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Last night at a BrooklynParamount full of Gen X, millennials, & Gen Z fans, Manchester, England’s guitar genius Johnny Marr played his first NYC show since opening for The Killers at Madison Square Garden in 2022 (where I saw fellow Smith Andy Rourke played bass with him for the final time; last night Marr touchingly dedicated quintessential The Smiths classic “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” to his “best buddy Andy” as the final encore) and first headlining appearance since 2018, and Marr, already anointed as the most brilliant guitarist of his generation for his time in The Smiths and non-stop collaborations (Talking Heads, Billy Bragg, Kirsty MacColl, The The, Pretenders, Neil Finn, Hans Zimmer, The Cribs, Modest Mouse, Billie Eislish…), was on fire in a 17-song set with his very tight backing band since 2013 (with two members of underrated Manchester-via-Cornwall Britpop band Haven, whom Marr produced).
Marr honored his legacy with six Smiths gems and two singles from his post-Smiths supergroup Electronic with Bernard Sumner of New Order & Pet Shop Boys, with adjusted tempos, improvised solos, and a neat trick of nailing his own equally distinctive vocals for co-written material that other lead singers made famous (inspiring multiple crowd singalongs), all highlighting Marr’s irrepressible, inexhaustible, ever-improving journey to connect with people in the present moment with his music. Adding to the fun was a first encore of Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger” with co-headlining opener James lead singer Tim Booth, dancing the “la la la la la la la la” night away as this unmissable tour continues.
But, despite the acknowledgment of his glorious past and the overflowing appreciation of the audience when hearing treasured faves, Marr remains committed to exploring new sounds and songs, and he was as invigorating with his solo material as with Smiths classics, resulting in many great moments, from the gliding riff of “Easy Money” to the moody brightness of “Hi Hello” to the slow burn synth strings swirl of new song “Somewhere” from 2023 best of solo compilation LP Spirit Power.
In fact, there were several solo songs I wish he would’ve included (“European Me,” “New Town Velocity” “The Messenger” and something from the recently reissued *Healer*s LP), because Marr remains a rare talent who doesn’t rest on his laurels, but keeps pushing for a clearer distillation of the perfect sound in his mind.
Setlist
Armatopia
Panic (The Smiths song)
Generate! Generate!
Spirit Power and Soul
Hi Hello
This Charming Man (The Smiths song)
Somewhere
Walk Into the Sea
Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want (The Smiths song)
Bigmouth Strikes Again (The Smiths song)
Night and Day
Get the Message (Electronic song)
How Soon Is Now? (The Smiths song)
Easy Money
Getting Away With It (Electronic song)
Encore:
The Passenger (Iggy Pop cover) (with Tim Booth)
There Is a Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths song)
Opening for Marr, 42 years after forming in Manchester, England (and touring with The Smiths in the mid-‘80s), James is still making impassioned music that integrates rock/pop/folk/opera/jazz elements. They were in top form celebrating their first non-compilation UK #1 LP with 2024’s Yummy_ (their 18th studio LP!).
As a live nonet (expanded since I first saw them at Webster Hall in 2014), James is an undulating force of sound and motion, with booming singer Tim Booth as anthemic ecstatic dancing M.C., leaping on to barriers and wading through the crowd to bond with fans, while longtime members Jim Glennie bass/backing vocals, Saul Davies guitar/violin/backing vocals, David Baynton-Power drums, Mark Hunter keyboards, Andy DiagramTrumpet trumpet/backing vocals, *Adrian Oxaal guitar/cello and recent additions Chloë Alper vocals/guitar and Deborah Knox-Hewson drums/percussion/vocals/guitar flow through the unexpected twists and turns of the compositions, flowering into soaring choruses that inspired singalongs on hits old (“Sit Down,” “Laid,” “Sometimes”) and new.
Setlist
Sometimes (Lester Piggott)
Life’s a Fucking Miracle
Mobile God
Born of Frustration
Zero
Shadow of a Giant
Out to Get You
Way Over Your Head
Laid
Beautiful Beaches
Sound
Sit Down
