Published on July 13th 2004.
So the great showmen died with Sinatra? Wrong. Morrissey is back. Suited and booted and looking as good as ever.
Still opinionated (He claimed to be glad his old headmaster was dead) and keeping a strong hold of the local boy done good persona, he launched into a well crafted set of new and old classics at the Manchester Move festival that most comeback artists dream about and then wake up.
The audience? What a mix! 40-somethings desperately glueing the remnances of quiffs onto receding hairlines. Couples and kids who met the first time around, and young dandies who have just downloaded The Queen is Dead and watch the best of the Tube...
Why was it so good? Because it was genuine and heart felt. The sentiment and intelligence came across in a way that would leave Noel Gallagher more puzzled than usual.
This wasn't just a Smiths by numbers, it was a career artist with a lot still to give, Lyrics with a lot to say and fans with a lot of love.
Morrissey closed with the scintillating Irish Blood, English Heart from his new album You Are The Quarry.
Bouncing balls that spilled your beer and only enough toilets for a cricket team were the only obstacles that need to be overcome, but once you had spent most of your beer tokens it didn't matter.
The queen is dead - long live the King.
Click here to buy Morrissey's latest album on Amazon.