Matchbox Twenty performs at HP Pavilion in San Jose on March 12, 2008.

This story originally appeared in the Oakland Tribune.

SAN JOSE — Nineties nostalgia overtook the HP Pavilion Wednesday night as recently reunited Matchbox Twenty, touring in support of greatest hits/new material double album “Exile on Mainstream,” brought angst rocker Alanis Morissette with them to San Jose.

Neither the band nor solo artist has had a sizable hit since the early part of this century, unless you count Morissette’s emotional, tongue-in-cheek take on the Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps.”

More recently, Morissette has been busy with acting (she has a lead role in an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s novel “Radio Free Albemuth”) and recuperating from a much-publicized break-up with actor Ryan Reynolds.

Matchbox Twenty, meanwhile, was on hiatus as lead singer Rob Thomas pursued a second career as solo artist and sex symbol.

Here’s the good news: Both acts have new material, and based on their performances Wednesday, it appears both have something they want to prove.

Morissette, who took the stage first wearing a purple shirt and black pants, boots and vest, performed for about an hour and introduced two new songs off her upcoming disc, “Flavors of Entanglement.” “Citizen of the Planet” was a hard, rollicking tune with several head-banging moments. “Moratorium” (supposedly about her break up with Reynolds — “I declare a moratorium on relationships”) incorporated the angst that made 1995’s “Jagged Little Pill” the best-selling debut album by a woman in U.S. history.

Matchbox Twenty performs at HP Pavilion in San Jose on March 12, 2008.

Off course, the largely 30s to 40s crowd wanted to hear the hits, and Morissette played many of those. She and her band rocked through “Uninvited,” “All I Really Want” and “You Learn.”

She held her microphone out and let the fans sing large portions of a slower-tempo “Hand in My Pocket” and “Ironic,” at the end of which she changed her lyrics to: “It’s like meeting the man of your dreams/ And meeting his beautiful husband.”

Then she yelled out “a special shout-out to Fergie,” donned a hot pink boa and launched into “My Humps.” The band members played the role of her posse, showering her with “iceys” and cash, and taking her fake punches and knees to the groin. The song led right into “You Oughta Know,” where the crowd erupted into a frenzy. The two songs were the highlight of her set.

After a short break, Matchbox Twenty— Thomas, Paul Doucette, Brian Yale, Kyle Cook and Ryan MacMillan — strode onto the stage during Johnny Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” and launched into their set with two new tunes off “Exile,” “How Far We’ve Come” and “If I Fall.”

That was the sign that the band would not rely solely on the hits. And you know what? The new songs sounded like classic Matchbox Twenty.

Matchbox Twenty performs at HP Pavilion in San Jose on March 12, 2008.

“For the next couple of hours, we’re not going to think about life or about work or about school,” Thomas said. “We’re not going to think about anything outside of these doors.”

Other new songs, such as “I’ll Believe You When” — about “a conversation every couple has had,” Thomas said; “All Your Reasons” — “It’s a happy song about someone you hate;” and “These Hard Times” blended smoothly into the band’s set.

They also showed they’re not above making fun of themselves. At the outset of another new song, “Could I Be You,” which starts with the words “There’s something wrong,” Thomas sang: “There’s something wrong … with this piano. It’s not on.” As the piano was worked on, the video screen flashed: “Oops, they messed up!”

Prior to the new album, Matchbox Twenty had only three releases. So it was surprising how many songs were recognizable to a non-diehard fan. They cruised through “Real World,” “Disease,” “3 A.M.,” “Bent,” “Long Day,” and a heartfelt “If You’re Gone,” which can be thought of as the late-’90s take on Soul Asylum’s “Runaway Train.”

The band closed its main set with “Bright Lights” while images of Times Square blared on the video screen behind them. The encore, which included “Push” and “Unwell,” was highlighted by a cover of another ’90s staple: “Low” by Cracker.

New Orleans alt-rock band MuteMath started off the evening with a four-song set of dreamy, upbeat pop that was suitable for an arena and got a good reception from the then-sparse crowd. Lead singer/keyboard player Paul Meany proved to be a very mobile frontman as he did hand-stands on his keyboard and performed several flips over the instrument.

Who knew that an indie band would appear to be old pros at arena theatrics?

Set lists:

Alanis
1. Uninvited
2. All I Really Want
3. __________
4. Hand in My Pocket
5. Citizen of the Planet
6. Moratorium
7. Flinch
8. My Humps
9. You Oughta Know
10. You Learn
11. Thank U
12. Ironic

Matchbox Twenty
1. How Far We’ve Come
2. If I Fall
3. Real World
4. Disease
5. Could I Be You
6. The Difference???? (not positive on this one)
7. I’ll Believe You When
8. Getting Back 2 Good
9. 3 A.M.
10. Bent
11. Hang
12. If You’re Gone
13. _____________
14. So Sad, So Lonely
15. All Your Reasons
16. Long Day
17. These Hard Times
18. Downfall
19. Bright Lights
encore
20. Unwell
21. Low (Cracker cover)
22. Push

Follow editor Roman Gokhman at Twitter.com/RomiTheWriter.