BY: MELISSA MASON

Moz hit the Tucson Music Hall on May 31 with Kristeen Young, and a front row view gave this casual fan a lesson in obsession.

My brother Matt phoned a few weeks back and gave me the news... he scored front row tickets in the pit for Morrissey's Tucson show. He's an ardent fan. Me? Morrissey has unquestionably been interlaced throughout the backdrop of the goth/industrial scene, something I was intimately entangled with through my involvement in local nightclubs. I never bought his albums, but I had no need to. I knew I'd hear his stuff at least four times a week while out and about. In the world of nightclubs there exists a small bank of songs that can be counted on for use as floor-fillers. In this coveted collection are a few hits from the legendary Morrissey, past front man of The Smiths. His ubiquitous hits can be heard with as much regularity now as when they were first released.  

My brother, along with several other people I  know, are complete addicts. I've never felt that way about Morrissey, but being aware that so many other people did, I knew I should take advantage of my brother's awesome ticket-scouting abilities and see the borderline-mythological character for myself.

Kristeen Young opened the show. I'd heard some of her material beforehand, and thought it reminiscent of Kate Bush's haunting, quivering voice, Tori Amos's minor chord-laden piano playing, and opera singer Sarah Brightman's theatrics. I was wondering whether or not she could pull off the same sound live. Turns out she's one of those genius performers who was clearly a piano prodigy and her progressive, in-your-face-but-gorgeous vocals could turn a man honest in no time flat. Her dress was futuristic and dramatic (with what appeared to be plastic soda-pop rings making their way down her arms and under her short chiffon dress), as she clearly took a cue from the Björk costume camp.  And despite being compared to so many wonderful, talented women, she held her own, as her own.  Her shirtless, muscle-clad drummer did a great job, though she was clearly in the spotlight and was all business. She was intense, powerful, and I'd recommend listening to her music when you feel like no one else "gets" you, because you can bank on the fact that she's written about it.

After Kristeen's set, the new backdrop revealed three curtains, each adorned with the same large black and white photo of James Dean. The five members of the backing band took their positions, each wearing the matching goldenrod slacks and blue button-down oxford shirts. It was like Morrissey had a set of groomsmen backing him up. (I thought maybe they'd bust out with some "West Side Story" moves, but I was wrong.) When the man himself sauntered onto the stage, the crowd gave one of the most eager and audible welcomes I've heard in Tucson in quite a while. He jumped right in with "The Queen is Dead" and the people in the front went crazy. These people were grabbers. And Morrissey enjoyed the hands pressing towards him. For a little bit he stayed out of reach, but eventually he shook the hands of anyone in the front desperate enough to want to cop a feel of his sweaty palms. I, too, got caught up in the melee. Fans began taking it a step further by jumping on stage, lunging for the legend himself. It seemed so Beatles-era and very foreign to me. I guess I only thought I was obsessed with certain bands. These people showed me a thing or two in that regard. I decided to pay my respects and participate in the hand-grabbage. It worked. He gave me a nice, firm shake. Have I washed that hand yet? Yes. Did I consider not washing it? Naturally.

As I mentioned, I've never bought an album, so the set list remains somewhat of a mystery to me, other than the oldies-but-goodies, such as "Everyday is Like Sunday," "Girlfriend in a Coma," and "How Soon Is Now?" Regardless of whether I knew the song titles or not, his voice was spot-on and terrific. I was so caught up in how caught up he was in himself, that even if he didn't sound all that good, I honestly wouldn't have noticed. As for the band? They were top-notch, every last one of them. They produced the same sounds that made the familiar hits, well, "familiar," and were able to sprinkle in their own twists to showcase individual talent.

Overall, it was insanely entertaining and I was thrilled I decided to take my brother up on that front row ticket. And I have a guitar pick to frame, because I need to practice obsessing somehow. I figured that'd be a good place to start.

Melissa Mason, a Tucson resident since 1994, has been attending concerts regularly since she was five years old. She is a self-proclaimed live music junkie who got her start in the Tucson music scene in 1997 by helping out deejays with everything from promotion, music selection and booking bands in various venues, most recently at Asylum Nightclub. She can be seen feverishly scribbling notes at several shows a week. As an aspiring bass player, she spends inordinate amounts of time staring at bass players' hands. Read more about her concert shenanigans and view upcoming show dates at her MySpace.