Gig Review : Alanis Morissette – Belsonic Belfast

Review by Catherine McCauley for MPM

As we excitedly get on one of the many buses departing Derry to eagerly make our way to Belfast, the excitement is palpable. Tonight’s show at Belsonic is the last of 2025 and will no doubt be a very special one. 7 time Grammy award winning Alanis Morissette, will be performing her Triple Moon Tour. It’s dry as we pull into Belfast, and the air is balmy with advance warning of rain, we come prepared with Ponchos at the ready. To date Alanis has released ten studio albums, the latest “The Storm Before The Calm being released in 2022. Belsonic begins filling up well as the two support bands, Irish Woman in Harmony and Liz Phair, warm up the excitable crowd in preparation for Alanis. We are glad of the trusty ponchos as the heavens open prior to Alanis and band taking to the stage.

The Large screen at the back of the Belsonic stage begins displaying a montage of videos of Alanis from the beginning of her illustrious career, until the current day.  Famous female and male songwriters appeared in short snippets, telling us of how inspirational Alanis has been not only to them but also many generations. A large and illuminating moon replaced the montage on the screen as the band appeared on stage. The eager crowd began to cheer, as the instantly recognisable and distinctive sound of the Harmonica rings throughout Belsonic. 

The cheers were deafening as we knew ‘Hand in My Pocket’, was to be the first beloved song of the evening. Alanis then appeared at the right hand side of the stage and we sing along with great reverence to a song about embracing life’s contradictions and uncertainties with a sense of optimism. Most here tonight can identify with how confusing and unpredictable growing up in the 90s was. This song resonated with everyone tonight, young and old as the meaning is as relevant today as it was thirty years ago. It was heart-warming to see young kids up on their parent’s shoulders singing along word for word. Alanis ended the song playing the harmonica on her knees, in front of the drum kit in synchronicity with the drummer. 

Having seen Alanis on her 25^th Anniversary Tour of ‘Jagged Little Pill’ at the 3Arena in Dublin 2022, I had witnessed first-hand, the calibre of her live performance, how emotionally provoking and reminiscent of our younger years her albums are, in particular ‘A Jagged Little Pill’. However, tonight’s show in the beautiful setting of the Ormeau Road in Belfast felt like this would be an even more magical transportation to our earlier years. Making this an even more special event was being here with dear friends who are massive Alanis fans also!! As we compose ourselves, ‘Right Through You’ has us enthralled and singing along with dedication. Alanis is joined tonight by Jason Orme on guitar. Orme’s riffs and solo are blistering. 

‘Reasons I drink’ despite its sombre subject matter, has everyone singing in harmony with the chorus. Alanis’s vocals are so emotionally expressive and versatile and are truly a sight to behold and hear. ‘A Man,’ is a solemn tale of how men can be looked down upon and degraded. For ‘Hands Clean’, Alanis appears with a beautiful gold glitter guitar. The guitar soars along with the complexity of the lyrics. ‘Can’t Not’, continues with the more angst tinged songs of the evening. Yet Alanis always seems to execute these beautifully and with such sentimentality.

‘Lens’ and ‘Sorry to Myself’ deliver more beautiful reflections from Alanis which have the crowd singing along, united with her in the moment. Alanis had ‘already won us over’, before treating us to ‘Head Over Feet’. The band have us swaying along to the melody before Alanis woos us with her Harmonica solo. ‘Everything’, encapsulates how we all feel about our own insecurities in life. Alanis’s songs are so relatable which is evidential in her tremendous world-wide fan base. ‘You Learn’ has us all singing about embracing our experiences in life as opportunities for learning and growth to a groovy and catchy beat.

Alanis beautifully performs an interlude of ‘Would Not Come’ before segueing into ‘Smiling’, a stunning song with musical highs and lows and perfectly executes the Canadian songstress’s vocal power – “keep on moving, can’t stand still” – Alanis begins frantically spinning, with her luscious hair floating in the air, as the band ramp up the intensity of the music. The guitar solo and drums, perfectly match the passion of the song.  Alanis then lands on the stage floor where she then fervently delivers an interlude from ‘I Remain’. 

