Alanis Morissette at the Paramount, 10/10/12

Brandon Marshall

Alanis Morissette last night at the Paramount Theatre.

When Alanis Morissette first appeared at the Paramount last night, she didn't walk so much as float onto the stage, as if delivered by an invisible chariot. With a backing band that seemed too exuberant to believe, the singer whipped her hair as she belted out "I Remain." The few superfans in attendance stood, mouths collectively agape, presumably due to the actual in-the-flesh existence of the diva, more than her singing or the quality of her band's performance.

Morissette and her band, an accomplished batch of session musicians (including the son of luminary jazz guitarist Larry Coryell), ran through the first few songs like they had some place to be. Theirs was the bulldozer approach, playing a set that has been the same for the entire tour, which began way back in June. "Woman Down," "All I Really Want" and "You Learn" came and went quickly, with barely a spark of spontaneity or passion.

Brandon Marshall

Alanis Morissette last night at the Paramount Theatre.

This is not an idle judgment. Every beat felt endlessly rehearsed, every note of the guitar solos predetermined. The banter was nonexistent, and Morissette herself appeared oblivious to her surroundings. The terse "Oh, I remember you, Denver!" between songs sounded like more of an indictment of herself than a cute come-on.

But for this crowd, any rhapsodizing about last night was secondary. They came to hear the hits. And the hits she delivered, playing nine of the thirteen tracks last night from her 1995 mega-superhit Jagged Little Pill. Let's not kid ourselves: That album sold nearly fifteen million copies in the U.S. alone, while her most recent release, this year's Havoc and Bright Lights, sold a flaccid 54,000. Any hint that this tour was about showcasing new material was erased after the first few lines of "Ironic." (P.S.: Good luck getting that tune unstuck from your head the rest of the day. You're welcome.)

Brandon Marshall

Alanis Morissette last night at the Paramount Theatre.

Even the crowd in front of the stage seemed somewhat oblivious to Morissette's pleas-in-song and occasional feats of vocal grandeur, the latter of which are still impressive and very much intact. Typically at rock shows, the front-of-house fans would have been going apeshit at their idol. With the exception of a handful of superfans, these folks were sitting down.

Seriously. This was weird.

Location Info

Venue

Map

The Paramount Theatre

1621 Glenarm Place, Denver, CO

Category: Music

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