Legendary British rock singer Morrissey performs Oct. 9 at the Hult Center, though he arrives in Eugene in the doghouse with much of his once-loyal fanbase.
(As an aside, in his autobiography, Morrissey shouts out his only other show in Eugene, at McDonald Theatre in 2002, calling it an all-time favorite.)
The trouble started when the beloved former Smiths vocalist outed himself as a post-Brexit British conservative. Like many, Morrissey’s views hardened during the pandemic, with a series of increasingly tin-eared racial comments and anti-mask, anti-lockdown rhetoric — less traditional Tory, more “gilets jaunes,” the French populist yellow vest movement from around the same time. None of it fits neatly in right- or left-wing politics, but encompasses aspects of both and is most certainly anti-establishment. Put another way, it’s MAGA with a different accent.
We asked Eugene fans if Morrissey’s political turn affected their decision to buy a ticket. One trans woman joked, “local trans woman pelts Morrissey,” an animal-rights activist and vegan, “with cheap BAR-S brand hot dogs at Hult Center stage door, runs away cackling” (She’s staying home). She also asked not to be identified “because of the political landscape” and her identity.
Morrissey, 66, denies he’s right-wing but simply supports free speech. OK, Boomer.
Former Eugene Weekly reporter and current contributor Henry Houston will be at the show. “He intentionally obfuscates his politics, like his sexuality and relationships,” Houston says of Morrissey. According to Houston, the only thing that you can really trust about Morrissey is his word on animal rights and vegetarianism. “And we’ve got a lot bigger problems out there than debating whether Morrissey is a part of a right-wing party in Britain,” Houston says.
Morrissey’s music still means something to Houston. “In other words,” he says, paraphrasing The Smiths lyrics, “‘if a ten-ton truck kills the both of us, to die by his side, well, the pleasure and privilege is mine.’ At least, we can all agree with him that everyone should be kind to animals — or else.”
(I’m a longtime ardent fan, and I’ll be there, though I am disappointed in his politics. It’s hard to see your young poet hero go paunchy crooner, but alas, here we are. Now I know how Neil Diamond fans felt.)
So, how’s the music? Morrissey’s eccentric baritone is as strong as ever, and while his stage performance has softened, he still knows his angles when the spotlight hits him.
His recent setlists, peppered with Smiths classics like “How Soon Is Now” and “Shoplifters of the World Unite,” are delivered with passion, and newer songs like “Life is a Pigsty” and “I Will See You in Far Off Places,” the rare pop song written from a place of empathy for the social and political situation in the Muslim world, still crackle.
Moreover, a Morrissey concert is far from a political rally; instead, it puts the contradictions of his political stance on full display. In his pre-show video montage — no opening act — he champions James Baldwin, for example.
His last album, 2020’s I Am Not a Dog on a Chain, with libertarian overtones intended, has its moments, but came and went without much impact.
According to Morrissey, he has two completed albums that record labels refuse to release. Perhaps, as he suggests, it’s because of cancel culture — or maybe it’s simply because the famously difficult singer has finally burned his last bridge in the music business.
Beyond Eugene, the Morrissey faithful continue to flock to his concerts. AK Raza is flying to Eugene from New Mexico for his 50th Morrissey show since the late 1980s. In 2004, he traveled as far away as Morrissey’s native Manchester, England, to hear him sing. “It was four days of total Smiths/Morrissey immersion — I’ll never forget it. I just can’t get enough,” Raza says.
Morrissey performs 8:30 pm Thursday, Oct. 9, at the Hult Center. Tickets begin at $49.95. The concert is all-ages.