Ani DiFranco is very much worth seeing. Great concert. I’ve heard the word “force of nature” used about people before. I didn’t really get it.
Now I know. Her stage presence is massive and just such a force.
Her guitar-playing is virtuosic– among the best I’ve ever seen. She has more personality than some entire countries and her band is also stellar.
My favorite song she did live was “Fuel” which she completely changed up to a 70s-style funk-inflected jam that was completely unexpected but also worked perfectly.
If you can see her live, do so.
If there were any justice in the world, her songs would be as culturally iconic as those of Led Zeppelin or the Beatles.
If there were any justice in the world, her songs would be as culturally iconic as those of Led Zeppelin or the Beatles.
I thought her whole deal was “I want to maintain artistic control so I have my own label.” She doesn’t want to be big and she’s said herself many times she turned down record deals. This is how she gets to write the songs she wants to write (no auto tune for example) and age gracefully. Madonna, at about the same age, came across as desperate and super afraid of aging while tonguing younger pop stars to get people to pay attention to her.
Here’s a solo version similar to Ani’s version of Fuel that she played the other night, which I agree has a lot more groove than the album cut:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV28C1cbIfc
(there’s story telling until around 2:30)