Alanis Morissette's PH Concert Is a Love Letter to Our '90s Selves

(SPOT.ph) "For the first time in a long while, I felt young again," a friend said after attending the first of Alanis Morissette's two-night shows at the Mall of Asia Arena on Tuesday, August 1. With younger millennials and GenZs making up most of the workforce today, it's easy for a Gen Xer or an elder millennial to be lost in the younger ones' acronyms and unique slang terms, the multitude of social media apps, and just a different outlook about life. But not last night. We were with fellow titos and titas, the tweens and teens who grew up in the less forgiving decade of the '90s. It was a night of memories and a look back at past successes and failures; but, more importantly, an auditory scrapbook of the last three decades of our lives. Collective sing-along, included.

What went down at the Alanis Morissette concert at MOA Arena:

Alanis' world tour is a celebration of the success of Jagged Little Pill (1995), her third studio album. Unlike the first two, it was released internationally; and the singles immediately topped not only the U.S. charts, but also in Australia and the United Kingdom. And with MTV channel popular as an after-school must-watch in the '90s, it wasn't long before we picked up her songs.

A Manila stop was originally scheduled in 2020, just in time for the album's 25th anniversary—but we all know what happened. The concert was postponed three times, until it was finally announced that a 2023 concert is pushing through. The three-year wait was well worth it.

Ice Seguerra, a '90s icon himself, performed as the front act. Setting up what's expectedly a nostalgic night, he sang equally notable songs from the past: his own "Pagdating ng Panahon" (2001), "Bilanggo" (1995) by Rizal Underground, "Come Together" (1968) by The Beatles, and "Ang Huling El Bimbo" (1995) by Eraserheads. This was followed by a six-minute video montage of Alanis' three-decade career as well as everything that contributed to Jagged Little Pill's (JGL) rise to popularity, from music videos to professional and amateur covers, concerts and tours through the years, and the JGL jukebox musical that premiered on Broadway in 2019. Not to be missed, of course, is the Canadian artist's appearance in the 1999 film Dogma.

Check out Alanis Morissette's concert set list:

The visual look-back was just the right kind of set-up for the carefully curated 18-song playlist, which mostly has tracks from the JGL album. The set started with the angsty "All I Really Want" in all its emotionally charged glory. Immediately, we're sent back to the years of our teenage frustrations and failed relationships. After all, Alanis was dubbed "Queen of Alt Rock Angst" by Rolling Stone back in the day.

We next hear the iconic "I'm broke, but I'm happy; I'm poor, but I'm kind" of the song "Hand in My Pocket". With the fully packed SVIP and VIP sections of MOA Arena, you can say that those who grew up singing these lines aren't broke and poor anymore (or, at least, that's what we'd like to think). Humor aside, "Hand in My Pocket" shifts our gears from the anger of "All I Really Want" towards a more laid-back and optimistic outlook. And for most of us, that was what Alanis' hits were all about: songs that accompanied us through a cornucopia of emotions; and, eventually, calmed us down.

We're then treated to her next hits, most of which are mined through the songwriter's and her generation's personal traumas: "Right Through You" and the all-too-familiar experience of being underestimated and objectified; "You Learn" and dealing with life lessons; "Forgiven" and the dark side of Catholic guilt; "Mary Jane" and falling into depression; "Reasons I Drink" from the 2020 studio album Such Pretty Forks; and "Head Over Feet" and how hard it is to fall in love with someone for the wrong reasons.

Alanis breaks this rundown of negative emotions with "Ablaze," a song she wrote for her kids. Far from the angst of JGL, this song hopes to bring out the joy of parenting. It's a good preempt to the next song, "Perfect," which harks to a world that imposes perfection. And, as is written in many articles already, it's up to us to break this cycle of intergenerational trauma.

What comes next are more empowered and forward-looking hits: "Wake Up," "Not the Doctor," "Ironic," "Smiling," and "You Oughta Know." True fans are well aware of the hidden track "Your House." When played on CD, the a capella comes after a few minutes of silence; and just when you thought the disc has come to a stop, "I went to your house, walked up the stairs" starts.

"Uninvited" from the 1998 movie City of Angels comes up next. As the penultimate song of the set, this song's self-awareness and self-empowerment are just the boost we need—something our future self (technically, our current self) would thank us for.

And with that, Alanis concludes the night with "Thank U" as screenshots of words of gratitude are flashed on the screen. Indeed, after surviving various childhood traumas, the COVID-19 pandemic, and all the emotions—even the bad ones, we have a lot to be thankful for.

More photos from the Jagged Little Pill concert:

Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill Anniversary Tour was held on August 1 and 2 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay City.