It did not take long for those nanve fans who brought blankets, hoping to claim a private space in the pre-show land grab, to realize that this was not going to be a lightly attended picnic with a folksinger. The Ani Difranco legion was out in force on this ideal quarter-moon Friday night in Austin, Texas, and the Backyard was at near capacity. Blankets could still be found, but they were shared among a dozen strangers. The scene was particularly beautiful with the imposing Oak trees behind the stage lit up like a backdrop from a Tim Burton film.

Accompanied by drums, bass and various types of keyboards, Difranco loaded the first half of the set with upbeat, slinky and funky tunes that kept the audience bouncing. Particularly strong were "Freakshow," which she opened with, and the beautiful "Providence," both of which are on her new album, To The Teeth. When Jason Mercer put down the stand-up bass and played the electric bass, the band even sounded like Stevie Wonder, circa 1976. Difranco was visibly heartened by the enthusiasm of the Austin audience and repeatedly referred to the previous night's fans as "cardboard cutouts." "It's like, you know, they didn't respond to environmental stimuli."

The pace changed for a mid-set pairing of Difranco and Julie Wolf (accordion) on the song "Angry Anymore" from Up Up Up Up Up Up, with harmonies that sounded just like the Indigo Girls. Needless to say, the crowd loved it. . Equally impressive was the percussion and vocal interlude, which had the entire band at center stage singing "Every State Line" with maracas and hand held drums.

An expert at connecting with audiences, Difranco's light-hearted free association ramblings were often as entertaining as the music. After noting that Public Enemy was playing the same night, she thanked the audience for showing up, suggesting that she would have had a hard time choosing between herself and Flavor Flav. At one point, after ten minutes of a giggling monologue about a V.I.P. tour of the White House, the American Revolution and the historical implications of a portrait of George Washington, she looked down at her feet and said "Focus. Focus."

The only mildly serious musing came in reference to the sodomy laws of Texas, which she speculated "were on the crusty old books because no politician wanted to be the one to repeal them. They don't realize what a hero they would be to us all." The cheers lasted for two minutes even though everyone knew that it's unlikely any Texas politician is interested in being such a hero.

While her songwriting has been the usual focus of music critics, from her live show it becomes apparent that one of the most overlooked aspects of Difranco's talent is her ability to play guitar. With the label of "folksinger" comes the assumption that the songs are more about lyrics than guitar virtuosity. Watching her play makes one realize just how complex her songs really are. The deception is increased by her ability to lead the band with subtle cues that give her the freedom to improvise and communicate with the audience.

The set ended with Kurt Swinghammer, the opening act, joining the band to play electric guitar on the title track of To The Teeth. While she didn't mention her own upcoming release, Difranco was particularly effusive concerning Swinghammer's new album, which she said sounded "unbelievable, spacey, like mutants are running through it."

The show closed too soon for most of the fans, who were hoping for a long series of encores. However, the roaring audience reaction throughout the show was an indication that no one was disappointed. And even though Difranco refers to herself as "just a folksinger," carries the requisite acoustic guitar and sings songs that could be played in a joint passing circle, she is more like a hero to her fans. They would forgive her for anything, realizing that tonight she was probably in a hurry to catch the last couple of Public Enemy songs.

CHARLIE ROADMAN
(October 18, 1999)