ALANIS MORISSETTE’S 2002 AMERICAN TOUR TO KICK OFF MAY 1 IN SAN DIEGO

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/LATHUM NELSON/MARCEE RONDAN

ALANIS MORISSETTE’S 2002 AMERICAN TOUR
TO KICK OFF MAY 1 IN SAN DIEGO;
RYAN ADAMS TO OPEN FIRST HALF;
FRONT ROW TICKETS TO BE AUCTIONED
FOR ‘EQUALITY NOW’;
‘UNDER RUG SWEPT‘ REACHES THREE MILLION
WORLDWIDE SALES;
ALANIS SHOOTS VIDEO FOR UPCOMING SINGLE
‘PRECIOUS ILLUSIONS’

After her album swept the worldwide charts with 12 #1 debuts including the U.S., ALANIS MORISSETTE announces the North American dates for her world tour, set to begin May 1 in San Diego. Called “her most musically confident release yet” by Matt Diehl in Elle (3/02), UNDER RUG SWEPT has already sold three million copies worldwide, reaching the Top 10 in 29 countries.

ALANIS has invited one of her favorite artists, Ryan Adams, to join her on the road through May 18 in Houston.

Fans looking for a good seat can do a good deed by visiting E-Bay to bid on five pairs of front row tickets for every concert (only regular tickets will be available for general admission shows). All of the auction proceeds after the face value of the ticket will go directly to the *Equality Now organization, which works for the human rights of women around the world (www.equalitynow.org).

Meanwhile, the singer, songwriter and musician–who recently performed on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno (Thursday, April 4), the Late Show with Conan O’Brien (Friday, April 12) and the CBS Early Show (Friday, April 12)–is filming a video in Los Angeles for her forthcoming single “Precious Illusions” with director Francis Lawrence. Shipping to radio mid-May, the melodically soaring, guitar-driven song is highlighted by the lyric: “I want to decide between survival and bliss.” Explains ALANIS: “Basically, I’m talking about the difference between really being alive and really embracing the reason why I feel like I’m here on this earth versus my just being asleep and sleep walking and accepting the status quo and accepting somewhat of a suffering mentality to being here.” She continues, “It really is my responsibility to distinguish the difference between the two and choose which one I want.”

In his LA Weekly album review (3/14/02), Miles Marshall wrote: “Under Rug Swept is Alanis Morissette in top form, exercising her God-given right to vent and sound beautiful doing so.” In addition to the hook-filled “Hands Clean,” the songs on the album range from the guitar-heavy “21 Things I Want In A Lover” and “Narcissus,” to the subtle rhythmic grooves of “So Unsexy” and “You Owe Me Nothing In Return,” to the expansive balladry of “Flinch” and “That Particular Time.” Noting ALANIS‘ penchant for penning honest lyrics, Interview’s Sean Hurley wrote (3/02): “Morissette’s heart has always been pinned securely to her sleeve but, happily, the music on this wider-ranging self-produced project delivers enough infectious little jagsÉ”

In her Rolling Stone Q&A (4/11/02), ALANIS told David Wild: “The more transparent, the more authentic I can be, the more liberated I feel and the less fearful.” Benjamin Nugent commended her outlook in his Time review (3/4/02), writing thatALANIS‘ “strength has always been her frankness, and the years haven’t swept it under anything.”

Finally, Vic Garbarini noted in his lead review in Playboy (4/02):

“Most singer-songwriters discover alienation and wallow in it. But Alanis Morissette keeps making quantum leaps in her music. She went from anger to understanding in only two studio albums. Under Rug Swept, her latest, is the first she has written and produced entirely. On it are songs to her lovers and songs about dysfunctional partners. She slips out of her ego and demonstrates compassion and honesty.”

The dates for the tour are as follows:

May 1 through May 18/Ryan Adams supporting

May 19 through May 28 in Europe

*Equality Now deals with issues of concern to women around the globe, including: rape, domestic violence, female genital mutilation, reproductive rights, trafficking in women and other forms of violence and discrimination that result in the degradations, enslavement, injury and death of women and girls every day.

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