It’s expected, sort of like protocol, but it’s still poig­nant to witness the moment when Morrissey tears down his wall long enough for fans to touch him. Suddenly, this man who insists in song that “I’m throwing my arms around Paris because only stone and steel accept my love” reveals himself to be flesh and blood.

At the Citi Wang Theatre on Friday, in front of a full house, that climax came during the encore. “How Soon Is Now?,” a signature song by the Smiths, his old band, is tailor-made for such outpouring: “I am human and I need to be loved,” Morrissey sang on the chorus.