Canadian native-turned-American sensation and alt-rock goddess of the 90s, Alanis Morisette released her first demo at just 14 years old and eventually became a 7-time Grammy Award winner. Her record-breaking, chart-topping album Jagged Little Pill (1995) sold nearly half a million copies in one week in less than an hour when she was just 20. Today, the album has sold over 30 million copies, and its Broadway adaptation (Jagged Little Pill [2018–]) has received two Tony Awards. The Triple Moon tour features throwbacks to older tunes with visual and musical twists relating to her current life and the world we now live in, one that is so vastly different from when she began making music.
On a steamy July 9th night at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Mass., fans sat dripping with sweat eagerly anticipating Morisette’s arrival onstage. As Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” (1988) flooded house speakers, the entire amphitheater joined together in song. The energy was high, as were the expectations for Morisette’s first tour since 2021.
As the lights finally dimmed and Morisette’s band set up the final touches onstage, a video began to play on the main screen. Hilarious and heartfelt clips were featured in a nostalgic montage honoring her rise to stardom, activism, and impact on the industry as fans cheered and chanted.
Finally, Morisette appeared in full 90s garb: crimped hair, a colorful mesh top, and bright pink corduroy trousers. Much like her outfits, it seemed as though Morisette’s voice — and mobility — had not changed since 1991. Morisette made her way back and forth across the stage through the first three songs, a huge unrelenting smile plastered across her face. Despite her constant movement, Morisette hit every note and remained on key with little to no backing vocals. Nor was she standing still whilst playing the harmonica, which she pulled out at every chance.
Morisette briefly greeted the crowd before descending into an emotional performance of “A Man,” dawning a sparkly silver acoustic guitar. The backing visuals throughout the set remained emblematic of each song, portraying many themes around the elements and rebirth. Morisette seemed to liken her career to environmental and lunar phases, with lots of nature visuals, and space imagery accompanying the tour’s title. Notably, during “Forgiven,” an emotive piece about faith and internal reckoning, stained-glass and cathedral-like visuals projected across the entire screen behind Morisette. Additionally, during “Would Not Come,” which discusses feelings of inadequacy in a male-dominated world, derogatory and insulting words were hidden behind branches on the screen, and similar visuals were shown during “All I Really Want,” a song with the same message.
During her encore, a single spotlight was shown on Morisette as she began singing “Uninvited,” her most emotionally charged and vocally intense performance of the evening. More spotlights appeared every few lines, symbolic of the song’s themes around vulnerability and violation. Earlier in the show, Morisette sent herself spinning at center stage during “Smiling” in a joyous fashion. In contrast, at the end of her performance of “Uninvited,” Morisette again spun around with her arms out, except this time she was not smiling. She writhed onstage, whipping her hair around in a feral, hysteric way. The audience was transfixed by this dramatic physical performance and watched in silent awe. Alternatively, during Morisette’s astonishing vocal performance of “Mary Jane,” the crowd erupted in such a way the entire venue seemed to shake as the sound of Morisette’s sustained notes rung throughout the arena.
Fans were heavily involved throughout the show, projected on the screen in every chorus during “Head Over Feet,” and “You Learn.” Morisette added some personalized lyrics during the aforementioned two songs respectively: “You’re the best listeners, Boston, that I’ve ever met,” and “Wear it out, the way a four-year-old and an eight-year-old and a thirteen-year-old would do.” Fans also added extra emphasis with Morisette as she sang “What a jagged little pill,” in collective recognition and adoration for her now 29-year-old hit album.
When it came time to perform the album’s lead single, “You Oughta Know,” not only was Morisette in a state of total frenzy onstage, but the fans matched her furious energy, and it was at this point that the amphitheater reached its peak sound levels of the night.
Another highlight of the show came when Morisette brought a young fan out to solo the first verse of “Ironic.” The young girl, who introduced herself as Nia, had a fantastic voice despite her nerves and grew more comfortable onstage as she went on, with roaring support from the crowd and Morisette beaming at her side. The two shared a hug before she left the stage and Morisette finished out the performance, not without adding a fan-favorite lyrical twist: “It’s meeting the man of my dreams, and then meeting his beautiful husband.”
Before leaving the stage, Morisette and her band bowed to the crowd with genuine gratitude. Morisette left her fans with a singular remark, “I love you, take care of each other.”
As the massive crowd exited the venue, a mother and daughter held hands beside me, singing the lyrics to Morisette’s closing song, “Thank U.” If one thing about Morisette’s music is clear, it is that it remains timeless and held close across generations. With a new era of pop unfolding in the industry led by artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan, both of whom credit Morisette for their love of songwriting and performing, Morisette’s influence on young aspiring musicians is evident and impactful.
Although much has changed in Morisette’s personal life since her last tour and throughout her long and ongoing career, she remains authentic and committed to bettering herself, her music, and her supporters.
Morisette’s Triple Moon Tour honors and emphasizes the importance of self-discovery, patience, and carrying one another.
For tickets to the Triple Moon Tour, visit https://alanis.com/events
