Adventures and Dinosaurs

Might as well write about Morrissey, since I’m waiting for my dad in the hotel, and German Art Attack is getting boring.

On the way to the gig we decided to get some dinner. I’m not sure if it’s the local cusine or just pandering to tourists, but there are steakhouses everywhere. I decided the best way to precede a Morrissey gig is with a big plate of ribs, and they were good.

After a short trip on the delightful underground we got to Gasometer, a huge complex in a disused gasworks. There’s a shopping center, cinema and apartments in there too, but we just went to the venue. It’s a pretty cool room, though a bit of a cavern… It’s kind of like a cross between the Hordern and Home (for the six months that they decided that they wanted to be a live venue). Sound was good though, and the crowd were very into it.

Doll and the Kicks were on first, and they were good, if not a little bland. They played some good upbeat pop, but for much of the set it seemed kinda like The Grates without the sense of whimsy and playfulness. Singer is a bombshell though, so they’ll get more hype.

Between acts it was pure Morrissey. While the band set up, a big screen covered the stage, projecting old scenes from black and white films, rock and roll videos (ie. New York Dolls), and an amazing Lou Reed interview from Sydney in the 70s. And before long the curtain dropped, the man himself walked out, and they launched straight into This Charming Man. The next 80mins was non-stop awesomeness, with plenty of Morrissey singles and a surprising amount of Smiths material (Ask, Girlfriend In A Coma, How Soon Is Now?, Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others, and Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want, which damn near brought me to tears). Morrissey’s voice is still amazing, he’s a great showman, and his band is tight. Well worth seeing.

Today is my last day in Vienna. I’m gonna hit the modern art museums. Hooray!

Before coming here I read that Vienna was a bit inaccessible to tourists and the locals weren’t always too kind. Don’t know where that came from because this whole city, at least centrally, seems to work solely on tourism. In fact I’m finding it hard to find much that isn’t tourist oriented, though it’s pretty hard to tell after only a couple of days. Plus, it’s getting kind of hard to explore properly, but once I kick it on my own in Rome that will be a bit different.

We checked out the orchestra which was kind of nice, though kind of underwhelming… I’m as far from an expert on classical as you’ll get, but felt sterile. And all the selections were upbeat pieces that have been robbed of their impact (to me at least) by years of cinema, television, lobbies and call waiting tracks. I like to be moved when I hear classical, and this didn’t move me.

Today we saw the living areas of some of the old royals and an exhibition/museum for Sisi, one of the most interesting royals. It was pretty interesting, I found Sisi way more identifiable than I’m used to with historical figures.

Time to rest, before seeing Morrissey tonight.