The first triumph of Morrissey‘s headlining set at Riot Fest was that he showed up to perform it—over the past two decades, he’s established a track record of postponing or canceling tour dates due to pneumonia, respiratory infections, mystery illnesses, and other complications. Fans whose patience has been tested by an artist who seems to have little regard for them often repay that neglect with hostility, but Saturday night’s crowd instead welcomed Morrissey with a collective sigh of relief when he showed up a mere 33 minutes late. It’s quite a strategy—to be so unreliable that your fans give you a pass for only wasting a little bit of their time and money.
