Arts & Culture
Solo Acts
Two legendary frontmen play consecutive shows at the Meyerhoff.
It’s one thing to see your favorite band blast through a raucous set of its greatest hits. It’s another thing entirely to see a reined-in, intimate set from a prolific lead singer in a symphony hall. This month, the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall hosts two indie-rock icons back-to-back: Jeff Tweedy of Wilco (June 9) and Morrissey of The Smiths (June 10).
“We got really lucky with how the tour dates landed,” says Toby Blumenthal, manager of facility sales at the Meyerhoff. “Jeff Tweedy has always been on our list, and to have Morrissey here—just wow!”
The founding member of rock band Wilco (and, before that, a member of alt-country band Uncle Tupelo), Tweedy, pictured, tours frequently as a solo artist, playing unscripted, acoustic sets. Morrissey, rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and singer of English rock band The Smiths (which broke up in 1987) and is currently promoting his tenth solo album, World Peace is None of Your Business.
“Musically, they are obviously very different,” Blumenthal says. “But I am sure there is some kind of influence from The Smiths for Jeff Tweedy. Opportunities to see artists like these two don’t happen often in Baltimore.”