Isn't it Ironic?

By Lynn Saxberg, The Ottawa Citizen

Enough about them, the Hollywood ex and his new squeeze. Sunday night at the National Arts Centre was a chance to reacquaint ourselves with the real Alanis Morissette, rock star, Ottawa gal and the queen of the emotional rollercoaster.

After the sun set on a sunny Thanksgiving Day, the Grammy-winning, zillion-selling artist wasted no time demonstrating her rock-star chops in front of a hometown audience. First, her disembodied voice came through the speakers, and when she finally strode purposefully on stage, one arm raised in greeting, her nimble band was fully cranked.

In a haze of purple lights, the song Univited unfolded with a Zep-like display of majesty; hard on its heels was the equally heavy Versions of Violence, one of the few songs on Morissette's latest disc, Flavors of Entanglement, not directly associated with a break-up.

As the guitars blazed, bass thundered and drums rolled, Morissette carried an air of rock 'n' roll elegance, sporting an outfit that featured tall boots and something dark and sparkly on top. Her long brown hair trailed to her elbows, and neatly trimmed bangs framed her smiling face.

Although she said few words to the audience, the 34-year-old looked to be at ease with her place in the music-industry food chain, no longer stadium material but happy to be connecting with a couple thousand fans each night along the tour. She thanked the crowd, introduced the band members and slipped in a few hometown references.

"I'd like to dedicate this to all Ottawa girls," she said with a smile, because the song in question was the not-entirely-flattering Everything, "and all the people who love them."
The emotional peak of the well-paced concert was Flinch, the stark confessional from Flavors, in which our heroine's voice appeared to tear a vein and let the guts spill. Morissette's voice oozed with such pain and heartache that even Scarlett would shed a tear.

From there, the recovery process clicked into gear with the mystical beat of Moratorium. Her voice as sweet as honey, Morissette began the song with her hands clasped at her neck. As the band rocked, her body language followed, jumping, twirling, spinning around and around until everyone on stage ended up playing Morissette's 1995 breakthrough hit, You Oughta Know. The crowd leaped to its feet, and went nuts as Morissette snarled the lyrics, making no effort to blur the f-word.

By the time Alanis wailed out Tapes, a creepy-crawly song from the new disc, she could do no wrong in the eyes of the audience. Their spirit became even more generous with the sit-down segment of the concert. Morissette perched on a stool, and the rest of the band, in chairs, formed a tight circle around her, a seating arrangement that pulled in the audience, too. It was Alanis' job not to cave to the love-in.

She succeeded. Her laidback demeanour made everyone comfortable, and as the band settled into a hot campfire jam, we were one big happy family, singing along to some of the biggest hits of the 90s, the likes of One Hand In My Pocket, You Learn and Ironic. The playing was terrific, though it would have been nice to hear a bit more from Morissette between songs, maybe a joke or anecdote about growing up in Ottawa.

For opening act Alexi Murdoch, who's from Scotland, it was his first visit to Ottawa. The young, scruffy singer-songwriter bore a musical resemblance to Ottawa son Bruce Cockburn, with the same oaky drone of a voice and a similar resonance to his guitar sound. The effect was hypnotic. Unfortunately, on top of a big turkey dinner, it seemed to come with a built-in snooze factor.