A Morrissey concert ended abruptly after his adoring fans stormed the stage in Dallas, leaving a bodyguard injured.
The ugly incident happened as the 65-year-old singer-songwriter — who claimed former bandmate Johnny Marr “ignored” a lucrative offer to reform The Smiths — was nearing the end of his show as a solo artist at Dallas’ Fair Park Music Hall Saturday night.
He had just come out to perform the encore, complete with his mesmerizing baritone vocals, for a rendition of First Of The Gang To Die from his album You Are The Quarry (2004), when a young woman casually jumped onto the stage.
Seemingly aware that Morrissey fans wanted to touch him at his concerts, a security guard walked over to greet a female fan on stage but allowed her to get closer to the star of the show, who then replied with a hug. , as reported by TMZ.
Copycats quickly jumped on the moment, with another young lady who happened to be standing right in front of the Everyday Is Like Sunday performer and had a clear and easy path to hop onstage for a hug.
Morrissey, 65, had to interrupt his concert at Fair Park Music Hall in Dallas, Texas on Saturday evening, November 2, when fans stormed the stage
A fan’s jump on stage to hug the singer set off a number of copycats, causing him to be escorted out and the show to end.
Seeing their success, a young woman used her speed to run towards Morrissey (born Steven Patrick Morrissey), but a second security guard sprinted across the stage to intercept her, but not before touching her musical hero.
Fan after fan then started jumping on stage, but the final straw came when a guy shot at it and things got a little crazy.
When the situation really started to get chaotic, fans from both sides of the stage began rushing forward to meet the native of Davyhulme, Lancashire, England.
At this point, Morrissey found himself in the middle of three security guards and three fans all grabbing him, which was starting to get a little scary.
Despite this, he reached out and touched at least one of the men and the lady, before eventually being led off stage as the band continued to play the encore song.
It is relatively common for fans to run on stage and try to hug Morrissey during his concerts, as it is often seen as a ‘rite of passage’ for devoted fans.
Many fans see physically reaching out to Morrissey as a way to express their deep admiration and connection with him.
It turns out that there was at least one casualty when one of those security guards was crippled trying to push one of those people away from Morrissey.
During the encore song, a female fan casually walked onto the stage as the security guard let her hug Morrissey and then sent her back down.
The British artist remained calm as fans tried to greet him
It is relatively common for fans to run on stage and try to hug Morrissey during his concerts, as it is often seen as a ‘rite of passage’ for devoted fans
Many fans see physically reaching out to Morrissey as a way to express their deep admiration and connection with him.
Eventually, things started to get chaotic and security started to intercept the stage crowds
The former frontman of The Smiths continued to sing as the crowds began to escalate
Ultimately, Morrissey was escorted off stage by a security guard and the show ended
You could see that bodyguard limping off the stage, clearly unable to put his full body weight on both legs, probably with a knee or foot injury.
Another stage hand ran to the injured man and escorted him to safety backstage.
As the frontman of The Smiths, Morrissey turned heads with his trademark quiff and witty and sardonic lyrics during their reign in the alternative rock world, releasing studio albums between 1982 and 1987.
He deliberately avoided rock machismo and cultivated the image of a sexually ambiguous social outsider who embraced celibacy with songs such as What Difference Does It Make? Girlfriend in a coma and started something I couldn’t finish.
Morrissey had only just begun the final leg of his tour on Halloween, two days earlier; with the next show scheduled for Monday, November 4 in Little Rock, Arkansas
After going solo amid the strife in The Smiths, Morrissey has released 13 solo studio albums, with the 14th – Without Music the World Dies – still pending.
This leg of Morrissey’s tour just kicked off on Halloween, two days before the Dallas show, and is expected to resume Monday with a show in Little Rock Arkansas.
It is scheduled to tour the East and Midwest through November 23, ending with a concert in Waukegan, Illinois.