On Friday, January 17th, Ani DiFranco stepped out on to the House of Blues stage in Houston, Texas, which was the second stop of a cross-country and European tour to support her new album, Unprecedented Shit. As the bright lights panned over the stage and into the audience, you could see delighted faces in the crowd waiting in anticipation. The environment on stage lent to the intimate feel, with carpets layered on the stage reminiscent of MTV Unplugged. It almost felt like being in someone's living room instead of a large, multilevel venue. DiFranco was accompanied on stage by a drummer, keyboardist, and a double bassist playing alongside her singing and guitar playing. The audience was seated around the stage, also giving it that close, intimate vibe.
Ani dove into titles off of her new album, such as "Virus", "Baby Roe", and "Spinning Room". Interlaced between the music and singing, Ani bantered with the audience, telling stories and discussing the origin of some of the songs. She ventured into well loved older songs in addition to her current album. Her "living room guests" singing along with her to "Little Plastic Castle", "Untouchable Face", and "Worthy". Towards the end of the night, Ani brought out fellow New Orleans artist Joy Clark, who has joined her on tour (and played to a standing ovation after her set). Her lyricism and style is a perfect addition to the Unprecedented Shit Tour. Together, they played the melodic "Revolutionary Love" and dove into "Shameless" from the Dilate album. The audience cheered DiFranco into an encore and she closed out the night with "Fire Door" and "Joyful Girl".
Ani DiFranco's musical career has birthed 23 albums, with Unprecedented Shit being the 23rd. She is a 4-time Grammy Nominee and her album Evolve won a Grammy. She created her own record label to release her albums, called Righteous Babe Records. It's an apropos title considering her songs delve into many important topics from women's rights to current political climate. Her songs weave in stories that may be personal to her, but touch a universal chord with her listeners, the mark of a good lyricist.
