Pine Knob was packed to the brim for a Tuesday night, but only someone like Alanis Morissette could get a bunch of Gen Xers and Millennials out for a concert in the middle of the week.
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been nearly 30 years since Morissette released her seminal album “Jagged Little Pill,” an album that spawned hit after hit and turned Morissette into a household name.
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Luckily for the folks who saw her at Pine Knob on Tuesday night, she performed nine songs from “Jagged Little Pill,” giving fans exactly what they wanted. But before we get into Morissette’s set, let’s talk about the openers.
Morgan Wade took to the stage first, and her growling voice and alt-country style of music made for a great opener. I wouldn’t mind seeing her at a show just by herself in the future.
Next up was Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Jett did a fantastic job of reminding the audience that she’s a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, because wow, did she have a lot of hits to play. You almost kind of forget that she has that many songs that are still bangers today.
From “Do You Wanna Touch Me” to “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” she certainly got the crowd at Pine Knob warmed up. The highlight was “I Love Rock ‘N Roll,” which instantly brought me back to Britney Spears’ cover of the song for the 2002 life-changing movie, “Crossroads.”
Everyone was feeling pretty good once Morissette took to the stage. She opened with “Hand in My Pocket,” and that turned all of Pine Knob into a giant choir. It pretty much stayed that way the entire night, especially when she played a song from “Jagged Little Pill.”
Other hits from that album that she performed, like “Right Through You,” “Head Over Feet” and “You Learn” took me right back to listening to that album when I was a kid. I may have only been three years old when it came out, but watching the music video to “Ironic” is one of my earliest music memories. Plus, that album is just so timeless. Those songs are still being played on the radio today.
Speaking of “Ironic,” that was probably the best moment of the night for me. Finally getting to sing that song live with Alanis Morissette in concert was a bucket list moment.
The acoustic portion of her show was a bit of a slog if I’m being honest, but I think it’s just because the rest of the night was so electric. It also just proves that Morissette is entering the witchy era of her career. She’s always had a little bit of Stevie Nicks in her, but this felt the spirit of Stevie Nicks is in her during this tour, especially since the name of the tour is called The Triple Moon Tour. She twirled and spun on stage and it was witchy and wonderful all at the same time.
The most memorable moment of the night had to be when she performed “You Oughta Know.” Every single person at that venue has screamed the lyrics to that song at some point on their lives, if not every single time they listen to it. It was almost cathartic to sing the “you, you, you oughta know!” portion of the song with thousands of strangers.
The entire night was incredible, and Alanis Morissette has just gotten better with time. You could just tell after leaving the venue and walking to the car that everyone had just seen their favorite concert of the summer. Here’s to more touring from Morissette, who still sounds just as good as she did 30 years ago.