How Long Is Morrissey Concert?
Morrissey’s concerts’ duration:
Cult music lovers who have a chance to visit a concert with the famous English singer Morrissey should prepare themselves for a performance that will let them hear the unique voice and texts of the artist. But how long will this experience take? Please continue reading to get information about how long Morrissey’s concerts usually last.
The average length of full Morrissey performances is between 75 minutes and 2 hours. This means he is able to sing about 20 to 25 different songs within the night performance. Of course, this may vary from one tour to another and may also differ in different venues that the band will perform in. Arena shows may tend to be slightly longer, while theater performances may be relatively shorter, depending on the script. There are also occurrences of extreme values when Morrissey performs more than usual in a specially organized event or festival show. However, you can rely on minimum of seventy-five minutes of music, and it most probably will be bordering ninety minutes.
Length Over the Years
Morrissey’s early solo shows after the Smiths split in the early 1990s were much shorter in duration. He was frequently a support act during this time, which limited his performances to around 45 minutes in some instances. This left him only 12 to 15 songs for the quick sets.
During shows that headlined mid-sized venues, his concerts were longer than an hour or more. He might perform for 65–75 minutes, with the possibility of up to 20 songs. Fans, at last, had the chance to see his versatility in terms of singing and performances throughout the concert during this period. Some of the gigs were more layered, with Smith's hits blended with the incredible selection from the growing Morrissey solo discography.
During the 2000s, when Morrissey embarked on several global tours in support of new records, it was not uncommon for him to perform 20 or more songs and for the concerts to last 75 to 90 minutes or more. At some special shows, he had even exceeded the two-hour mark into the show. This set the precedent on what concertgoers could expect as far as length of the show in the future was concerned.
Tours & Fantasia Shows
On Morrissey’s tours in the more recent dates of the 2010s and beyond, the duration of a show has stretched to ninety minutes. When he performs, he always ensures he includes some new song but does not forget to include some songs fans have been listening to for many years. Concerts of the recent past, such as in his 2018 Low in High School Tour, have had durations that are less than 90 minutes, but also not too far from this figure.
Of course, Morrissey still has a penchant for playing marathon sets on occasion as well. A concert in Carnegie Hall in New York in 2016 was perhaps the most extreme, with as many as 33 songs in 125 minutes of performance, which even by the standards of Jagger can be considered a record. He also performed a few two-hour concerts when touring for his 2019 album of cover songs titled California Son.
Still, 75–90 minutes is standard, but die-hard fans are aware that Morrissey is capable of going way over that if the feeling is right. Or, when he is particularly interested in the venue or event, he has the habit of allowing concerts to go into the wee hours.
Why Is Set Length Important?
When attending one of Morrissey’s performances, knowing how long the show will last for is beneficial for several reasons. As for the opening acts, he tends to share time more or less equally. Thus, fans of the opening musicians can get an idea if they might get 30 minutes or a full 45 minutes based on the estimated time of Morrissey’s set.
Of course, the concert-goers also get some idea of the time they will leave the place on a particular day. It allows them to schedule when they need to travel, when they need to arrange for a baby-sitter, when one has to be at work the next day and so on On the other hand, while everyone prefers an extra-long Morrissey concert, though it is always a pleasant surprise, it can be a rude shock to some people, depending on their circumstances.
Set length also informs fans the probable number of familiar Morrissey and Smith hits they would expect to listen again along with new tracks or B-sides. The audience is luckiest when they get to watch the very last longest shows, where even the most careful listeners catch some rarely sung songs before the show ends.
What Impacts Set Length?
Another factor that can influence the length of the length of the concert is whether the show is part of a tour or part an album promotion. Concerts scheduled for the release of new songs usually consist of more new songs than previously released songs. However, these tours also generally do not have to conform to venue restrictions on how long a performance can take. Morrissey has more flexibility to give his fans longer set times, particularly if he has particularly generous schedules.
The standalone one-off shows also give far more opportunity for shorter and longer shows. In the case of a festival performance, for instance, 20–30 minutes may be enough for a performance in the setlist. But special concerts at legendary halls are one of those events that can result in rather long performances of Morrissey.
Of course, the man himself can also be considered a giant variable in the equation. Morrissey also determines how long the set is and which songs are performed. But if he is fully charged and loves the approval of the crowd, he could go on for many more sets than what had been planned. But if he has a difficult night vocally, he could scale back even before those parts of the show, when most performers would normally wind down.
This is, of course, true but venue constraints and curtailment of operating hours also play a part. An encore is not possible everywhere; however, you can always sing a song for the second time with the band. But even if Moz is chomping at the bit to keep a magical evening going, set time cannot be extended as such in some places.
Expectations for Morrissey Sets
Given hundreds of concerts during the past few decades, one can always expect 75–90 minutes of pure classics, whether old or new, at a typical Morrissey gig today. The setlist should cater for fans who have followed the group for a long time while at the same time incorporating recent tracks. And there’s at least a modest chance the show goes significantly longer on any given night, at Morrissey’s discretion.
So, it would be wise to be prepared for a normal night with a length of 75–90 minutes of entertainment to avoid any problems. There is also the ability of the special shows to last almost two hours for a rather nice bonus. Most of the fans are aware that, at times, due to Morrissey’s creativity, one could anticipate the unexpected. However, one must note that he left behind a rich portfolio in music, and fans who had the privilege to attend his concert will never forget the experience and the goosebumps it gave.
