Now. Right now. This weekend. That’s when tickets for many dates of Morrissey’s summer tour go on sale.

As you may remember from our review of his latest LP, Ringleader of the Tormentors, we’re extremely big on Moz these days. This album, fast on the heels of You Are the Quarry, delivered the follow-up to the most powerful one-two punch of his career. In “Life Is a Pigsty,” from Tormentor, the former Smiths frontman added to his legacy with a colossal mope epic, the scale of which exceeds anything in his solo catalogue: thunderstorm sound effects, somber piano and synth washes, and then magnificent breakdown—complete with tympani—leading into an entirely new part of what is in essence a suite. Oh, and just to cap it all off, some of the best lines he’s ever written: “You can shoot me, and you can throw me off a train/I still maintain, I still maintain life is a pigsty.”

Seeing Morrissey perform live is a quasi-religious experience, and because his cult is a remarkably diverse phenomenon, the sensation spreads across the entire crowd, mopester, fratboy, East LA gangbanger—you can never predict the audience, but you can always count on leaving the place practically shaking with Morrissey’s particular brand of rock and roll fervor. With his music and confidence at new peaks, the time to see Morrissey is now. (He also throws in a few Smiths’ tunes these days.) And with an artist whose goal is a sort of group catharsis, large scale outings are a rare plus in Moz’s case, so his recent successes—allowing him to play venues like Madison Square Garden here in NYC—will make the concerts that much sweeter. In the current, splintered music scene, artists genuinely worthy of adulation and also able to create a large-scale experience are rare. With the possible exception of Radiohead, there is probably no other Gen X or Y act to fit that bill like Morrissey. Don’t miss out.

As an added bonus, Morrissey is bringing a handpicked opening act called Kristeenyoung. Moz discovered the combo by accident while recording Tormentor. His  producer Tony Visconti was reviewing a video he was working on with Kristeenyoung, not having realized Morrissey had come into the room behind him. Morrissey asked them to accompany him on his European tour, and now U.S. audiences will get a look.

Morrissey’s 2007 U.S. tour, with ticket on-sale dates:
 
April
Fri 27 STOCKTON, CA : Bob Hope Theater - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Sat 28 SPARKS, NV : John Ascuaga's Celebrity Showroom - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Sun 29 SPARKS, NV : John Ascuaga's Celebrity Showroom - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

May
Tue 1 OAKLAND, CA : Paramount Theater - Onsale 12 noon, March 31

Wed 2 SANTA ROSA, CA : Wells Fargo Center - Onsale 12 noon, March 31

Sat 5 SPOKANE, WA: INB Performing Arts Center - Onsale 9 a.m., March 31

Sun 6 SEATTLE, WA : Paramount - Onsale 11 a.m., March 31

Tue 8 SALT LAKE CITY, UT : E Center Ford Theater - Onsale 11 a.m., March 31

Wed 9 DENVER, CO : Fillmore - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Fri 11 OMAHA, NE : Orpheum - Onsale 5 p.m., March 30

Sat 12 MILWAUKEE, WI : Riverside - Onsale 12 noon, March 30

Mon 14 ANN ARBOR, MI : Michigan Theater - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Tue 15 CHICAGO, IL : Auditorium - Onsale 11 a.m., March 31

Thur 17 CLEVELAND, OH : Playhouse Square Center - Onsale 10 a.m., March 30

Fri 18 COLUMBUS, OH : Palace Theater - Onsale 10 a.m., March 30

Sun 20 INDIANAPOLIS, IN : Murat Center - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Tue 22 ST LOUIS, MO : The Pageant - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Wed 23 KANSAS CITY, MO : Uptown Theater - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Fri 25 DALLAS, TX : Palladium - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Sat 26 AUSTIN, TX : Backyard - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Mon 28 HOUSTON, TX : Verizon - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Wed 30 EL PASO, TX : County Coliseum - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Thur 31 TUCSON, AZ : Music Hall - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

June
Sat 2 PHOENIX, AZ : Maricopa County Events Center - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Sun 3 SAN DIEGO, CA : Bayside Concerts - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Tue 5 VENTURA, CA : Majestic Ventura Theater - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Wed 6 RIVERSIDE, CA : Riverside Municipal Auditorium - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Fri 8 LOS ANGELES, CA : Hollywood Bowl - Onsale 12 noon, April 1

Sat 9 LAS VEGAS, NV : Pearl - Onsale 12 noon, March 31

Sun 10 BAKERSFIELD, CA : Rabobank Arena - Onsale 12 noon, April 1

Tue 26 BOSTON, MA : Bank of America Pavilion - Onsale 10 a.m., April 2

Wed 27 NORTHAMPTON, MA : Pines Theater - Onsale 10 a.m., March 30

Fri 29 PHILADELPHIA, PA : Mann Center - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Sat 30 NEW YORK, NY : MSG - Onsale 10 a.m., April 23

July
Mon 2 VIENNA, VA : Wolf Trap - Onsale 10 a.m., April 14

Tue 3 BALTIMORE, MD : Rams Head - Onsale 12 noon, March 31

Thur 5 ATLANTIC CITY, NJ : Borgata - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Fri 6 HOLMDEL, NJ : PNC Bank Arts Center - Onsale 10 a.m., April 23

Mon 9 NORFOLK, VA : The Norva - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Tue 10 KNOXVILLE, TN : Tennessee Theatre - Onsale 10 a.m., March 30

Thur 12 CLEARWATER, FL : Ruth Eckerd Hall - Onsale 10 a.m., March 30

Sat 14 BOCA RATON, FL : Mizner Park Amphitheater - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Sun 15 ORLANDO, FL : Hard Rock Live - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Tue 17 JACKSONVILLE, FL : Morocco Shrine Auditorium - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Thur 19 BIRMINGHAM, AL : Alabama Theatre - Onsale 10 a.m., March 31

Fri 20 ATLANTA, GA : Chastain Park - Onsale 10 a.m., May 21

Sat 21 MYRTLE BEACH, SC : House of Blues - Onsale 11 a.m., March 31