MADONNA and Simon & Garfunkel might be heading for Manchester in the coming months, but Morrissey back on stage in the city for the first time in 12 years was the most eagerly anticipated show of the year.

All 16,000 tickets for his gig at the MEN Arena on Saturday sold in under an hour, such was the demand to see the return of Manchester's prodigal son and the pop star most inextricably linked to the city.

That the show happened to coincide with the singer's 45th birthday made the event just that bit more special.

What an occasion it turned out to be. The show was reminiscent of Elvis's 1968 comeback concert, with a huge neon sign that spelt out Morrissey's name dominating the stage like the one used by the King himself.

Like his hero Elvis, Morrissey has perfected the art of the "big intro" and built the anticipation to such an extent that by the time he strode on to the stage like a colossus, it was already game, set and match for Morrissey.

Fans of Morrissey are a breed apart from followers of other big-name stars. For a start, they transcend normal fandom, behaving more like "disciples" that gather to worship all things "Mozza". Many of the audience were in a trance-like state from the start. It felt as if you were part of some huge religious gathering.

Certainly, few if any artists hold sway over their audience in the same way that Morrissey does. Several of the keenest fans made valiant attempts to reach the stage, only to be thwarted by security guards.

Morrissey cuts a much fuller figure these days, which may be in part due his easy Los Angeles living of the past few years. But vocally, the former Smiths front man was in fine fettle.

The set list was made up of tracks from his excellent new album "You Are The Quarry", which went straight into the charts this week, songs from his previous solo albums, an obscure 1980s cover, and a light sprinkling of Smiths classics such as "Shoplifters Of The World Unite".

The singer and our most culturally significant lyricist of modern times seemed to be having plenty of fun too, stopping to tell the audience that "it's been the nicest birthday I've had so far", and joking that "I feel very good and can't believe I'm 29. Where did the years go?"

As he left the stage at the end of "normal time", Morrissey removed his sweat-drenched shirt and threw it into the crowd, which sparked a frenzy. Morrissey returned for his usual single encore, delighting all present with an inspired rendition of "There Is A Light" from the album "The Queen Is Dead".

His parting shot to the crowd was: "You've made a happy man very old. Whatever happens, please don't forget me".

Like we ever could. A glorious return.