Alanis Morissette & Foo Fighters Join Forces For Live Sinead O’Connor Tribute
Alanis Morissette teamed up with Foo Fighters to pay tribute to Sinead O’Connor at Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival over the weekend.
The two acts were on the bill together on Saturday, 29 July, and they joined forces to put on a special performance dedicated to the late Irish singer and activist who passed away on Wednesday, 26 July aged 56.
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl told the crowd: “For a very special reason, ladies and gentlemen, would you please welcome to sing a song with us, Alanis Morissette. We’re singing this song for a reason tonight.”
Alanis then added: “For a beautiful woman, with high intelligence and deep empathy, way ahead of her time, who’s no longer with us, this is for her.”
They then performed Sinead’s first hit Mandinka – also a highlight of her 1987 debut album The Lion and the Cobra. After they finished, Alanis told the audience: “May Sinead rest in some peace.”
Sinead was found dead at her flat in Herne Hill, south London just weeks after moving to the city.
Following the tragedy, her family confirmed the sad news in a statement which read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”
O’Connor’s debut album, the beloved and influential The Lion and the Cobra, was released in 1987. Her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990), was her commercial breakthrough, selling over seven million copies worldwide. Its lead single, her timeless version of Prince‘s Nothing Compares 2 U, was named the number one world single in 1990 by the Billboard Music Awards. The music video has been viewed on YouTube more than 400m times.
She went on to release 10 studio albums: 1992’s Am I Not Your Girl? and 1994’s Universal Mother both went gold in the UK, 2000’s Faith and Courage received gold status in Australia, and 2005’s Throw Down Your Arms went gold in Ireland. Her work also includes songs for films, collaborations with many other artists, and appearances at charity fundraising concerts. Her 2021 memoir Rememberings was a best seller.