Morrissey - Who Put the M in Manchester DVD Review:

Concert DVDs can often be thrown together with no real heart attached to them, because it is never the same as actually being at the show in person. While I am certain that attending the concert in person would have been even more amazing, The “Who Put the M in Manchester” DVD captures the essence of the show with remarkable accuracy that I have yet to see with any other music DVD.

Filmed at Morrissey’s homecoming/birthday show in Manchester, England, this concert DVD is a striking piece of evidence of how talented the man really is. Mixing Smiths singles with his own songs, Morrissey is able to croon without losing his punk edge. Never having experienced Morrissey in this way before, I was personally taken aback at the raw intensity in which he captures the essence of loneliness. On DVD later, and I am suddenly a Morrissey fan.

It may have been because it was his forty-fifth birthday, or it may have been because it had been so long since he had been on stage, but I think that somehow it was more than that. There is something awe inspiring about the whole show, and the DVD captures it all. To further enhance the mood the light show is filmed with sharp precision, and some of the best camera angles are used at perfect moments, choreographed with the concert and its emotional peaks.

The concert was filmed by Bucky Fukumoto from A/V Club, who also directed Morrissey's three music videos for this album, all of which are included as DVD extras. In the special features are an extra concert, two promo videos, and two music videos. There is also a random PETA documentary which doesn’t really have much of a place on the DVD.



Ryan Izay