“It’s like rain, on your wedding day…” Ironic, Alanis Morissette
Good thing it’s not my wedding because oh boy, did it rain pretty much non-stop that night. Jumu-julanis Morissette. Filipino wit at its finest.
The “uninvited” drizzle was coming down in sheets, but that didn’t stop fans from flocking to the Mall of Asia Arena for Day 2 of Alanis Morissette’s ongoing world tour as presented by Ovation Productions. The Canadian singer-songwriter and frequent flyer to the Philippines was once again in town for two nights to celebrate the 28th anniversary of her iconic album, Jagged Little Pill.
I was expecting the crowd to arrive later than her 8 PM show because of the weather. Filipinos, however, tend to be early when it comes to two things: going to the airport and going to concerts of their favorite artists.
The crowd was a diverse mix of, for the lack of a better word, generations—from young adults to parents with their mostly grown children in tow. Many of them had been fans of Morissette since her breakout success that began in 1995 and it’s possible that many of them had seen her previous late 90s concerts here at the Araneta Coliseum and the Folk Arts Theater.
Eager to see her perform her classic hits live, no amount of rain or any weather disturbance can prevent fans from catching the concert that was originally scheduled in 2020 but had to be canceled and rescheduled thrice as a result of the pandemic.
As earlier announced, Filipino singer-songwriter Ice Seguerra opened the show with an inspired acoustic set that includes his signature song, “Pagdating ng Panahon” and surprise covers like the Eraserheads’ “Ang Huling El Bimbo.”
Seguerra’s performance was well-received and provided the audience with frenzied anticipation for the main event that was about to follow in a few minutes.
The arena went wild as the next part of the show began with a lengthy video montage that highlighted key moments in Morissette’s storied career including her beginnings as a matinee idol in her native Canada. As the video segued to the thunderous riff of “All I Really Want,” the opening track of Jagged Little Pill and one of the singer-songwriter’s most recognizable tunes, Alanis sounded exactly like she did 28 years ago or maybe even better, in my opinion—as if she ate the CD of the recording.
Not surprisingly, the numerous Titos and Titas of Manila at the concert venue sang the night away with Alanis like they were transported back to their younger years during this epic night.
A palpable sense of joy and excitement filled the air as Alanis performed more of her classic hits from her best-known album including “You Learn,” “Head Over Feet,” “You Oughta Know” and of course, her biggest hit, “Ironic” sang mostly by the crowd as they did with the aforementioned tunes that effectively transformed the Arena into one oversized karaoke bar.
If there’s one thing that Alanis and other visiting foreign artists can count on is that Filipino fans will sing songs in their entirety and not just chant a specific part.
Even deep cuts like “Not The Doctor,” “Mary Jane” and “Right Through You” have their own set of fans. Throughout the show, Alanis delivered a spirited performance, baring her soul as each song was evidently sung from the heart.
When she pulled out her harmonica for a solo in “All I Really Want”, or how she did a guitar solo with one of her guitarists, the crowd roared, hollered, and clapped—encouraging her to just keep going.
And of course, that voice. Even when she pulls her microphone away from her mouth to hit those delicate high notes, Alanis still resonates with just the right amount of vocal control to keep things on an even keel.
During her short breaks, Alanis would interact with her fans and say how amazing it is to be back in Manila. You could see her glowing as she scanned the crowd — who are all visibly in awe as they marvel at the sight of their musical hero right in front of them.
My favorite part of the night was when crowds would shout, “We love you, Alanis!,” “Whooooooo, Alanis!”, or just plain “ALANIIIISSSS!!!!!”.
Nearing the end of the show, the band would play different musical renditions of ‘Your House’, and she would shyly say, ‘No, no’ if it doesn’t feel right. For the final rendition, you could hear the mellow sound of the guitar, the soulful sound of the trumpet, and the tender strains of Alanis’ lower register.
For her final encore, fans were treated to screenshots of tweets and posts relating to their experiences of gratefulness with the hashtag #ThankYouJLP25 (back when Jagged Little Pill celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2015) as Alanis performed “Thank U.”
It’s a fitting coda to an otherwise unforgettable concert experience, made even more memorable and yes, somewhat ironic, by the rain that everyone in attendance had to brave through that night.
Image credits: Denise Vina
REVIEW | ‘Uninvited’ rain fails to spoil Alanis Morissette’s rendezvous with Manila fans
Source: News Paper Radio
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