Alanis Morrissette

Contributed by Andi Requintina

After being postponed three times, Alanis Morissette is finally back in Manila to delight fans with the “Jagged Little Pill” (JLP) 25th-year anniversary concert at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Aug. 1. 

Alanis churned out hit after hit with soaring vocals that never faltered. She has once again proven herself as the rightful spokesperson for a generation dealing with angst, invincibility, and heartbreak.

Many millennials believe that the 90s was the greatest decade to live in. The art and culture scene was vibrant and full of creativity. In music, hip-hop had its breakthrough artists such as Snoop Dog, Tupac Shakur, and Will Smith; while Kurt Cobain, Blur, Guns N’ Roses, and the Foo Fighters blasted the rock n roll scene. It was also around this time that divas rose to prominence – Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and Cristina Aguilera. 

And then there was, distinctly, Alanis: a Canadian-American emotive singer-songwriter of heartache and angst. While female artists during the 90s thrived in vocal calisthenics, Alanis held her fort through grunge-spirited singing. 

Alanis Morrissette in concert (Images courtesy of Liza Dino-Seguerra)

In concerts, Alanis never wore fancy gowns, and her movements were never choreographed. She paces back and forth, shakes, spins, and bangs her head a lot (seriously we are worried). That's all part of her one-of-a-kind performance. Or how she connects to the universe. Maybe?

On the show’s opening, the crowd was treated to a montage of clips from a gamut of artists, fans, and crew who had made JLP a success, including amateurs who have made covers of her hits. 

Alanis brought along a harmonica to sing “All I Really Want, the opening track of JLP released in 1995. Technically the CD is now 27 years old, the concert was supposed to have taken off two years ago but had to be stalled due to the pandemic. 

Of course, there were the biggies “Hand in My Pocket”, “You Learn” and “Ironic” among the hits of JLP whose powerful messages still resonate. 

“Head Over Feet” had millennials swooning, and the scathing breakup anthem “You Ought to Know” lit up the whole arena. Hearing and singing along to the “f” word in the latter song felt cathartic, we overheard a member of the audience. 

OPM icon Ice Seguerra opens Alanis Morrissette concert

Alanis, 49, was overjoyed to share heartwarming moments with her children while performing "Ablaze." Pictures of her three kids were displayed on the screen during the performance.

While she had no spiel or wasted minutes to tell sappy or sad stories, she profusely thanked the audience after each song. 

For the encore, Alanis crooned to the gothic favorite “Uninvited” from the soundtrack to the Meg Ryan-Nicolas Cage drama “City of Angels” released in 1998. 

“Thank You” was a most fitting finale with messages of gratitude from fans flashing on screen with #ThankYouJLP25 which was heartwarming.

FROM LEFT: Ice Seguerra, Alanis Morrissette, and Liza Dino-Seguerra

The concert of Alanis was an unforgettable night filled with nostalgia, which was further enhanced by the exceptional performance of our very own Ice Seguerra as the opening act. 

Opening with his mega hit “Pagdating ng Panahon” along with versions of “Bilanggo” (Rizal Underground), “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Nirvana), “Come Together” and “Ang Huling El Bimbo” (Eraserheads), Ice warmed the night with his soothing vocals and impressive guitar playing. 

Imagine the magic that would happen if Ice and Alanis collaborated on a project. Who knows?

Alanis Morissette’s "Jagged Little Pill" concert in Manila is promoted by Ovation Productions.