The last time I saw Ani was 2 years ago at this same venue. She had just started touring again after taking a year off due to pain in her hands and arms caused by how hard she plays the guitar. Not only was she rusty from not playing but she was also about 6 months pregnant. It was not a good show. Nothing was in sync. To top it off, it was pouring rain.
I'm happy to say the old, righteous spitfire is back, better than ever! We got a great show tonight! With a new record due in October called Red Letter Year, Ani is back out on the road. Her new band features a female drummer who also does some harmonizing, Todd on bass who has been with her for a number of years now and a guy who played keyboards, percussion and xylophone. Sorry, I don't have the names. Ani was having fun playing with this group, very into it.
I've never seen anybody play acoustic guitar like she does. She attacks it yet does so much intricate playing and has some of the most melodic riffs around. It goes without saying she is a great songwriter.
She played 3 or 4 new songs including the title cut which I videod most of. Red Letter Year is about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Ani spends part of her time living in New Orleans. Part of the lyric:
"And representing the white race
A man with a monkey for a face
He's flying over in a helicopter
Whistling Dixie and playing dumb"
Vintage DiFranco!
The security tonight was intense as far as cameras were concerned. You would have thought The Beatles had reunited. They were grabbing everyone, deleting the photos and taking the batteries out. I missed some great opportunities as she was jumping all over the stage playing some intense versions of Gravel, As Is, Evolve, 32 Flavors, Napoleon, 2 Little Girls, the list could go on and on. You need to see her live to appreciate just how hard she plays.
For me one of the best moments was a new version of Every State Line. It was played with percussion only. Ani was on shaker, the drummer played the cajon, Todd played cowbell and the keyboardist played bongos. It's a great song:
"I got pulled over in west Texas so they could look inside my car
He said are you an American citizen? I said yes sir, so far
He made sure I wasn't smuggling someone in from Mexico
Someone willing to settle for America
'Cause there's nowhere else to go
And every state line
There's a new set of laws
And every police man
Comes equipped with extended claws
There's a thousand shades of white
And a thousand shades of black
But the same rule always applies
Smile pretty, and watch your back
The set lasted 90 minutes but it seemed to fly by in a heartbeat. I'm ready for her next show.
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