Written By Chloe Diehl
Photo credit: Shelby Duncan
On the third day of SXSW, Spotify hosted a concert at Stubb’s Barbecue, headlining Alanis Morrisette with the opener Ella Langley and a closing DJ set from St. Vincent. To put it simply, this lineup was incredibly strong, featuring impressive female artists from diverse genres.
Ella Langley was a country-singing goddess. While I am no country fan, I have made an exception. She finished her set with her hit song, “Choosin’ Texas” which got me into tears. I usually never listen closely to lyrics; however, her melodic voice drew me in. The song is about her lover moving on to another girl, and the emotions of seeing a partner fall out of love with her and onto a totally different girl. The song is witty, using the southern state as a conceptual metaphor. She refers to herself as "Tennessee" and to the other woman as Texas. She remarks on the trademark features of the two states, from Texas two-stepping to the Tennessee Blue Ridge Mountains. The song is so catchy and resonant that I couldn’t get it out of my head for a month and a half. My song replay of “Choosin’ Texas” got even more severe, especially after discovering Waxahatchee’s cover. After hearing Waxahatchee sing the cover, I secretly became more of an Ella Langley Fan.
St. Vincent’s closing act kept the energy of the crowd going after, mixing songs from Charli XCX’s “Brat” album with David Bowie’s “Just Dance.” She kept the set very pop-forward, which the crowd loved, and retained the hype dancey energy till 3:00 AM. However, I wished St. Vincent had mixed more of her own songs into the set and had been more experimental with the genres she played. That is just personal preference, though.
The true star of the show was Alanis Morrisette. At the beginning of her show, she played a montage of interview snippets and old videos from the 90s, walking the audience through her career progression. Then, she confidently strutted out as the montage was concluding, letting out her “Hi yi yi…” as she excited the crowd with the iconic intro of “Ironic.” She majestically swayed along to her songs, her long flowing hair paired with her silky mesh red cover-up.
I have always been a fan of Alanis Morissette since I was in eighth grade. She was the most impactful woman of the 90s, as she vocalized the angst of dating that was stigmatized to the point of not even being mentioned. She also set the tone for women in grunge rock… Dare I say she was even better than all the all-male Nirvana wannabe bands! To see her play live at Stubb’s felt like I was coming of age. Listening to Morissette gave me a definition of womanhood. I will admit that she was a pretty unconventional artist to idolize from a young age. However, her impact on alternative rock in the 90’s gave me the confidence to be my strong self even in spaces and fields where I was the odd one out.
Most of her songs were from her hit album, Jagged Little Pill. The whole set brought the audience into a state of nostalgia, headbanging to the grunge guitar in the chorus of “You Oughta Know,” and prompting different gestures like making peace signs during “Hand in My Pocket.” Considering that it has been a while since Morissette had a major show since her debut in ACL 2023, she still evoked a strong energy from the crowd. She connected with the crowd by being a time capsule from the early 90s and held her own on the impressive belt-outs. Her voice was truly a powerful force.