04.18.05 Ani DiFranco in Toronto
The Ani DiFranco concert at The Hummingbird Centre last night was AMAZING.
The past few Ani shows I've been to have been somewhat lackluster, but last night definitely made up for them... and then some.
Ani came out onto the stage skipping, establishing a positive vibe which lasted throughout the evening. She talked to the audience quite a bit, telling us about her disappointment of going to the CN Tower earlier in the day, but not getting to look through the glass floor because they were "fixing the carpet". After she broke a string, someone called out for her to play Both Hands. She gave a little explanation of why that was not possible, stating that she had just recently joined the 21st Century and bought a cell phone and a computer, but as a result, had given herself carpral tunnel so, she couldn't play any songs with fingerpicking, but was fine with those where she just had to strum hard which she demonstrated by playing Shameless, during which she broke another string! The audience was extremely polite. Hardly anyone called out during the performance, but the applause and cheers after songs showed that everyone was having a great time. The highlight of the evening was during Shameless when, at first, just a few people in the first row stood up and started dancing and then a everyone decided to follow their lead and came streaming down the aisles, filling the whole first section with dancing, hand clapping and cheers which lasted for the rest of the show. Just before she started playing 32 Flavors, the last song of the evening, she invited everyone to sing along, then, when it should have ended she said, "Let's do that one more time" so everyone repeated the part with the oh's again. It was quite beautiful.
If it's not already obvious, it was a great night. I can't wait to see her again. (Hopefully this time it won't be so long until she comes back.)
To the best of my recollection, the setlist was:
Knuckle Down
Little Plastic Castle
Swim
Half-Assed (new song)
Studying Stones
Lag Time
Sunday Morning
Modulation
Manhole
Napoleon
My I.Q.
Gravel
Millennium Theater (new song)
Reprieve (new poem)
Recoil
Shameless
/Evolve
32 Flavors
I know that's all right, but I'm pretty sure there were a few songs either before or after Millennium Theater, Reprieve, and Recoil. Definitely Margins and A Spade's a Spade and perhaphs Shroud, but my memory is a little fuzzy.
If anyone happens to have/ get a bootleg of this show I would LOVE to set up a trade for it... it was one of the best Ani show's I've ever been to.
Also, my sister took some pictures and videos using her digital camera, so if I'm able to get them from her I'll try to remember to post links. :)
The past few Ani shows I've been to have been somewhat lackluster, but last night definitely made up for them... and then some.
Ani came out onto the stage skipping, establishing a positive vibe which lasted throughout the evening. She talked to the audience quite a bit, telling us about her disappointment of going to the CN Tower earlier in the day, but not getting to look through the glass floor because they were "fixing the carpet". After she broke a string, someone called out for her to play Both Hands. She gave a little explanation of why that was not possible, stating that she had just recently joined the 21st Century and bought a cell phone and a computer, but as a result, had given herself carpral tunnel so, she couldn't play any songs with fingerpicking, but was fine with those where she just had to strum hard which she demonstrated by playing Shameless, during which she broke another string! The audience was extremely polite. Hardly anyone called out during the performance, but the applause and cheers after songs showed that everyone was having a great time. The highlight of the evening was during Shameless when, at first, just a few people in the first row stood up and started dancing and then a everyone decided to follow their lead and came streaming down the aisles, filling the whole first section with dancing, hand clapping and cheers which lasted for the rest of the show. Just before she started playing 32 Flavors, the last song of the evening, she invited everyone to sing along, then, when it should have ended she said, "Let's do that one more time" so everyone repeated the part with the oh's again. It was quite beautiful.
If it's not already obvious, it was a great night. I can't wait to see her again. (Hopefully this time it won't be so long until she comes back.)
To the best of my recollection, the setlist was:
Knuckle Down
Little Plastic Castle
Swim
Half-Assed (new song)
Studying Stones
Lag Time
Sunday Morning
Modulation
Manhole
Napoleon
My I.Q.
Gravel
Millennium Theater (new song)
Reprieve (new poem)
Recoil
Shameless
/Evolve
32 Flavors
I know that's all right, but I'm pretty sure there were a few songs either before or after Millennium Theater, Reprieve, and Recoil. Definitely Margins and A Spade's a Spade and perhaphs Shroud, but my memory is a little fuzzy.
If anyone happens to have/ get a bootleg of this show I would LOVE to set up a trade for it... it was one of the best Ani show's I've ever been to.
Also, my sister took some pictures and videos using her digital camera, so if I'm able to get them from her I'll try to remember to post links. :)