I'm Throwing My Arms Around Canada

How can I possibly find the words to write a fancy opening sentence when I am this excited? Last Tuesday, I woke up to the news that Morrissey has announced an 8 date (now 9 date!) Canadian tour, and I’ve been racing around in my own giddy little heart-eyed world ever since. Here in West coast Canada, the snow is finally melting, the sun casts its sparkle, and life is feeling a tad more springy, especially with this longed-for announcement. Even though Moz announced  last year on Central that he would be returning to Canada, tangible dates (and tickets) make this feel so much more real. And oh - how this round of ticket buying was quick-clicking, clock-ticking, high-friction drama... these tickets went fast, often catapulting coveted pit tickets out of grasp immediately. In fact, I think both of the Toronto shows sold out within minutes. As stressful as this made two of my mornings last week, I wouldn’t change it for the world. It’s clear that Canada loves Morrissey.

As of the day of writing, the tour dates are:

April 14: Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver BC (Just added!)

April 15: Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver BC

April 17: Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary AB

April 18: Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton AB

April 20: TCU Place, Saskatoon, SK

April 22: Centennial Concert Hall, Winnipeg, MB

April 26: Sony Centre For The Performing Arts, Toronto, ON

April 27: Sony Centre For The Performing Arts, Toronto, ON

April 29: Mtelus, Montreal, QC

Remaining tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.ca

Tour poster via @officialmoz on Twitter

To put into perspective how huge a 9-date tour is for Canadians, here is a list of dates Morrissey has historically played in Canada throughout his solo career:

July 5^th, 1991: Vaughan, Ontario: Kingswood Music Theatre. Kill Uncle Tour.

October 28^th, 1991: Vancouver, British Columbia: Pacific Coliseum. Kill Uncle Tour.

September 15^th, 1992: Toronto, Ontario: Maple Leaf Gardens. Your Arsenal Tour.

October 5^th, 1992: Vancouver, British Columbia. Your Arsenal Tour.

September 12^th, 1997: Toronto, Ontario: Massey Hall. Maladjusted Tour.

September 13^th, 1997: Montreal, Quebec: Theatre St-Denis. Maladjusted Tour.

October 2^nd, 1997: Vancouver, British Columbia: Orpheum Theatre. Maladjusted Tour.

February 16^th, 2000: Hamilton, Ontario: Hamilton Place Theatre. Oye! Esteban Tour.

October 12^th, 2004: Toronto, Ontario: Humming Bird Centre. You Are The Quarry Tour.

... which is 9 dates total over 14 years. Us Canadians aren’t used to such a long visit, and this is joyous news indeed. Partial proceeds will be going to various animal charities including: Vancouver Chicken Save, Vancouver Fur Animal Save, Calgary Cow Save, Alberta Farm Animal and Horse Save, Regina Pig Save, Winnipeg Chicken Save, Manitoba Pig Save, Toronto Cow Save, Toronto Fish Save, Toronto Fur Animal Save, Ottawa Farmed Animal Save, Hamilton Animal Save, Newfoundland Fur Animal Save, and Nova Scotia Mink and Fox Save.

“We are here to save as many lives as possible.” - Morrissey

The news (via National Post) that Gail Shea will not be in attendance at any of the gigs is disappointing to no one, but I not-so-secretly hope the pie-in-the-face video of her (courtesy of Peta protestors), might make an appearance in the pre-show videos. Let’s be honest, the pie-in-the-face is an improvement for Shameful Shea.

A new tour – and – according to the Vancouver Sun - new songs from upcoming albums stir wonder about setlists and, naturally, Morrissey’s fashion looks. Being the Moz fashion aficionado I am, I decided to take to Twitter for a poll, with the following options:

Deluxe Shirt

Dashing Cardigan

Debonair Jacket

Other (Please Specify)

Jacket pic by Raph_PH:
www.flickr.com/photos/raph_ph/40763828031/in/photostream

It was a very tight race, and I am also pleased to say most other votes were specified, which isn’t always the case. Let’s look at the results:

Out of 103 votes, Other was a distant 4^th, with only 7% of 103 votes, Debonair jacket came in 3^rd place with 28% of the votes, Dashing cardigan (my heart!) came in 2^nd with 31% of votes, and – with 34% of the votes – Deluxe Shirt took first place.

Write-ins were as follows:

His own merch (this is a very handsome devil look on him!)

(Return of the) Gold Shirt

Maple leaf (very naughty!)

Je Suis Degrassi t-shirt

Floral brocade suit (as seen at Milan fashion week)

Tux

Priest

... I think there were more – but this is getting to be a lot of costume changes.

The most popular write-in was for Canadian Tuxedo (aka Double Denim) - this is not an easy look to wear well, but Morrissey most certainly dons it with incredible style.

As write in votes became increasingly exotic, I’m surprised no one mentioned the locker room hockey jock look – as Canada is a big hockey country. In fact, the NHL's Winnipeg Jets even have a player named Josh Morrissey! Morrissey has been known to wear football (soccer in North America) jerseys on stage, so we shall see. As for my vote, considering that much of Canada can still get rather chilly in April, particularly in the evenings, I think knitwear, especially cardigans, would be a very dapper – AND smart wardrobe choice!

Meanwhile, today, on the day of writing, Morrissey has released a swoonworthy snippet of a track from California Son on Spotify: a cover of crooner Roy Orbison's It’s Over.

Spotify pic via @JulieHamill

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In memoriam:

The last time I saw Curtis, at Tropicalia Festival in November, we had a really wonderful day and talked about how excited we were for a potential Canadian Tour. That day is one of my favourite memories. A devoted Morrissey fan at heart, he will be missed. Here are Morrissey’s words about Curtis:

https://www.morrisseycentral.com/messagesfrommorrissey/curtis-butler-has-died

One Of Our Own