That’s how it was with MORRISSEY

Cologne, Palladium, June 18, 2025

Welcome reunion

The last time Morrissey was a guest at the same venue was a good five years ago on June 18, 2025. Back then, it was the beginning of the infamous coronavirus era and the evening was to be one of the last before the first lockdown. It felt like an eternity ago, and a lot has happened since then, including around the former singer of The Smiths. He repeatedly attracted attention due to controversies, causing many long-time companions to part ways. Nevertheless, the concert at the Palladium in Cologne was once again completely sold out in 2025. Fans were treated to old classics as well as new, previously unreleased material. So there was plenty to look forward to.

Eau de Cologne?

At around 8:40 pm, after the obligatory 40-minute pre-film at Morrissey concerts with video clips of various of Morrissey’sfavorite artists, the band took to the stage. Given the heat, Morrissey himself greeted us with the carefully chosen words “I like the smell of … Cologne”. And off we went with well-known tracks from his solo phase (“You’re the One for Me, Fatty”) and his heyday with The Smiths (“Shoplifters of the World Unite”). He addressed us again: “I realize you won’t know every song tonight, and neither do I” – and yes, the set had a few more or less new things to offer, such as the punk rock monster “Sure Enough, the Telephone Rings”.

Every day is …

The atmosphere was great and the songs were met with lots of applause throughout. The new tracks were also well received, were sometimes performed sensitively, sometimes bombastically and fitted well into the overall picture, which of course began to shine particularly brightly with the old hits. The fans sang along loudly to the quiet “I Know It’s Over”, which later increased even further with the chorus of “Every Day Is Like Sunday”. A little later, the applause after “How Soon Is Now” was almost deafening. As an encore, “Last Night I Dreamed That Somebody Loved Me” and “Irish Blood, English Heart” provided the most emotional and energetic farewell imaginable to an impressive and, at a good 90 minutes, almost epic-length Morrissey concert, at the end of which the Mozfather tore off his shirt and threw it into the eager crowd.

Epilogue

Especially recently, the question of the possibility of being able to separate art from the artist has arisen many times, and in view of the various statements made in recent years, I was very skeptical as to whether a concert by the man who had shaped my musical development so much could grab me again after all this. The photo conditions, which were then made even worse on site (photo position within the audience on the already occupied gallery), from which photographers and parts of the audience had to suffer, caused further bad forebodings. But from a purely musical point of view, the show today was great with an excellent setlist that, for the first time in many years (actually decades), didn’t contain any major, lengthy dry spells. Nevertheless, the balancing act was and still is difficult for me, but thanks to the convincing vocal and musical performance, I managed it during the gig, with the brief exception of the virus-related announcement for “Scandinavia”. It was therefore a very enjoyable evening, which didn’t make my personal relationship with this exceptional artist one bit easier. Morrissey remains exciting. In every respect.

Text & Photos: Michael Gamon

Setlist:
“You’re the One for Me, Fatty” – “Shoplifters of the World Unite” (The Smiths) – “I Wish You Lonely” – “Rebels Without Applause” – “Sure Enough, the Telephone Rings” – “All You Need Is Me” – “One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell” – “Istanbul” – “I Ex-Love You” – “I Know It’s Over” (The Smiths) – “Everyday Is Like Sunday” – “Life Is a Pigsty” – “How Soon Is Now?” (The Smiths) – “The Loop” – “The Bullfighter Dies” – “Scandinavia” – “Jack the Ripper” – “I Will See You in Far-Off Places” — “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” (The Smiths) – “Irish Blood, English Heart”