'Little' Ani plays big show

The last time Ani DiFranco came to Michigan, the unconstrained, staunchly feminist, self-made folksinger had acquired virtually no radio airplay throughout her seven years as a recording artist.

Last Monday at Meadowbrook, Ani returned a different woman, having recently tasted more fame than ever with the release of "Little Plastic Castle," which has been sneaking its way into the mainstream music scene over the past few months. Ani's altered career affected Monday's concert both positively and negatively.

She started the evening off with "Little Plastic Castle," a surefire way to excite the crowd right off the bat.

The song pleased both longtime fans who finally got to see the live performance of a long-awaited hit song and new fans who didn't know more than one or two songs (this being one of them).

ADRIANA YUGOVICH/Daily Fully equipped with mad fingerpicking and sharp lyrics, Ani Difranco had fans at Meadowbrook on their feet Monday night.

The new fans made up a notable portion of the large audience, so many were able to obtain their first heavy dose of one of music's best kept secrets.

The flip side was the reduction in a feeling of intimacy throughout an audience of dedicated fans, a factor regularly present in past shows.

And faithful fans didn't get to hear many of the songs that made them so devoted in the first place. Nearly half the songs Ani performed were from her most recent album which, while certainly a remarkable piece of work, is not quite as impressive as those of the past.

Old favorites such as "Cradle and All" and "Letter to a John" were spectacularly performed - an indication that at least a few tunes from albums such as "Not So Soft," "Imperfectly" and "Puddle Dive" would have been equally exceptional. Unfortunately, none were played.

I do not, however, mean to undermine the quality of the new songs that were performed. Full of raw emotion, beautiful vocals and the combination of Ani's uniquely astonishing guitar playing with keyboard, drums and bass, songs like "Two Little Girls" and "Gravel" couldn't have sounded better.

A few new songs promised that Ani's next album is sure to be a success. These songs still mirrored past greatness while exploring new territory. "My Country 'Tis of Thee" said that although people have done so much destruction to our country and the way it is run, we should still love the country itself.

In "Not Angry Anymore," Ani dealt with her feelings toward her father for leaving her and her mother when she was a child.

Over the past few years, Ani has become notorious for regularly playing extremely short sets, disappointing many fans. So it was a pleasant surprise on Monday when she performed 17 songs in over an hour and a half - by no means a record, but better than the usual hour and 15 minutes.

Although seeing her live may not be a "surprise every time," it was worthwhile after seven years to see Ani perform after finally receiving a bit of well-earned mainstream attention.

07-06-98