DiFrancofy, to be DiFrancofied - verb: To find oneself in a heightened state of existence while listening to, or viewing, folk singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco in concert.
The description of the aforementioned verb, while made up and patented by myself is, I believe, the most accurate description of the affect felt by seeing Miss DiFranco in concert; so accurate in fact that I am forming a committee to officiall enter the verb into the Oxford English dictionary - but I digress.
It might seem strange to base an entire review around one word; it might perhaps, seem slightly naive; but to watch the icon, activist, feminist, poet and general tour de force in action, one does honestly find themselves straddling another plain of existence.
As the five-foot-nothing DiFranco sauntered onto stage, a little tired and a whole lot confident, the crowd at Wauchope's Cassegrian Winery exploded into a tumultuous sea of whoops, hollers and applause. Perhaps the excitement was spurred on by the fact that they had been waiting all day for her in 40-degree heat, entertained by some of Australia's best folk-based artists who include Mama Kin, Jeff Lang and the mammoth production that is Blue King Brown. Perhaps it was this, but by the way eyes glazed and smiles of glee were pasted onto each and every face, it was more the pure joy and disbelief that the one and only Miss Ani DiFranco was a mere two feet away that spurred on the crowd's excitement.
Backed by a small but tight band which included an upright electric bass, electric xylophone and drums, DiFranco launched into her set with the impenetrable powerhouse force that she is so well known for. As DiFranco stole into the first bars of 'Smiling Underneath' - the somewhat uncharacteristically joyful song from her latest album, Red Letter Year - the crowd both swayed and sung in unison. A new song, inspired by the election of Barack Obama, followed to which DiFranco joyfully remarked, "I love, love, love, love, love Barack Obama!" As the song built steadily into the chorus, the crowd in unison with DiFranco all screamed, "Yes we can!"
DiFranco and her band seamlessly wove their way through both old and new material that all were rapturously received by the audience. But it was the audiences' requests that DiFranco so graciously played that really got the crowd pumping. In particular her song 'Shameless', which shows off DiFranco's signature staccato guitar stylings at their best, was the most well-received number, ushering on a mosh along from both young and old.
As DiFranco waved her hands in appreciation and sheer exhaustion, the crowd screamed for an encore. Not sure that she would give us one, we unnervingly watched her walk off stage. Of course she did; 'Evolve' was the encore song that was sung at the top of all lungs, with DiFranco responding mid-chorus, "Come on all you singers, one more time!"
DiFranco ended the set with the heart-wrenching ballad 'Overlap'. As the song ended, DiFranco grasped the hands of her band mates, waved her hands atop of her head and thanked us for being there before she left the stage, leaving us all feeling perfectly sublime.
Alex Hahn
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