Liz Phair

In 1993, she exploded onto the still-burgeoning alternative scene with Exile in Guyville, an album full of songs about sex, a woman's right to be a sexual object, and the ability to have many bedroom partners and not be referred to as a slut, and generally resembling your friend's ultra-hip older sister with whom you had no shot at a date, no matter how many times you asked. It was a sexually charged album, to say the least, but she played it off beautifully. She never looked especially sexy in public, which created a strange dichotomy: How can this fairly frumpy-looking girl (in a hot-librarian sort of way) be so frank about all of this? Are these stories as real as she claims? There was a bit of a backlash, fans came and went with her subsequent releases, and then when 2003's self-titled album was released she made the "mistake" of fully embracing her sexuality, appearing half-dressed in a couple of lad mags while fully alienating much of her core fan base. Which was unfair, considering her fans had encouraged the move for years—what's that saying about the grass being greener? This tour shouldn't be about her redeeming herself as much as it should be about giving her fans a shot at redemption. 18+.
Sat., Oct. 4, 7 p.m., 2008