Alanis Morissette, Manchester Arena. 30th June 2022

Alanis Morissette was never really cool in the UK was she. Ridiculed for a unique voice and misunderstanding the concept of irony, I feel she didn’t really get a fair crack. She’s not helped her cause by cancelling and rescheduling gigs at the last minute for Leeds and Manchester either, leaving many fans annoyed and out pocket. Even so, ‘Jagged Little Pill’ was a massive album in the mid 90s and you know what, the songs really stand up. I know this record really well, my other half was obsessed with it and I must’ve heard it hundreds of times. We’re here in the Arena tonight to hear it celebrated after 25 (now 27, damn pandemic) years. Often with these anniversary gigs, the artist whips through the album in question in full, then plays a second set of ‘other’ songs to flesh out the time and justify the ticket price. That second set can often be a drag. Lemonheads I’m looking at you. Alanis though is doing things differently. The whole album is here, but out of order and peppered in around songs from newer records (that I’ve never heard). This works well though. Granted it’s helped by playing plenty of songs everyone knows to start. ‘All I Really Want’ is a catchy little sod, but I’ve got to admit sounds a little bit thin from the upper tier of the Arena. ‘Hand In Pocket’ fairs better though, helped by a massive singalong. One my faves ‘Right Through You’ follows. It’s a bit moodier and her voice still sounds brilliant (if you liked it to begin with of course). Things are about to take a softer turn though as ‘You Learn’ fades out and we get into the ‘other’ songs, they seem to be used as mere buffers though and ‘Forgiven’ quickly follows. This was always my least favourite and I’m quite happy to hear it through the concrete walls as I pay for a pricy beer. ‘Mary Jane’ is the first time to hear her really unleash. Even if she wasn’t saying she had laryngitis last week, it’d still be impressive. The soundman has sorted things out too meaning it reaches every nook and cranny. I’m tempted to skip over the songs I don’t know, but ‘Reasons I Drink’ sounds okay. It’s a different sort of sound, not as indie, a bit more of a filled out anthem, but the crowd do noticeably fall quiet. Fear not though, here comes ‘Head Over Feet’, which I’m informed we played at our wedding as the second song. It’s a gig that’s all terribly nice and safe, but you know what, sometimes that’s okay. Her performance on ‘Perfect’ reminds me a little of Janis Joplin. I’ve no idea if this is in anyway intentional, but there’s a raw control to it and again her voice is stunning. I get that she’s a bit of a marmite artist, but live she’ll stop the doubters in their tracks. We’re an hour in now and the gloves are loosening with ‘Wake Up’ before being destroyed by ‘Not the Doctor’. It’s the perfect set up for the incoming ‘Ironic’ that lands wonderfully. The weight of expectation releasing throughout the vast room. I know this song gets a lot of flak, but listen to it with thousands of voices singing along (in a mostly female crowd) and it does sound awesome. There’s very little chat, next to none, but as ‘Ironic’ tingles spines, old tour footage plays on the screens, with Taylor Hawkins playing in her band, before the reel finishes with a commemoration, it’s subtle and thoughtful. There’s more filler, before ‘You Oughta Know’ brings the noise and my watch informs me for the first time that I’m in a ‘Loud Environment’. I’m surprised I can hear the band over the crowd, but I can and it’s fucking brilliant. She really should close with it, but instead we get a weird medley of bits from the hidden track on JLP in a variety of different styles. It doesn’t work. At all. ‘Uninvited’ follows, I don’t know it, but I like it’s grungy dirge sound. It’s pretty cool and the lighting guy sits in the strobe button for the end coda. After just over 90 minutes, the set closes with ‘Thank U’ which I guess is a nice sentiment. I’m not going to say everyone should revisit Alanis Morissette and reevaluate, but if you liked her in the 90s, rest assured she’s still got it. There’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure and this was well worth the wait.