So This Happened

Way way back on September 23^rd, I went to see Ani Difranco and Anais Mitchell at the Pantages Theater. I was really excited for this show. Ani has always been a favorite of mine and Anais is a new love and the Pantages just seemed like the perfect venue for them.

And then my dog died the day before.

I still went to the show. It was very bittersweet. I was relieved to have something to look forward to and take my mind off of things. But I was so easily distracted and when I would listen, I found myself finding sad dog meanings to almost every song and then I would cry.

Thank goodness for dark theaters.

Anais opened the show with a short set. Too short. I could have listened to her all night. Her voice will slay you. She sings with such emotion and conviction and her words…I swear she is the new Paul Simon. She just has such an ease with lyrics. The words just seem so natural and flow so well.

She stuck to mostly songs from her album Hadestown, a rock opera based on the myth of Persephone, Hades, Orpheus, Eurydice, etc, etc (it’s really quite the album and quite good) and new songs. She’s captivating to watch. She tends to wiggle and kick her feet when she plays. She was at the merch table post show so I went up to say hello. I didn’t really know what else to say. I wanted to gush to her about how my dog died the day before and how her song “Changer” has such a different meaning to me now and how it is so beautiful and heartbreaking that I almost can’t listen to it anymore. But then I thought better of that.

Ani played well. She’s such an amazing performer. She played by herself and just took over the whole room. She even had a bit of a cold, but you would have never known if she didn’t mention it.

It was also her birthday.

Her sets have been pretty standard of late. I’ve been reading grumblings on the internets for years now from people complaining that she has so many albums and why doesn’t she ever change it up. But, when you’re there in the moment and you’re watching and listening, it doesn’t matter. She’s just so good.

The audience was great, too. Much better than the First Avenue show from a couple of years ago. People were respectful and the inbetween song “I LOVE YOU!!!”s were kept to a minimum.

She was happy, bouncy Ani. I like happy, bouncy Ani.

Her setlist was as follows (in kind of the correct order for the most part):

• Shy
• Angry Anymore
• Swim
• Promiscuity
• Unworry
• Way Tight
• Reckoning (first time I’ve heard this live. LOVED it)
• J
• Garden of Simple
• Splinter
• As Is
• Everest
• Zoo
• Gloating
• If You’re Not
• Which Side Are You On?
• Both Hands
  
• Angel From Montgomery (John Prine cover)

So, thanks Ani and Anais, for providing a lovely distraction in my time of need.