Up at Bethel Woods Center of the Arts, down the road from Yasgur’s Farm, artists continue to make meaningful connections with their audience. The site of 1969’s Woodstock Art and Music Festival provides a space for people to connect physically, mentally, and spiritually through music. On July 5th, 2024, Alanis Morissette took the stage on her Triple Moon Tour, continuing that tradition.
The Triple Moon Tour is More Than A Concert
Alanis Morissette puts on more than a show. Rather, it is like she is putting her talents into the world as an invitation for universal healing. Each night, during her performance of “Right Through You,” Morissette called attention to sexual assault and domestic violence statistics. It was both a somber moment and a beautiful one. As Morissette’s music discusses misogyny and violence against women, much of her audience can relate to those statistics. Though these moments in one’s life can feel isolating, Her performance allowed us a moment of connection. In a world where people expect survivors to grin and bear these life-altering events, Morissette empowers her audience to honor their experiences. Through the ability to feel everything, the crowd cultivated a connection to oneself and each other, which reverberated throughout the night.
Grand Offering
The Triple Moon Tour’s spiritual undertones continued to be evocative through the concert. Coincidentally, July 5th also hosted a new moon in Cancer. The new moon often represents renewal. In its home sign of Cancer, the new moon allows us to experience emotional renewal and release. Morissette’s concert was, frankly, perfect for this ritual. Between Morissette’s emotional delivery of “Rest,” “Mary Jane,” “Missing the Miracle,” and “Perfect” on the B-Stage in the middle of the crowd to the collective scream during “You Oughta Know,” Morissette offered many moments of much needed catharsis.
On and off-stage, Morissette uses her deeply-rooted ability to facilitate connection as a way to invoke healing. It is like a grand offering to anyone who is willing to listen. Her empathy draws people in and allows them to feel still and grounded.
Communal Gratitude
As Morissette finished her encore with “Thank U,” the crowd was still electric. The woman next to me shared that this song always reminds her to be present and to express gratitude, even when she doesn’t want to. She said she puts it on when she wants to complain because it helps her redirect her energy, and I thought that was a perfect way to express how Morissette uses her talents. It is a transmutation of energy, and this alchemy radiates off the stage and into the audience.
Alanis Morissette’s Triple Moon Tour set my own heart ablaze. The light in me recognizes the light in her and everyone she draws to her. The way she receives and reflects her audience’s communal gratitude is a marvel, and I am so thankful to be a part of it.