PHOTOS BY JACKIE ROMAN

Brit rock's most angsty elder statesman Morrissey sweated and swayed through a diverse set spanning both his solo career and Smiths highlights at the Hammerstein Ballroom last night (Oct. 22), the first of his five-date engagement in the Big Apple. The motley crowd (as heterogeneous as the setlist, running the gamut from graying Smiths devotees to the young and gothic) was warmed up by the wails of Moz's hand-picked operatic opener Kristeen Young, channeling a more agro Kate Bush. When he finally strutted out on to stage, Morrissey quipped, "Welcome to Madison Square," by way of apology for tour dates he canceled there over the summer due to illness.

Though he opened with the Smiths cocky classic "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before," no one dared take the song's suggestion, even as he flew through recognizable favorites like "Sister, I'm a Poet" and a moody version of "Death of a Disco Dancer," the stage dappled in shadows. Ever outspoken, Morrissey peppered his patter between songs with messages both social (the noted vegetarian calling for the end of "the McDonald's Empire") and political (endorsing Barack Obama, and his "nice teeth"), though some of the rowdier audience members in the balcony seemed more concerned with his physique than his politics, shouting repeatedly "Take it off!" The crowd got their wish during "How Soon is Now," when Moz ripped his (second) drenched shirt off and flung it to fans in the front, before reappearing in a black tee emblazoned "Je suis Morrissey" for his encore, a high-spirited version of "Last of the Gang to Die," embellished by Michael Farrell's trumpet. Perhaps the back of Moz's tee says it best: "It's Morrissey's town, we just live in it."  

We asked: The last few years have brought about some memorable Morrissey covers, both on albums and in concert, by artists like Colin Meloy, the Libertines, the Killers, and My Chemical Romance. Which artist or group would you most like to hear cover Morrissey, and which song would you request?

Name: Christopher Amamm
Age: 33
Hometown: New York, NY
Occupation: Technical writer
"Johnny Hartman doing 'Yes, I Am Blind'…he was a jazz singer who played with Coltrane. He had a sultry, sultry voice."

Name: Ryan Dunsmuir
Age: 40
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: Art director
"I heard Belle & Sebastian do 'The Boy with the Thorn in His Side,' so I guess I'd hear that again. It was kind of perfect."

Name: Craig Wats
Age: 40-something
Hometown: New York, NY
Occupation: Artist
"An early Smiths song done by the Pet Shop Boys! They've done some great covers."

Name: Michelle Gerber
Age: Mid-20s
Hometown: Queens, NY
Occupation: Teacher
"Thom Yorke -- any Smiths song, not Morrissey."

Name: Sope Phang
Age: 26
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Painter
"I'd love for the Prids to cover any number of songs."

Name: Raechel Legakes
Age: 32
Hometown: Valley Stream, NY
Occupation: Painter
"I don't really like Morrissey covers…I'm a purist!"

Name: Wesley Griffin
Age: 30
Hometown: Austin, TX
Occupation: Sales
"Bjork…'Now My Heart Is Full'."

Name: Polymnia Michaels
Age: 26
Hometown: New York. NY
Occupation: Teacher
"David Gahan from Depeche Mode on 'Ouija Board, Ouija Board'."

The Smiths troubadour dressed to impress / Photo by Jackie Roman

Morrissey ringleading his tormentors at the Hammerstein Ballroom / Photo by Jackie Roman

A Mancunian moper no more / Photo by Jackie Roman

Surely now his heart is full / Photo by Jackie Roman

Fans heart the Mozzer / Photo by Jackie Roman

Opening Act Kristeen Young / Photo by Jackie Roman