Odds are, many planning to attend Morrissey’s second round of headlining shows at Caesars Palace were on hand for the debut of Viva Moz Vegas at the Colosseum in September. Morrissey delighted megafans who bought tickets for multiple dates of that engagement by mixing up the setlists rather than rolling out a rigid repertoire five nights in a row. General admission tickets enabled dancing in front of the stage, hugs and autographs.

Morrissey has a special relationship with his fans. One biographer described him as The Picture of Dorian Gray in reverse, as in he slowly ages while his fans stay young. His older fans are definitely young at heart when they hear Smiths’ songs and early Morrissey material that dominated the soundtracks of their ’80s youths, and Morrissey did not keep them waiting long to launch into the reverberating rhythm of “How Soon Is Now?” during his last Las Vegas shows.

He’s connected with every sub-generation of disaffected misfits ever since, becoming a musical messiah to appreciative artists such as The Killers, who rode ’80s revivalism to mainstream success. He’s a living Oscar Wilde to an ever-growing family of fervent Mexican fans who find solace and escapism in his romantic universe of wit and wisdom. He had no firm blueprint for success but took to stardom with an ease that made it seem destined.

Morrissey rose to fame with The Smiths in the early ’80s while the band he started with Johnny Marr was still on an independent label, his trademark quiff and inimitable croon distinguishing him from contemporaries. In the U.S., they were considered exotic and underground, with albums only available via import and often snatched up by college radio DJs who played “Panic,” “Hand in Glove” and “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” in heavy rotation. Morrissey’s early solo material from 1988’s Viva Hate and 1991’s Kill Uncle took the sting out of The Smiths’ breakup and set Morrissey on a course that has led to the release of 13 studio albums.

Moz is opinionated. Moz wrote a song titled “Bigmouth Strikes Again” that gets recycled for headlines by British tabloids when he makes controversial remarks. He also continues to make intriguing artistic statements. Electronic music, pedal steel guitar and the spirit of Jacques Brel were present and accounted for on 2020’s I Am Not a Dog on a Chain, while Morrissey sang through a dry, unprocessed microphone with a voice aging most gracefully.

That voice sounded amazing on songs from that album such as “Jim Jim Falls,” “Knockabout World” and “Love Is on Its Way Out” during Morrissey’s first five Caesars Palace shows. Much of the rest of his sets remain musical manna for the faithful. Just imagining “Everyday Is Like Sunday,” “Ouija Board, Ouija Board” and “Shoplifters of the World Unite” played live is enough to saturate the souls of Morrisey devotees with serotonin, let alone actually being there in front of the stage dancing like mad, wishing the night would never end.

Caesars Palace, 8:30 p.m. July 6 & 8-9, starting at $79 plus tax and fee. Ticketmaster.com

Click here for your free subscription to the weekly digital edition of Las Vegas Magazine, your guide to everything to do, hear, see and experience in Southern Nevada. In addition to the latest edition emailed to every week, you’ll find plenty of great, money-saving offers from some of the most exciting attractions, restaurants, properties and more! And Las Vegas Magazine is full of informative content such as restaurants to visit, cocktails to sip and attractions to enjoy.