The Santa Barbara Bowl played host for Alanis Morissette, who unleashed her intensely powerful show last Thursday.
The Canadian rocker, known for her game-changing 1995 album, Jagged Little Pill, thrilled the packed house in Santa Barbara.
Donning a sequin-lined gray blazer and black skinny jeans, Morissette hit the stage playing a harmonica and singing “All I Really Want.”
Gone was her trademark long, thick hair for a more contemporary vibe and very short hairstyle.
Always bold and strong, Morissette takes a deep, introspective look into herself, her life and the culture that surrounds her. The intensity revealed in her lyrics is adored by her fans, who sang along to her tunes all night — often at a loud pitch.
She used a technique of holding the microphone at a long distance from her mouth, almost as if she were a ventriloquist as she belted out classic song after classic song. She owned the stage, strutting from one edge to the other, voicing her lyrics using her unique falsetto singing range.
Morissette covered all of her big hits from her multi-Grammy-winning album that sold more than 33 million copies, Jagged Little Pill. Her 18-song set included the sing alongs “You Learn’,” “Hand In My Pocket,” “Ironic,” “You Oughta Know” and the show-closer “Thank You.”
Morissette looked and sounded on point as she showed confidence in being the survivor as a mother, artist and performer.
— Steve Kennedy is a Noozhawk contributor. The opinions expressed are his own.