Ani DiFranco - Des Moines April 17, 2010 Hoyt Sherman Theatre

I'm not a concert reviewer and I'm completely biased when it comes to Ani so don't read this if you want me to get all critical on you.

The song Swan Dive has been used by me as inspiration for my career and the things that I've done over the past 12 years and I believe I owe a lot of determination to her story.

So when I sit down to talk about a show that I saw last night in Des Moines, I will instead just tell you what I thought about it, give you the set list and look forward to seeing Ani in Omaha tonight!

Ani, over the past 5 years or so, has become a 90 minute act nearly to the minute. Her concerts are shockingly punctual which is understandable given that she has been on tour for nearly 2 decades now.

At 9 pm - you will see Ani hit the stage and 90 minutes and 2 encore songs later - she will depart. Die-hard fans understand this and have grown accustomed to it but some feel like for an artist with nearly 300 songs recorded, she should play longer.

I don't really care either way - I just want to see her play.

Last night, I sat with two of my friends who were seeing Ani for the first and second time. I felt a little bad for them because the set list last night was not for the casual fan and it looks like that has been the case over the past few shows. DiFranco is playing very current songs - mostly off her Reprieve, Knuckle Down, and Red Letter Year albums. She did go back and play a few of her popular older stuff but this set this was very political and very current.

Maybe it was because she was in Des Moines for the first time in a while and wanted to talk more about the issues of the day surrounding the election of Obama, the Tea-baggers of the 15th, or her new found love of parenting, but it was one of the most unique Ani shows I've ever seen.

I'm not saying, as the lyric goes, "They taught me different was wrong" however. I've seen Ani since 1995 play live, so many times that I've lost count (somewhere around 15 or so) but last night was one that I will remember for sure because of how different it was .

Set List (Best of my memory, sorry if I get something wrong):

Anticipate

78% H2O

Lag Time

Marrow

Albacore

Red Letter Year

November 5, 2008

Which Side Are You On

Unrequited

Splinter

***Didn't know it*** Left to say?

The Atom

Paradigm

Decree

Present/Infant

Both Hands

Encore

Evolve

Hypnotized

It's Ani Week!!!

Ani Difranco is coming to Des Moines on Saturday and Omaha on Sunday. She is, by far, my favorite female artist. I've seen her more times than I can count - around 15. I was 18 when I first came across her music....14 years and every CD later....I can't wait to see her in the city I'm living in!!

To get you ready, here's an NPR Ani Show:

A Song For Turning 33...

Today's my birthday. As my mother told me today when she called me this Easter Sunday - the day we remember the resurrection of Christ, that Jesus died when he turned 33. Today, I turned 33 on Easter. I have no idea what she was getting at with that but she thought it was interesting. 

I heard this song today and thought it reminded of my life. Death Cab For Cutie's I Was Once a Loyal Lover

WIll I have learned so very little
When these bones are old and brittle?
I wait to talk when I should listen
And cloud mistakes with false revisions

All my friends are forward-thinking
Getting hitched and quitting drinking
And I can feel them pulling away
As I'm resigned to stay the same

And you can't even begin to know
How many times I've told myself "I told you so"

I was once a loyal lover
Whose lips did never seek another's
But now each love's more like a match
A blinding spark that burns out fast

And they all conclude with the same sentence:
"I've never met someone more self-centered
Who thinks that life with a nice girl's like
Waiting for a bus to work"

And you can't even begin to know
How many times I've told myself "I told you so"
And you can't even begin to believe
There's so many bridges engulfed in flames behind me

If you deem it so
Just cut the cord and go
You'll be fine
There's plenty of hills to climb

You can't even begin to know
How many times I've told myself "I told you so"
And you can't even begin to believe
There's so many bridges engulfed in flames behind me

Since 1999....

This quotes sums up my life since I left my mother holding my 1 month old sister in her arms on the front lawn in Andover, Ma. as I drove out of site:

"They take pictures of mountain climbers at the top of the mountain.  

They are smiling, ecstatic, triumphant. They don’t take pictures along the way cause who wants to remember the rest of it? We push ourselves because we have to, not because we like it. The relentless climb. The pain and anguish of taking it to the next level. 

Nobody takes pictures of that. Nobody wants to remember. You just wanna to remember the view from the top. The breathtaking moment at the end of the world. That’s what keeps us climbing. And it’s worth the pain – that’s the crazy part. It's worth anything " - Grey's  

I'm hard wired for Radio. Don't know why....but I am.

If I Picked the Best Picture Oscar....

Out of the gate, I have to admit that I only saw 8 of the 10 nominations for best picture this year but seriously - 10 different movies? That's ridiculous. Still, here is how I would have ranked the 8 movies that were nominated this year for Best Picture.

This excluding "Precious" and "A Serious Man" and I apologize to you if you loved those films. I can't see that many movies! :)

8. District 9 - I saw this movie most recently and was impressed by Peter Jackson's political spin on an alien movie. It was really wild to see the special effects and an interesting look into human behavior. I don't like horror flicks and this isn't one. This is major-league Sci-Fi.

7. Inglourious Bastards - If this movie was a true story, I would have liked it much better. I couldn't help but remember that it wasn't a true story while I was watching it and thus, I was pulled out of the fictional world. Brad Pitt was ok in this - not his best role. It got a little nutty at times. Not Quentin's best work but worth seeing.

6. Avatar - This was a visual explosion of color. The 3-D film is the highest grossing movie ever for a reason. It was a wild, wild ride. However, the story line wasn't amazing and the acting was ok. It was a good movie but not an amazing movie. Must see in 3-D however...but you probably did.

5. The Blind Side - I read the book so I was really excited to see the film. I have to say, Sandra Bullock was AMAZING. She deserved the best actress award. She is from Alabama so I think she was the perfect fit for the role of the southern belle mom. Hell, that's her!

4. UP - This movie was just so sweet and deep at the same time. I took my 10-year old sister to see it and I thought it was such a wonderful message about never being too old to go on an adventure. One of my favorite Pixar movies of all time. Great family film. Buy this movie, seriously.

3. Up In The Air - George Clooney was outstanding in this film. At times I felt like I was watching a movie that was based on the places I've lived! Des Moines, Omaha, Alabama, Wichita, etc...all played a big part in this "flying" movie. I related this to movie's theme of movement and asking larger life questions as you get older.

2. The Hurt Locker - I know this movie won the Oscar and I have no problem with it. It was a gritty, real, and moving film. Visually amazing and wonderfully directed. It deserved all the awards that it won...but I have it as number 2. War movies are cool but I'm never huge into them.

1. An Education - I'm probably in the minority here but I fell for this tale of love, lies, and dreaming in England. It was really, really well done and the perfect length. The acting was wonderful (best overall), the accents which were really fun (great retro outfits too) and the trip back to a time that we all remember as teenagers did what a movie is suppose to do - make you think. This movie was my favorite of the year.