Alanis Morissette: Live in Reading, PA
Thursday, March 20th, 2008
Some naysayers call her a man-hating, greasy, angry femi-Nazi, but that’s what I love about Alanis. I don’t mean that I am any of the above or that I think those qualities are always a good thing, but if that’s what makes her produce the music on the Jagged Little Pill tape that my dad no-so-randomly bought me just to spite my mom, then so be it. That tape changed my life at the impressionable age of thirteen. It changed the way I dressed, what I listened to and how I acted.
I drove four and a half hours and spent $70 on a ticket to see Alanis in Reading, Pa. Some people think that is too far and too much money to see a concert. But I say that it wasn’t far enough! It wasn’t expensive enough! I would take back any of the great concerts I’ve been to just to see Alanis. She founded my musical experience — how do you pay somebody back for that?
She opened perfectly with the powerful and haunting “Uninvited.” Her hour-long set hit every one of my favorite songs (except her hidden track on JLP; please listen to it), and she concentrated mainly on Jagged Little Pill with “Ironic,” “Hand in My Pocket” and “You Ought To Know.” She also pulled songs from some of her other albums, though. It was a beautiful performance, just like I knew it would be.
I thought I had missed the chance when I was young to see many great bands while they were in their prime. I guess that must be why this concert meant so much to me. I thought that I would miss Alanis perform live and experience that same feeling that I got as a grungy 13-year-old. If you think that is crazy or dumb, then I don’t want to be sane or smart because I know that you have a band that meant so much to you growing up that you would drive more than four-and-a-half hours and drop more than $70 to see.
-Megan Drew
Some naysayers call her a man-hating, greasy, angry femi-Nazi, but that’s what I love about Alanis. I don’t mean that I am any of the above or that I think those qualities are always a good thing, but if that’s what makes her produce the music on the Jagged Little Pill tape that my dad no-so-randomly bought me just to spite my mom, then so be it. That tape changed my life at the impressionable age of thirteen. It changed the way I dressed, what I listened to and how I acted.
I drove four and a half hours and spent $70 on a ticket to see Alanis in Reading, Pa. Some people think that is too far and too much money to see a concert. But I say that it wasn’t far enough! It wasn’t expensive enough! I would take back any of the great concerts I’ve been to just to see Alanis. She founded my musical experience — how do you pay somebody back for that?
She opened perfectly with the powerful and haunting “Uninvited.” Her hour-long set hit every one of my favorite songs (except her hidden track on JLP; please listen to it), and she concentrated mainly on Jagged Little Pill with “Ironic,” “Hand in My Pocket” and “You Ought To Know.” She also pulled songs from some of her other albums, though. It was a beautiful performance, just like I knew it would be.
I thought I had missed the chance when I was young to see many great bands while they were in their prime. I guess that must be why this concert meant so much to me. I thought that I would miss Alanis perform live and experience that same feeling that I got as a grungy 13-year-old. If you think that is crazy or dumb, then I don’t want to be sane or smart because I know that you have a band that meant so much to you growing up that you would drive more than four-and-a-half hours and drop more than $70 to see.
-Megan Drew
culture. ish. is proud to present:
Dublin’s tight group of singer-songwriters (including Damien Rice) was where Kevin May and Mick Lynch met. They were soon joined by producer and percussionist Shane Power to form the Guggenheim Grotto. Having made a name for themselves offering a single “Philosophia” free through iTunes, they started their first US tour this summer, putting on a very intimate show in Pittsburgh. There debut album is …Waltzing Alone, a very melodic and quiet album. Kevin is main vocalist and primary guitarist, with Mick playing a variety of instruments including ukelle and violin; Shane rounds out the trio by providing a soft yet effective beat using a cajon (a form of hand drum). In concert they played most of the album, and covered Tom Waits’ “Picture in a Frame.”
This small venue’s setting made it noticeable that many girlfriends had “dragged” their boyfriends along in anticipation of hearing some heartwarming (and heartwretching) songs. The tight space created an awkward standing crowd, but the music was still enjoyed.
County fairs and country music go together like milk and cereal. They are better together–you could even say they were made for each other. Similarly, the mud-soaked arena of the Crawford County Fair in Meadville seemed the perfect backdrop for Sugarland’s set.
