Morrissey live in Knoxville review: The light that never goes out

Time changes us all. It certainly has with Morrissey, both personally and professionally. There was a time in the 1980s when the performer still hated the recording industry, but record companies would have taken a chance on anything he or his former band, the Smiths, did. They made great songs that following generations will continue to discover and adore.

The Smiths' last studio record came out in 1987, and Morrissey's first solo album was released the following year. In other words, the Smiths' five years of existence still tend to overshadow Morrissey's 36 years as a solo artist. Generally speaking, that is.

The key to Morrissey's devout fanbase and his live shows, though, is there is no "generality" to it. Arguably the greatest lyricist of his generation does not exist for folks who do not care for his music; he is the only priest of the church of Morrissey, and fans will gladly tithe in order to see the icon. In concert, Morrissey is completely worth it.

Morrissey still delivers excellence in concert after all these decades

One might not agree with his outspoken political views or his seeming arrogance about how he feels about his own lyrics, but that is the other person's loss. The truth is no one has ever penned lyrics such as "Why pamper life's complexity/When the leather runs smooth/On the passenger seat?" on one of the first songs of their career. Lyrically, Morrissey is a genius and he connects with his masses in a way few other performers ever have.

His sound has changed a bit over the years, too. In his heart, he likely always wanted to reach fame sounding like one of the cabaret singers he so dearly loves, but the world no longer works that way. Still, from the less aggressive sounds of his debut album as a solo artist, Viva Hate, he has, over the more recent decades, churned out bangers such as You Are the Quarry and Years of Refusal.

Live, Morrissey mostly follows the bombast of the louder records and it works nearly perfectly. With Morrissey, you not only get his legendary vocals and exquisite words, but you get a proper rock show as well. There are also only a handful of Smiths songs, and that is how it should be. Morrissey doesn't simply play the old hits. Half the show is songs some might not be as familiar with.

Throughout the last run of shows on the current tour, the singer has performed 20 songs, and the shows run about an hour and a half. He still says a few words in between the tunes, but they are mostly funny quips or interactions with the audience. Rarely does he go on a diatribe about anything political or something he finds personally offensive. He delivers a great collection of songs because that is why you are at the show.

He also understands well how to do slightly different takes on more well-known tracks such as "Speedway" and "Everyday is Like Sunday" without changing them so much that they are almost unrecognizable. He augments them. "Speedway" is still loud, and "Everyday..." is still achingly beautiful, but a long-time fan will find something new in the delivery.

There are also the same pillars of what have almost always made Morrissey fantastic live. He still reaches out and touches hands with people in the crowd. Audience members still jump on stage at times to hug the singer. If you were a fan of Morrissey 30 years ago, you would still be a fan now; only you get a lot more new songs that are worthy of being sung by those future generations.

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