Eagle-Tribune Blogs: Pop

Just got this review from Pop reader Jaden. Sounds like a great concert (sorry I missed it).  Here’s what Jaden had to say:

I am a critic when it comes to concerts.
I’ve spent many a buck and many a day traveling to the Tweeter center, or to Meadowbrook, only to be disappointed by bad sound techs, bad seating, bad entertainer attitudes or bad weather. There’s always something that happens to ruin the possibility of having a wonderful time. Needless to say, I was beginning to wonder if there was such a thing as a fully satisfying performance.
I certainly didn’t expect it to happen at a small venue, with an indie artist, at the concert that had been rescheduled from the previous month because she had laryngitis. Even though Ani Difranco is my favorite singer of all-time, I still went into her concert at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord last Thursday fully thinking I could leave disappointed. I was worried she might not be at her best, after being so sick just a month ago. I was worried that the sound balance might be off, and I wouldn’t be able to hear her lyrics. Having never seen Difranco live before, I even worried a little that she might not be the friendly, upbeat, witty person that comes through in her songs… That she might instead be shy and introverted, or even- gasp- rude and ungrateful towards her fans. (This particular worry was not based on anything to do with Ani herself, but rather a different artist I had seen previously who acted this way.) I was expecting to enjoy Ani’s concert, regardless of what happened to throw it off, because I absolutely adore her and what she stands for. What I wasn’t prepared for, though, was being blown away.
Over The Rhine opened, and though I had never heard any of their songs before, I found myself tapping my feet and attempting to sing along. Karin Bergquist, the lead singer, had amazing depth to her voice- it echoed throughout the room and had many jaws dropped. I, for one, was entranced and will definitely be getting their CD.
Ani herself was incredible. Amazing. Awesome. Better than I ever could have hoped or pictured. Not only did she not allow the laryngitis from last month to even make a difference to her sound, she put in the extra energy to try to make it up to all of us fans who had had to wait that extra month to see her live. She bounced around the stage like a little pixie, a tiny woman with a huge sound extracting these crazy rhythms from her guitar- new songs and old songs alike, they all sounded superb. I’m sure, being as grateful as she is (she always makes sure to give credit where it’s due) that she would tell you a lot of that had to do with the talented sound techs and her band… Which is definitely true, they all had a great night. But it’s also true that Ani Difranco is just as talented in life as she is on CD. She’s just as witty, just as forthcoming, just as much a righteous babe as one could ever hope or imagine. She interspersed her music with anecdotes from her life- stories about her one-year-old daughter, about losing her voice onstage last month and how embarrassing it was, and about what it’s like to take a break from your career for a while and just be. Stories about what happens when you are just being, and a giant hurricane comes and hits your town. Stories about what happens afterwards, and how you move on.

The Capitol Center was a great choice for venue- no matter where you were sitting, you could see the artists and actually feel the music (especially that giant stand up bass!) vibrating your body, which is something a lot of venues have lost today. It’s just not the same, I have found, to be at a concert but watching the band on a big-screen a quarter-mile away from the stage. The intimate venue was perfect for Ani and her vibe- I don’t think a large venue would have created the same type of energy. The simplistic setting was perfect for her, too- there weren’t any big bells and whistles, no light shows, no pyrotechnics, no confetti blasts or crowd surfing or t-shirt throwing… Just Ani and her band, and that was everything needed to create the BEST concert experience I have ever had, by far. When I left, my whole body felt like it was smiling, and I had no words to explain just how grateful I felt to have been there. I could have watched her play and listened to her stories for hours and hours- even days- more, but unfortunately there was no way to make that happen aside from kidnapping, which I don’t think would exactly be cause for her to keep singing. I guess I’ll just have to wait for the next live Difranco concert to come around, like everyone else. I’ll be sitting on the edge of my seat waiting until then.

Have you seen a great show? Send me a review at rford@eagletribune.com and I’ll post it on Pop.

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