C’mon butt, Day 2 of Blackweir Live was a lush emotional rollercoaster drizzled in ‘90s nostalgia, raw lyrics, and some proper Canadian sass 🍁. The legend that is Alanis Morissette took to the stadium stage – and let’s just say, Cardiff felt every damn word. From whispered verses to wailing choruses, this wasn’t just a concert… it was a collective catharsis session with 30,000 people screaming “THANK YOUUUUUU” to the skies.
Let’s unpack this emotional masterpiece, shall we? 🔥
🎟️ THE CROWD: FLANNEL, TEARS & FANNY PACKS
By 6PM, Bute Park looked like a 1996 time capsule had exploded. Flannel shirts, butterfly clips, and every shade of Doc Martens you could imagine. A sea of Alanis fans – from lifelong Jagged Little Pill disciples to Gen Zers finally discovering “You Oughta Know” isn’t about taking paracetamol.
Shoutout to the lad in the homemade shirt that said “IT’S NOT FAIR, TO DENY ME, OF THE CROSS-EYED BEAR” – you, sir, are a poetic genius 😂👏
🎶 THE SETLIST: HITS, HARMONICAS & HAIR FLIPS
Alanis strutted on stage at 8:30PM, harmonica in hand, with a subtle nod and a grin that said “You’re not ready.” Spoiler: we weren’t.
Highlights included:
- 🎤 All I Really Want – Alanis opened strong, vocals sharp, eyes blazing.
- 😭 Perfect – Had grown adults bawling. I saw one woman hugging her teenage daughter mouthing “This is our song,” and I was not OK.
- 😤 You Oughta Know – The moment. Guitars screamed. So did we. She unleashed the beast.
- 🎹 Uninvited – Cinematic. Spine-tingling. Felt like a Celtic spell was being cast under a blood moon.
- 🧘♀️ Thank U – The whole stadium glowed with phone lights like a field of fireflies. Alanis looked genuinely moved. We were too busy crying to notice if it was raining.
She even dropped a cover of The Cranberries’ “Zombie”, dedicating it to “all the angry angels we’ve lost.” 💔 The stadium nearly collapsed under the emotional weight.
🧘♀️ VIBES CHECK: MINDFULNESS MEETS MIGHT
This wasn’t your usual jump-about gig. Nah mun, this was part rock show, part spiritual therapy session. Alanis barely said a word between songs – but when she did, it was all love and wisdom:
“Be kind to yourselves. Feel everything. Sing everything.”
And we bloody well did, didn’t we? 🥹
Even security was swaying during Hand In My Pocket. That’s how deep we were in our feelings.
🎤 SUPPORT ACTS: GWENNO, LIZ PHAIR & MEGAN WYN
🐉 Gwenno
Our very own Welsh wonder opened the evening with dream-pop and Cornish-Cymraeg chants that made the grass feel enchanted. One moment you were sipping cider, the next you were in an Eisteddfod rave in the woods 🌲.
🎸 Liz Phair
Alt-rock royalty alert! Liz took us back to MTV2 days with Why Can’t I? and Never Said. She’s still got that punchy snarl in her voice and doesn’t care what the kids on TikTok think.
🌼 Megan Wyn
This rising Welsh songstress brought some breezy guitar-pop and a whole lotta charm. Catch her now before she’s headlining Blackweir in five years!
🍟 FOOD, QUEUES & TOILETS – THE REAL TALK
- Best Snack: The vegan chilli nachos near Gate B were chef’s kiss 🌶️
- Biggest Letdown: One of the card machines crashed during Ironic. Oh, the irony.
- Toilet Waits: Surprisingly tame! No horror stories. One bloke tried to freestyle “Toilet Bowl Blues” but got heckled.
📸 CROWD MOMENTS THAT SLAYED
- One couple got engaged during Head Over Feet. 😭💍
- Another fan painted Alanis lyrics across their chest and let the wind do the rest 💨😂
- The group in full ‘90s Alanis drag – tartan trousers, dreads, harmonicas – stole every selfie spot
🏁 FINAL THOUGHTS: A NIGHT FOR THE FEELS
Alanis Morissette didn’t just perform. She channelled. Blackweir Live Day 2 was a reminder that feelings are messy, powerful, and completely rock ‘n’ roll. This wasn’t about fireworks or fancy visuals – it was about truth. And in a world full of TikTok fluff and corporate pop, that’s rarer than a clean portaloo at Glasto.
🎧 RIFF REPORT RATING:
10/10 Cries. 10/10 Cheers. 10/10 Cross-Eyed Bears. 🐻🔥
Tidy job, Alanis. Diolch for the therapy session in a stadium. We needed it.
See you at Day 3, where Slayer’s gonna ruin the emotional calm we just built with 500 decibels of thrash metal 🤘😈
Michael is the founder, editor, and chief riff wrangler behind The Riff Report, an independent Welsh rock and metal publication built by fans, for fans. With a lifelong passion for loud guitars, unforgettable live shows, and the incredible community that surrounds rock and metal, he created The Riff Report to celebrate everything that makes the scene special—from legendary headline acts and grassroots venues to rising bands that deserve to be heard.
A familiar face at festivals across the UK, Michael spends much of the year covering events including Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Steelhouse Festival, Firevolt, Plumpton Revival, and many more. Whether he’s battling the Welsh weather on a mountainside, surviving a weekend in a muddy campsite, or squeezed against the front barrier with thousands of fellow fans, he’s always searching for the next great story to share.
As editor of The Riff Report, Michael writes festival guides, breaking news, album reviews, gig reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, nostalgia features, and behind-the-scenes stories from across the rock and metal world. His writing combines honest opinions, humour, and a genuine love for live music, bringing readers closer to the bands, festivals, venues, and people that keep the scene alive.
Michael is particularly passionate about supporting independent artists, local venues, charities, and the wider UK rock and metal community. He believes every band deserves a chance to be discovered and every festival has a story worth telling. Through The Riff Report, he aims to shine a spotlight on both the biggest names in rock and the future stars waiting to break through.
When he’s not writing or interviewing artists, you’ll probably find him exploring festival campsites, photographing live shows, chatting with fellow fans over a pint, or planning the next road trip in search of more riffs, bigger crowds, and unforgettable moments.
Above all, Michael believes rock and metal are about more than music—they’re about community, friendship, and creating memories that last a lifetime. That’s exactly what The Riff Report exists to celebrate.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Always chasing the next great riff. 🤘
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