit like re-inventing the wheel, but this tour's attempt is aggressively new, with additional bite to the guitarwork and a thunderous close of gongs and feedback that command new attention.

His five-piece backing band, led by longtime collaborator guitarist Boz Boorer, pack new punch into the rockabilly-tinged "The Loop" and the once-lilting "Sister, I'm a Poet." While Morrissey's early work was known for its often pretty, florid guitar jangle, these days, it's more muscled, glam-rock grind.

The new song "All You Need Is Me" is a grand example of the band's leaner, rockier new sound, owing more to Morrissey's beloved New York Dolls than the "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now"-era Smiths.

Along with the sound, Morrissey, who was in fine voice, as usual, is also tinkering with context – pushing together songs from throughout his career to build a new, timely political message. "Death of a Disco Dancer," with its new, psychedelic Beatles' edge to match the "Love, peace and harmony... very nice, but maybe in the next world" chorus, was followed by a reworked "Irish Blood, English Heart," with the new line, "I've been dreaming of a time when the Americans are sick to death of Republicans."

He capped it off with a rousing version of "Shoplifters of the World Unite" that served as another of the evening's highlights, a moment that can stand against any in Morrissey's impressive career.

There was a bit of a letdown in the air before the show, as it was originally supposed to be his Madison Square Garden debut this summer. (Morrissey even jokingly said, "Welcome to Madison Square.") That was soon forgotten, though, once the band kicked into gear and Morrissey showed that, as improbable as it sounds, his best days may still lay ahead of him.