Win tickets to the ATP finals


Being Alanis Morissette has become a mighty frustrating business. Still one of rock's bestselling female artists - thanks almost exclusively to her 13-year-old album Jagged Little Pill - she now struggles to have hits and plays to crowds such as the one in Glasgow who barely acknowledge her Noughties output but burst into song at the start of every classic track.
Morissette's response has been to reinvent herself as a tough rock chick, which made for some entertaining, if not entirely convincing, onstage antics. A new song, Moratorium, was an overblown opener, built on broody synths, begun in darkness by a bombastic, five-piece band and sung by an out-of-sight Morissette. When she did appear to deafening cheers, she was dressed as though going for a country stroll - comfortable jeans, short-sleeved, chiffon shirt and little, leather waistcoat - but behaved like a woman deranged. During Uninvited, a Grammy award-winning song from a decade ago, the Canadian singer hurled herself backwards and forwards, bent at the waist so far that her hair swept the floor and threatened to trip her up. She headbanged on her knees, duelled on guitar with her guys and bounced like a kangaroo.
It was easy to feel Morissette's exasperation. Eight Easy Steps, from her 2004 album Under Rug Swept, was superb, a rumbling blend of Eastern-tinged electronics, hard-rock guitars and her magnificent vocals at their most tuneful, but it was received with a shrug of indifference. Yet the second she began All I Really Want on harmonica the crowd went crazy. That the band had planned a metal-tinged version of the track, complete with squalling solos and thundering drums, hardly mattered. Fans were too busy singing to notice.
A run of songs from the current album, Flavors of Entanglement, included the beautiful ballad Not As We and the thumpingly tuneless rocker In Praise of the Vulnerable Man. Both were met with a rush to the bar. While Morissette may long to move on, the predominantly female audience who wailed painfully through Head Over Feet, drowned her out on You Oughta Know, endured a horribly rearranged Hand in my Pocket that tried to channel Bob Dylan and hugged each other during an epic Ironic, would prefer the singer to stay locked in her mid-1990s incarnation. Sorry, Alanis, it's a stalemate.
Industry sectors news at a glance. Interactive heatmap, video and podcast
Everything the Business Traveller needs to know to make a better trip
Get ready for the winter sports season, with our resort guides and snow reports
We are backing British business, what is the confidence of the nation and what businesses are succeeding?
Growing demand for energy, oil that is harder to reach and the rise of carbon dioxide emissions. We examine the energy challenge
Enjoy further reading from Travel to Fashion, Business to Sport, discover more
Shortcuts to help you find sections and articles
36-month car lease
on contract hire for
£359.99 plus VAT pm
12 months for the price of 11 and a 5% discount.
Offer ends 31/11/09
The UK's leading alternative to showroom finance.
Finance packages tailored to your needs.
Minimum loan of £15,000
Car Insurance
£12,578 per annum
The Independent Housing Ombudsman
London
Competitive
Barclaycard
Not Specified
The Sheppard Trust
London
£80-95,000
Clay McGuire Executive Selection
Moments from Battersea Park.
For sale with Winkworth.
See your free Experian credit report beforehand
Book now & save over £100pp.
11 cool resorts, lowest prices... Early Booking offers 15 Nov.
20% off selected Azores holidays taken in October with Sunvil Discovery
Get covered on your travels with a superb range of policies at great prices. Visit InsureandGo.com
World Class Golf, Spa and preferential Beach Club. Private estate overlooking West Coast
Villas from £275 per night inclusive of Golf
Contact our advertising team for advertising and sponsorship in Times Online, The Times and The Sunday Times, or place your advertisement.
Times Online Services: Dating | Jobs | Property Search | Used Cars | Holidays | Births, Marriages, Deaths | Subscriptions | E-paper
News International associated websites: Globrix Property Search | Milkround
Copyright 2009 Times Newspapers Ltd.
This service is provided on Times Newspapers' standard Terms and Conditions. Please read our Privacy Policy.To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from Times Online, The Times or The Sunday Times, click here.This website is published by a member of the News International Group. News International Limited, 1 Virginia St, London E98 1XY, is the holding company for the News International group and is registered in England No 81701. VAT number GB 243 8054 69.