Morrissey & Kristeen Young
Friday October 5, 2007.
Ah, Morrissey.
Wait a minute. It’s tempting to note that all reviews of a Morrissey show must begin like that, must reflect on the legend, the inimitable lure of the modern-day Elvis, our own hair looking simply sad next to the greatest pompadour ever. Where’s your gold-lame suit? However, this review is specifically supposed to be about Kristeen Young, so we’ll just list a few attributes of the headliner’s act before going full on into the supporting act, which all took place Friday the 5th at the Palladium in Hollywood.
Ah, Morrissey. It’s been ten years since this reporter has seen you, and what most sticks out is how the young Latino gentlemen pressed themselves together in this amazing wave of flesh, crushing the first row of crowd up against the stage at the Hard Rock Hotel. Since that tour, you took off seven years or so, then released two albums in 3 years in order to reassert yourself. Your legend lives on; there’s a fanbase that will never forget you. Feel free to release music every year or so, just for the hell of it. Feel free to run through a setlist that everyone knows, and that, as you get older, still rocks. And of course, always throw in a few Smiths’ chestnuts to get the crowd rabid and drooling. Most are going to scream, some are going to cry, and a few may even pass out.
We move on to the younger opener- Kristeen Young, heir apparent, apparently, to the PJ Harvey/Tori Amos angry-young-woman-with-brains crown. I know that sounds sexist, but it really is a genre. Look it up. Friday night at the Palladium, dressed up as some sort of fairy and pounding away at a keyboard bigger than a truck, she and her drummer- the only other band member- put on a hell of a show. Somewhat familiar with her most recent release The Orphans (definitely check it out), this reporter, along with the audience, was pummeled by the relentless sonic assault and seafaring lyrical imagery present in her music. Her voice was clear and strong, finding its way through several octaves and carrying us away with her. Her drummer, Jeff White, ran us through the blistering set with his odd time signatures and great patterning. Truly interesting stuff.
Kristeen Young is opening for the Moz at the rest of their Palladium shows, all this week except for Wednesday. Check her out at www.myspace.com/kristeenyoung , or at www.kristeenyoung.com . And of course you can find Morrissey on line at www.myspace.com/morrissey .
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