Morrissey Shows He’s Still an Icon of Anguish

In the decade since the Smiths broke up, Morrissey’s musical legacy has had its ups and downs. Without guitarist-songwriter Johnny Marr providing rock-solid musical anchorage for the singer’s sardonic songs about hopeless romance and crushed ideals, his flagrant self-absorption can sometimes grate.

Nonetheless, Morrissey has proven to be a durable pop icon, and when he took the stage at the Greek Theatre on Sunday he was greeted by an adoring sell-out crowd dotted with gaggles of young Morrissey wannabes and devotees bearing flowers.

Backed by a quartet that provided lively yet unobtrusive settings for his melancholy meditations, Morrissey stalked the stage with subdued melodrama that suggested the pathos of an anguished lounge singer. The scant hourlong set didn’t include classics such as “Everyday Is Like Sunday” or “Suedehead,” but the absence of big hits didn’t daunt the audience a bit. When Morrissey and company eventually launched into the Smiths’ “Shoplifters of the World Unite” as an encore, it met with a rousing response.

Unfortunately, the song was cut short when a group of fans rushed the stage, nearly gang-tackling the singer, who was quickly whisked into the wings. Considering how gracious Morrissey had been toward his audience, this intrusion was inexcusable, ending an otherwise harmonious evening on a sour note.

* Morrissey appears Oct. 26 at Bridges Auditorium, Claremont Colleges, Claremont, 8 p.m. $25. (909) 621-8032. Also Oct. 27 at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., 8 p.m. $25. (805) 449-2787; Oct. 28 at Bren Events Center, UC Irvine, 8 p.m. $22. (714) 856-5000.