The Journey of Parenthood…

Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill 25th Anniversary Tour

When I was 10 years old Alanis Morissette released Jagged Little Pill. It quickly became my favorite (and one of my first cds after TLC and Hootie of course).

Alanis is incredibly talented. Her songs aren’t songs, they are stories. And real life ones too (yes, about Uncle Joey from Full House which is SO awkward to think about).

If you were to ask my dad what his favorite memory is with me he’ll tell you the same thing I would say is my favorite memory with him – our road trip together from north of Atlanta to Jacksonville where we listened to the entire Jagged Little Pill album and read through the lyrics of each song.

We dissected the songs together and the deeper meanings, bigger picture story she was telling through the lyrics. I also asked about a billion questions as you can only imagine a kid my age listening to those lyrics would ask.

We went to see Alanis several times together live and she is THE most talented artist I’ve ever seen. She can play TONS of instruments (and does!) and has such a stage presence and raw natural talent. She’s amazing.

Back in 2019 when her 25th anniversary tour was announced it made me feel so loved that so many people tagged me in it on FB to let me know 😉

In an ideal world I’d go with my dad to see her together again!

Naturally the tour was supposed to be in the summer of 2020 so it got pushed back and delayed and it finally was a GO in August of 2021.

I am so thankful for my Katie 🙂 She’s my drop everything and show up friend and we know it’s us two no matter what forever!

Of course the new date fell like in the middle of the week which was so random and annoying but we made it work and headed down to Tampa together!

Our first stop was Nordstrom to do a bra fitting. I’ve been neeeeeeding new bras and really wanted to get a proper fit and it was CRAZY how the girl was trained in the art of bra sizing. She just GLANCED at my chest and knew what size I should be wearing and it was soooo not a size I’d ever have guessed. But the bras fit great!

We got lunch at California Pizza Kitchen (DELICIOUS – for future reference I ordered the shrimp scampi pizza with cauliflower crust and it was prob one of the best meals of my LIFE) and grabbed a BIG coffee to “pregame” for the concert.

I was determined to find my t-shirt from the original Jagged Little Pill tour. I was reallllllly into the super big t-shirts and biker shorts trend when I was 10 and sure enough the shirt still fits 🙂 Whoop whoop!

I was for sure on the YOUNG end of the Alanis fan club as a kid. Pretty sure none of my friends my age were big fans at the time. So it also made sense that the crowd at the concert was a generation older than us and that the opener was a band that I wasn’t super familiar of (Garbage).

We LOVED the Tampa Amphitheatre and will for sure look there first in the future for concerts and events. SUCH an easier drive than Atlanta with so many safe hotels and things to do nearby. The venue itself was also very safe and the layout was great and our seats were awesome too! Plus parking was free 😉

Even the ACTUAL seats were great with cup holders and tons of leg room.

The crowd was fantastic and Katie commented that it was probably the best concert vibe ever. It was TRUE fans who KNEW the music. It was an experience we were all sharing.

I was disappointed that Alanis has gone blonde because I mean she didn’t look the same…but we all also know blonde hides the grays and I’m sure it makes being on tour a little easier to not have to worry about touch ups 😉

She had her kids on tour with her and we even got to see her husband and kids at one point on stage which was really neat! I also liked that she had a big focus on postpartum depression and was raising money to help moms who suffer from PPD and for more awareness and help in that area.

I wasn’t really sure how I’d feel emotionally during the show. I just really wanted to soak it allll in and was pretty still, truly just absorbing and appreciating the moment while living it! I didn’t really sing a lot or get “into it” in that way!

She played a non-stop set, played 4 instruments and never took a break and is at least a decade older than I am. I was in AWE at her talent and even more amazed by it while sitting there thinking I had to drink a massive coffee just to stay awake for the show let alone her being older than I am and her having the ability to perform like she did!

I also LOVE that she had her set list follow the same order as the songs on Jagged Little Pill. She had a few other hits and favs tossed in but didn’t try to push any new stuff on us. She knew what her fans wanted, and she delivered. And we loved every second! Truly PERFECTION.

I loved getting to see her do her thing after having not seen her live in SO long. It was super special to have Katie there with me for that experience. It was a very moving and almost healing sort of experience and having my unconditional forever friend there with me was exactly what I needed!

We had SUCH a great time and just showing our age we both slept in until noon the next morning haha!

I was bummed they didn’t have any hats as hats are our “thing” so I did grab a keychain to double as a Christmas ornament 🙂

Katie and I hadn’t done something “just us” in awhile and we always love quality time together! It was a great little getaway and I’m SO thankful we went and got to have this shared experience together. It was a full circle kinda moment for me and I hope there is a 50th anniversary tour b/c you KNOW we will be there and I’ll be rockin’ my OG shirt too 😉

Emily Parker
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