CHICAGO — Organizers of Riot Fest have reportedly drafted multiple social media updates in the likely event Morrissey, prolific songwriter and former frontman of the Smiths, will cancel as the September concert nears.
“Knock on wood, I guess, but as far as preparation goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Just a whiff of an all-beef Chicago-style hot dog could put him on a plane halfway to Manchester, not to mention how fast he’d dart if he walked in on Angine De Poitrine shoving Italian Beef sandwiches into their mask holes,” Adam Johnson, a social media intern for Riot Fest, rationalized. “What if his hotel is within a mile of the L and it’s loud, what if deep dish freaks him out, what if his distorted reflection in the “bean” pisses him off, what if he expects more from the Sears Tower or cities on lakes are simply not to his liking? These drafts can help us get the message out quickly to fans that knew something like this was bound to happen.”
Morrissey’s team reached out expressing grievances about the precaution.
“Listen, having a roughly twenty-some percent cancellation rate just means his show-up rate is around eighty percent; that ain’t bad!” claimed Mozz manager Steven Christopher. “If it was a batting average, he could go start for the Cubs! Are there easier musicians to work with out there? Absolutely. Is it possible to be a musician and have an ego that’s a little more grounded? Probably. Is it possible to go on tour and not get the flu? Maybe. Can you tell me who these singers and bands are that don’t have these issues? Could you write them on a list with contact info? Could you get them to sit down with me? Do you know if they’re happy with their current representation?”
Morrissey super fan Jennifer Davis offered some potential benefits of a canceled Morrissey show through personal experience over the years.
“Madison Square Garden July 2007, I had non-refundable tickets to New York City. I went. I met my husband at Morrissey night at Sway lounge. Fenway Park last year, we walked the Freedom Trail in Boston. We experienced history we would have never done if the show had happened. We tell fans to keep an open mind, don’t blame that beautiful sad genius, and find your happiness!”
We reached out to Morrissey, but he rescheduled the call, and then postponed the make-up call, and then canceled that call because his phone was in a “catatonic state.”
