CHARLOTTESVILLE
In the 13 years since Alanis Morissette became a superstar, catalyzed by an acidic kiss-off to an ex, she’s won seven Grammy awards and sold more than 55 million records worldwide.
Instead of coasting, as she easily could, she’s continually churned out insightful, soul-baring work – even if much of it isn’t quite as memorable as her catalog from the late-‘90s.
But despite her success, Morissette, who has publicly matured into the 34-year-old of today, approaches her music – both recorded and live – with an admirable rawness.
That isn’t to say that Thursday’s night’s Charlottesville Pavilion show – the kickoff of her two-month North American tour and a benefit for the Charlottesville Free Clinic—was devoid of flaws.
Her voice dissipated into the air before ever reaching the lawn area on the opening “Versions of Violence,” from her current album, “Flavors of Entanglement.” And, while the somber piano notes of “Uninvited” rang clearly, as soon as Morissette’s five-piece band slammed into the heavy goth-rock that pushes the rest of the song, her vocals were unintelligible.
The saddest casualty of this frustrating mix was “All I Really Want,” an unheralded gem from 1995’s “Jagged Little Pill” breakthrough. It wasn’t that Morissette’s voice wasn’t up to nailing the see-sawing range of the song – the band was simply overpowered her, particularly the funky scratching from her guitarist.
But about 20 minutes into the just-under-two-hour show, the sonic cobwebs were mostly cleared, allowing fans to absorb the emotion in “Not As We,” one of the most unguarded post-breakup songs on “Entanglement.”
Morissette’s voice isn’t the prettiest, but it’s stuffed with character. Her vocal style tends toward warbles and bleats, but on stage, you feel her words, as well as watch her present them.
When blitzing through a charging rocker, such as the also-new “Moratorium,” Morissette, clad in dark clothes, fully unleashed herself on stage. Her mane, which bumps against her tailbone when she’s upright, was utilized as a manic prop, whirled in classic head-banger style as she whipped around the stage like a pony ready to bust through the paddock.
But when the tempo paused for “Not As We” – and any other ballad throughout the night – Morissette stood in front of the mic stand, hands clasped at the wrist, as if ready to recite a poem. Makes sense, since many of her songs are basically intelligent diary entries set to music.
Prior to the highlight of the show – a five-song unplugged set – a rolling cadence ushered in an almost unrecognizable “You Oughta Know.” Rather than furiously pound through the song and fume like a bitter spurned lover, Morissette slowed it down a touch, making her snarling words sting even harder.
With 13 years of history behind “Oughta,” it’s still a bracing anthem of empowerment that has already been cemented in the rock history canon.
But as well as Morissette rages, she’s also quite intriguing in the simplest of setups. With her band scattered around her with acoustic guitars, a piano keyboard and skeleton drum set, she sat on a tall wooden stool with her legs crossed and strolled through some hits and welcome album cuts.
“Hand in My Pocket,” that song of reasonable contradictions, resulted in a majority sing-along from the crowd of a couple thousand. Meanwhile, 1998’s “Unsent,” which she called the “scariest” song she’s had to share, and “So Unsexy,” from 2002’s “Under Rug Swept,” exposed Morissette at her most vulnerable – and relatable.
Plugging back in for “Ironic,” which sounded like the biggest crowd favorite of the night (guess we’ve forgiven her for all of those not-exactly-ironies in the song?), and the appropriate closer of “Thank U,” Morissette looked happy as she flashed peace signs and stalked the stage in her black knee-high boots.
If her crew can rectify those sound issues for the rest of the tour, she – and her fans – will have plenty to smile about.
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