A Piano with a Sun adorned on the front, is rolled out for Mike Farrell (who also plays trumpet in the song) and we see the guitarists take to seats with acoustics instruments. Victor Indrizzo – Drums, appears from behind his drum screen and joins his friends at the front of the stage at another drum kit. This is the beginning of a more stripped back performance from Alanis and her talented friends. ‘Rest’ is a poignant song about struggles with anxiety, depression and Isolation, “You think me a coward but I am a warrior”, resonates with so many within the crowd. Alanis provides a safe and nurturing space within the audience community to express and feel every word of every song.

Continuing on with the acoustic theme is the stunning ‘Mary Jane’ – Alanis’s vocals are haunting and evocatively tell the tale of the importance to afford empathy and self-care to ourselves. Alanis again stuns the adoring crowd with extended vocals at the end of the song. The final song of the acoustic set is the extraordinary ‘Perfect’. The vocals and expressive lyrics paint a sad picture of the expectations of others, be it parents of a child or organised religion etc. and the impact this pressure can have on the recipients self-esteem. The band seamlessly transition from a rocking atmosphere to a much more sentimental one without losing any of the vitality.

Alanis, then as the band were assembling their electrical instruments to get ready for the next part of the set, announced she would be welcoming a Friend on stage. Anna, who proudly wears a VIP Lanyard came on the stage to a rapturous applause. Ever about empowering others, Alanis sang the opening lines of ‘Ironic’ alongside and facing the lovely Anna. When Anna then departed the stage Alanis turned her attention to her devoted crowd, who sang along at an ear-piercing level. The Goosebumps were ever present during her phenomenal set, however, very much so during ‘Ironic’. A memorable part of the song was when Alanis slightly changed one of the lyrics, “It’s like meeting the man of my dreams, And then meeting his beautiful husband”, the crowd erupted with approval. 

Green lights irradiated the Belsonic stage for the evocative, ‘Are You Still Mad’. Farrell’s piano and keyboard are simply stunning, perfectly accompanied by the guitars and drums. ‘All I really want’ saw the guitars turning up the rocking levels to 11!. Alanis’s Harmonica sounds hung in the air alongside the wah wah pedal distorted sounds. The stage momentarily goes black and silent following the lyrics, ‘Why are you so petrified of silence, Here can you handle this?”. The crowd exploded and sang along with pleasure until Alanis brings the tune to a momentous end with her harmonica ringing through Ormeau Road.

‘Sympathetic Character’ – a moving and tragic song about being afraid of an abuser who once held such a significant role in the protagonist’s life. However, the central character reflects upon how much that he meant to her, “therein lay the problem”. Indrizzo really shines on the drums during this highly emotive track.  As the band burst into, ‘You Oughta Know’ the crowd immediately engage in singing in this iconic Feminist anthem. On the large screen, images of cars on fire and explosions on the back screen match the primal nature of this hit. Video footage of the audience appeared on the large screen which evidenced what we already knew everyone was thoroughly swept up in moment.

Encore:

‘Uninvited’ sees the stage becomes enshrouded in darkness with only spotlights and dry ice to provide a serene and smoky atmosphere. Alanis began the song quite placid, singing with only Farell providing keyboard accompaniment initially. However, as the song progressed she ran, head banged, punched the air and galloped about on stage during the guitar solo, as Indrizzo pounded on the drums with such ferocity. Multiple spotlights flashed across the stage mirroring the frenzied atmosphere. Alanis for such a humble performer can quare pack a punch with her powerful vocals, physical agility and formidable presence when the song requires it. 

Alanis, used this opportunity to address the crowd, “Thank you Belfast we love you !!” The feeling is mutual from everyone at Belsonic. Alanis then introduces Cedric LeMoyne on the Bass Guitar.    During the final song of the evening, ‘Thank U’, the back screen projected Instagram messages from fans expressing who and what they are most grateful for. We see various messages and pictures of loved ones, friends and much loved pets – beautiful and heart-warming touch. Perfectly demonstrating how connected Alanis is to her fans. 

The crowd sang and clapped along, unified in the beauty of thousands of strangers bonding over the music and lyrics of a once inspiring teen, now an accomplished, multi award winning feminist singer songwriter. Ending the night Alanis declared “Love you so much, take care of each other”.  Alanis you gave us the platform to sing about life long experiences, the good and the bad and feel heard. Both cathartic and liberating, Alanis Morissette is not just a concert it’s an experience.

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