I’ve long thought of The Anthem as Washington, DC’s answer to New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Both are grand theaters accommodating roughly 6,000 people, and both lend a sense of occasion to a concert by the right performer. Morrissey certainly rose to the occasion, delivering a rapturous evening of music to another sold-out crowd.
On Oct. 15, Morrissey returned to The Anthem for his third performance there since the venue opened in 2017. The enthusiastic crowd demonstrated his enduring drawing power at a moment of renewed momentum for the singer. His latest album, Make-Up Is a Lie, marks his return to Sire Records, the label that introduced The Smiths and his early solo albums to American audiences. But Morrissey had much more to draw upon than his new record.
Morrissey opened with “Billy Budd,” from 1994’s Vauxhall and I, before launching into “First of the Gang to Die,” one of his most beloved solo songs. “The Youngest Was the Most Loved” and “Suedehead” followed, establishing an energetic opening stretch and electrifying the packed theater. You could feel the excitement shoot through the crowd at the jangly opening notes of “Suedehead,” and for a moment, all seemed right with the world.
Watch the official music video for “Suedehead” by Morrissey on YouTube:
The first Smiths song of the evening, “How Soon Is Now?,” brought one of the most recognizable moments of the concert. Its hypnotic guitar arrangement and themes of romantic isolation remain as compelling today as when the song first appeared in 1984. The set also included “A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours,” “Shoplifters of the World Unite,” and the heartbreaking “I Know It’s Over,” each demonstrating a different dimension of the songwriting that made The Smiths so influential.
Morrissey also gave considerable attention to his latest album, Make-Up Is a Lie, released in March. The title track appeared alongside “Kerching Kerching,” “Zoom Zoom the Little Boy,” and “The Monsters of Pig Alley.” These newer songs fit comfortably among the familiar material, allowing the performance to look forward as well as backward.
Watch the official music video for “Kerching Kerching” by Morrissey on YouTube:
His earlier solo catalog received plenty of attention, with “Now My Heart Is Full,” “Everyday Is Like Sunday,” and “Irish Blood, English Heart” among the highlights. The latter brought a particularly forceful edge to the evening before the darkly theatrical “Jack the Ripper” closed the main set.
Morrissey returned for an encore of “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out,” one of The Smiths’ most cherished — and, I’d argue, misunderstood — songs. With its sweeping melody and romantic fatalism, the song was embraced as a love letter rather than a darkly comedic note.
Of his three performances at The Anthem, this was Morrissey’s best yet. He was in good humor throughout the evening, even warmly embracing the fans who made their way onto the stage. The stage invaders, for their part, were remarkably polite, seemingly content to share a brief moment with their hero before departing. Above all, Morrissey’s voice was powerful and practically perfect, delivering the songs with the emotional intensity that has long defined his performances.
For the fans who filled The Anthem, the concert was a celebration of the songs that have made Morrissey such an enduring figure in alternative music. More than four decades after The Smiths first emerged, those songs still inspire remarkable devotion.
Unfortunately, music blogs and other news outlets were not permitted to photograph this tour, so we have no photos from the evening. We hope the remarkably photogenic Morrissey will welcome concert photographers again in the future.
