Well, she didn't play all my favorite songs, and I didn't get an interview because her "slots" were full. But I've heard all of the songs before, and I wouldn't know what to say to her anyway. In any case, she made up for my woes when she superglued a broken nail ("I've got a flappy ... ") on stage before immediately launching into a flawless solo of "Garden of Simple." Classic.
The reason I've seen Ani DiFranco in concert 10, now 11, times is not that I'm an obsessive Ani fan, though granted, I like her music lots. It's because she tours all the freaking time. Unlike most musicians, DiFranco doesn't tour to support albums, she tours because it's her job, her career. The albums are secondary. DiFranco is a live performer, and her albums, while still substantial documents of her musical growth and prolificacy, don't hold a candle to her shows.
So we all knew we'd get something good when we filed into the Charlottesville Performing Arts Center Wednesday night. We weren't disappointed, though we weren't left brilliantly stupefied either. I've seen better Ani shows and I've seen worse. But it's that relativity thing speaking - they're all good. This one was on the upper end of the scale.
DiFranco as usual showed formidable prowess as a performer in all her various guises - guitarist, vocalist, poet, percussionist and entertainer. She played for a little over an hour, kind of short, then returned for a vintage two-song encore that compensated for the brevity.
No one has as much stage presence as Ani D, except maybe Bono. No, nevermind, Bono can't dance. From her short stint as hand percussionist during "Freak Show" to the astounding new version of "Joyful Girl," DiFranco's energy level stayed superhigh. She jumped, leaped, pranced and just generally grooved, all the while banging out rhythms and melodies on acoustic guitars so well-used most of the varnish is worn off. It's easy to have fun at her shows because she's having a ton of it herself on stage.
As is the rest of the band. DiFranco just finished a solo tour and has reunited with her band for a tour of the East Coast. Julie Wolf is back, adding more funk than ever on the keyboards and accordion. Jason Mercer's back on bass, upright bass Daren Hahn still hits things hard and Hans Teuber jazzes up the place with sax, flute and clarinet. All are joined by new addition Todd Horton on horns. They're all skilled musicians with great improv ability and a genuine love of music. They've got the rhythm in 'em and are happy to show it.
DiFranco opened with "Freak Show" (played entirely on hand percussion), flubbed a verse or two and went directly into a funkdafied "Shameless," a song that's been played live so many times that it's evolved into several new forms. Next up was "Fire Door," also revised to add the horn section.
Although as a rule she plays quite a few old classics (this time: "Letter to a John," "32 Flavors" and "Not a Pretty Girl" among others), most have been reworked to include new parts. This is nothing new - DiFranco doesn't mind letting her songs mutate as she changes as a musician and performer. "Loom" benefited from upright bass, flute, sax and trumpet additions. "Willing to Fight" got a couple new instruments too, making for a completely new version.
Among the highlights were "Oh My My," as yet unreleased, and the only song she's written on a piano; "Tambouritza Lingua," a spoken word piece that DiFranco delivered without missing a beat and an intense "Two Little Girls," which effectively brought down the house.
And then of course there was the encore. DiFranco came back to play her "Out of Habit" solo as many sang along and cheered (inappropriately) whenever she used dirty words. The last song was "Joyful Girl," elegantly filled out with new parts, dedicated to DiFranco's mom, the most moving song of the night and one that satisfyingly completed the evening.
Those who missed it missed a good show. Those who got their Ani fix and want more, catch her tonight at the NorVa. Or wait a few months, she'll be back around.
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