12 November 2009
Paris (France), Le Zénith

This Charming Man
Black Cloud
When Last I Spoke To Carol
Is It Really So Strange?
I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
Ganglord
Cemetry Gates
One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell
The Loop
Teenage Dad On His Estate
Death At One's Elbow
Irish Blood, English Heart
The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores
Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself?
Ask
Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice
How Soon Is Now?
I'm OK By Myself
/Something Is Squeezing My Skull
Morrissey threw his arms around Paris, but apparently the French capital didn't really hug back much. The singer was in top form, playful and communicative, but the Parisian audience was not very responsive. Morrissey didn't really let this affect his performance, but he did tease the crowd about their lack of appreciation near the end of the show.

A few changes were made to the setlist. "Because Of My Poor Education", one of the three songs representing latest compilation "Swords", was replaced by another b-side featured on that album, "Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice". The latter number was played here for the first time since early 2007. The other change was also quite notable. The live staple "First Of The Gang To Die", the most played song since its inception on the 2002 tour, was dropped in favour of a returning "Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself". The Sparks cover "Moon Over Kentucky" was on the planned setlist following "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris", but it was skipped.

As he took the stage Morrissey greeted the audience with the line "Paris, the city of lovers... and in the midst of it all, there is me..." After "When Last I Spoke To Carol" he asked "Is it too much?!" After "Is It Really So Strange?" he added to the song's final line, "I could never go back home again", the comment "Which was very handy, because I didn't want to go back home, anyway..." After "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris" he teasingly said "I'm just telling everybody riveting information, I picked up today in Pigalle - would you like to know? (crowd: yes!) Do you ought to know? Can you take it? (crowd: yes!) Yeah? Say what?" He ended "One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell" with the slightly different "so grab me while... while... while..", while scratching his head as if he couldn't remember what he wanted to say.

Following "One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell" Morrissey proceeded with the introduction of the band. As he had done in Nijmegen a few days before, he started by quoting from a Sparks song, but in Paris it was a different one: "This town is big enough for me and Boz Boorer... and playing the bass, for you, is (fan: shouts Solomon's name; Morrissey makes face) Did you hear that Solomon? Very impatient... playing the bass, very well, is Solomon Walker... playing the drums, very quickly, is Matt Walker... always on the fiddle is Jesse Tobias... and playing keyboards, etc, is Gustavo Manzur... Manzur... Manzur..."

Following "Teenage Dad On His Estate" Morrissey had a rant then chatted with a fan: "This is, of course, live music, and having nothing to do, quite naturally, with the music industry, I don't have a deal, they don't have a deal, Doll & the Kicks don't have a deal (fan: 'we have you!') Well, sometimes... not every night... not five times a week. I spread myself very thinly. Would you like to speak? (Morrissey hands microphone to fan who welcomes him to Paris and tells him he's a free man now) Very nice idea, I doubt I'll ever be free, thank you..."

Morrissey changed a line in "The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores" to "you're not wondering how the boy next door turned out", and actually half-spoke-half-sang it in a deeper voice that made him sound like Elvis. After "Ask" he said "You have nerves of steels... nerves of steel... (turns to a shouting fan) Yes, you can ask me, sir, (in French accent) you can ask me. What? Where are you? Yes? Would you allow me to supply a microphone? And a PA system? And an audience? A planet?"

When he returned to the stage for the encore, Morrissey shook a few hands, then turned around to face his musicians. He pretended to count them, as he wanted to make sure they were all there, then joined them in the traditional line-and-bow. In his parting words he had a slight jab at the unenthusiastic Parisian audience: "Thank you for listening... assuming you were listening! It's been a long, hard, filthy war... Why are you laughing? Why are you still laughing? (bends over so he can hear front row fan; repeats after her) Boxer shorts? (Morrissey walks away with strange look on his face)". When he sang the repeated "don't gimme anymore" line at the end of encore "Something Is Squeezing My Skull", he lifted one sleeve and tapped his arm the way it's done before getting an injection.

 


An average sounding audience recording of the complete set is circulated in audio digital format on the internet (recorder unknown). There is a different and better audience recording out there, but it is not being shared for the time being (recorder: Bona)

As for video, a recording mixing video and audio material from recorders Famouswhendead, Bona, Zepzan and Up has been put together by Famouswhendead, but this also has yet to be shared with the larger trading community.

 

Do you have information about this concert? Or do you own an uncirculated recording of it? If yes please contribute and get credited.