this morning i took the cbest test, the one that lets you be a substitute teacher. damn that was some easy shit so i had to be a smartass and leave notes all over the test booklet such as, "are you sure this is the cbest and not the ged test? if so i'm worried for the current state of education in this country." after that i went to the oaa building to work on some stuff for the bazaar tomorrow, though by the time i got there they were pretty much done. then tonight it was morrissey(!) but first had dinner at california vegan because we weren't in a rush. i don't have to be in the very front row. in fact we were in the back because the floor, though not empty, was crowded and the very back section is elevated above the general floor so you have a better view. it's the closest i've ever been to morrissey. this should be the third time seeing him in concert but it was the second. the first time, it was at the maritime hall in san francisco and i was in the absolute back row. the second time was at berkeley but the parking conditions so atrocious that i completely missed morrissey's set while trying to find parking! (he was opening for jaguares.)

i was in a bit of debate of whether i should even see morrissey live this time because i loved the smiths but over the years the quality of his solo works is getting poorer. i haven't bought his last 3 albums or so. however, he's playing so many damn dates in LA and it's not like he tours often--he is known to cancel dates or even tours. in fact, 2 of the dates in LA were cancelled due to claims of building maintenance but the fans think it might be due to poor ticket sales. perhaps a combination? anyway, i figure this might be my last chance to see him so i got tickets. maybe if the show was really good i thought i might be able to buy tickets for one of the last nights in LA.

yesterday i read a review of the first night and was pleased to see several smiths songs on the setlist. as we were waiting for the show to start, i still had some doubts about being at the concert but morrissey opened up with a smiths song and i started to get excited. it was "stop me if you think you've heard this one before" where he sings such lines as "i still love you but only slightly less than i used to". i guess that is how i feel about morrissey. the thing about his lyrics (smiths and early solo) is that i don't think i've ever related to so many from one artist before. it's like he's tapping into my soul. i've known several other people who felt the same way. perhaps it's an awkward teenager thing or a gay thing. but as the show wore on, i wasn't too happy with the choice of songs. (i read a review of the second show and i liked that setlist more as some of the songs i really wanted to hear were played.) it was a morrissey show so that means he took off his shirt, wiped his sweat off, and threw it into the audience (twice) and someone did get on stage but there were no masses making it on stage like the "sister, i'm a poet" video. the drummer had a huge drum and gong and i wondered what the hell it was for. he used it at the end of "how soon is now?" and it sounded awesome. then it ended all too soon. the band came back out to bow and played one song for the encore. is that really it? is my morrissey experience over? was it worth it to go again? or do i just wait another 5-10 years? i dunno...

setlist:
stop me if you think you've heard this one before
you have killed me
sister, i'm a poet
i like you
the loop
whatever happens i love you
irish blood, english heart
that's how people grow up
why don't you find out for yourself
in the future when all's well
tomorrow
disappointed
i'm throwing my arms around paris
stretch out and wait
all you need is me
billy budd
london (moz throws shirt off and leaves, returns with fresh shirt on)
dear god, please help me
how soon is now? (moz throws another shirt into the audience)

encore:
the first of the gang to die