When Goldenvoice announced the stellar quartet of headliners — Neil Young, Jack White, Robert Plant and Kings Of Leon — for year two of its new Arroyo Seco Weekend, the natural question was who, of those two legends and two contemporary stars, would dominate and emerge as the main story of the two-day festival in Pasadena, California.
As it turns out, the answer to the multiple choice question was none of the above. While Young, on night one, and Plant, on night two, both offered an abundance of highlights that only added to their legends, the biggest story of the weekend was the absolutely triumphant return to the limelight of Alanis Morissette.
It’s been six years since the singer’s last album, Havoc And Bright Lights. As she explained in a light-hearted moment during a joyful sing-along of the anthem “Ironic,” she’s been parenting. “I have a seven year-old and a two and a half year-old,” she said. “I haven’t slept in eight years.”
But while she was enjoying motherhood and marriage a lot of things were lining up for the one-time superstar, whose Jagged Little Pill has sold over 30 million records, to reclaim her place as one of music’s biggest forces.
For starters, ‘90s nostalgia has become a major commercial force and Jagged Little Pill, a Grammy-winning Album Of The Year that is also one of the biggest-selling albums of the decade is arguably, along with Nirvana’s Nevermind, the defining album of that era. Watching tens of thousands sing along joyfully to songs like “Hand In My Pocket” and “You Learn,” as well as fervently scream every word to “You Oughta Know,” men and women (there was even a guy pogoing as if he was at a punk show throughout the song), it is clear there is a generation of fans who have grown up on that album.
However, it’s not only nostalgia that seemingly has Morissette on the verge of becoming a major part of the pop culture zeitgeist once again. She is, in many respects, a perfect artist for these times. An outspoken feminist and hero to countless female artists, from Haim, who gushed about her online, to even Beyonce, who has covered “You Oughta Know,” she will undoubtedly be welcomed back and revered in the post Metoo era.
But even more importantly than that, Morissette has an earnestness and honesty to her music that is a necessary and uplifting tonic for these incredibly troubled times. Take a song like “Thank U,” the closing song she did in her masterful 50-minute set. In it she sings, “Thank you India/Thank you terror./Thank you disillusionment/Thank you frailty/Thank you consequence/Thank you thank you silence.”
For almost any other singer, those sentiments might feel contrived and hokey. But in the way Morisette both lives and sings the ideals of gratitude and humility, sharing that image publicly with her millions of fans, and singing them with a fevered passion, as she did throughout the set, they are absolutely part of her charm.
Then there are the songs, many of which have become part of the cultural language, from “Ironic” and “You Oughta Know” to the second to last track, “Uninvited,” where her powerhouse vocals showed they have only grown in stature over the decades.
Also having grown was her swagger, a big part of the success of this appearance. Showing a rock star bravado and occasional punk defiance as she traversed the stage for the 10-song set, Morissette seemed genuinely excited to be back on stage after the long absence. And that glee only grew as the crowd exhorted her every move and every word. As much as she is ready to come back, there are a lot of fans, as evidenced by this set, even more eager for her to return. And that story was the major headline of Arroyo Seco Weekend. Though there were a lot of other great moments, especially from masters Young and Plant.
Like his friend and peer Tom Petty, who closed out night one of the first year, Young made his set a loose celebration. Speaking frequently about using no set list, Young treated the set like a rehearsal, which was not only not a bad thing, it was gleeful to watch. First off, Young’s rehearsals are better than 99 percent of concerts today. Second of all he managed to turn a massive festival headlining set into what felt like an intimate showcase.
Before he attempted a rare live version of “Lotta Love,” a song he wrote that turned into a major hit for Nicolette Larson, he said, “That won’t work now” and scrapped the song. He then quipped. “I can just see the reviews now.”
By the time he was done, having delivered rousing versions of “Hey Hey, My My,” “Rocking In The Free World,” “Ohio,” “Cortez The Killer” and the stunning “Powderfinger,” mixed with the simplicity of “Lotta Love” and “I Am A Child,” the only thing left to say again was Neil Young at his best is as transcendent as live music gets.
Plant was equally dazzling in his own way. As an obvious starting point, the awesome power of seeing tens of thousands of fans singing along with Led Zeppelin classics like “Going To California” and “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” is overwhelming and spine-tingling. These are some of the most famous rock songs of all time being sung by arguably the greatest frontman ever.
What makes Plant so special though is his steadfast refusal to be a nostalgia act. Rather than just rehashing “Gallows Pole,” he turned it into a Celtic and country-infused dance party. And even more important for Plant and his superb band, as joyous and spectacular as hearing the Zeppelin classics were live, there was absolutely no letdown in the audience or the band as they delivered superb renditions of recent songs “Rainbow” and the tribal beats of “Carry Fire,” a song that stood alongside any classic he did on this set.
Plant, like Young and Morissette, delivered this weekend on his terms. And like both of them as well, he reveled in the moment, smiling often, even winking at and joking with the audience at times. Arroyo Seco year two was a smashing success because the enthusiasm of the headliners was infectious to the audience, creating a weekend of celebratory memories that won’t be forgotten for a long time to come.
