DiFranco shows never disappoint

For anyone looking for an explosive and dynamic performer completely in tune with the audience, look no further than Ani DiFranco. The singer-songwriter brought her show to the IU Auditorium Saturday night in a Union Board-sponsored concert, and put on a typically satisfying performance.\nI was first able to see DiFranco two years ago on her last visit to the IU Auditorium, and she has continued to impress me ever since. The last time I saw her, I was in Prague, Czech Republic, studying abroad. I walked into the relatively small venue, walked to the front of the room and planted myself there, grasping on to the metal bars that separated the stage from the audience. \nThis woman sings as if every show is her last. She jams with her band, makes jokes to the audience and tells stories. Her lyrics are, in one word, amazing. \nThe opening act, a feminist-rock duo named "Bitch and Animal," delighted the audience with their haywire lyrics and uncanny knack of working off each other. The last song they sang was a parody of religion versus the legalization of pot, to the tune of "Angels We Have Heard On High," which made the audience erupt in laughter and cheers. \nDiFranco took the stage soon after. The show consisted mostly of songs from her new album, Revelling/Reckoning. Still, she played some old favorites including "Firedoor," "Shameless" and "Two Little Girls." \nNo Ani concert would be complete without her chatting between songs with the audience. Although her stage banter was more abbreviated than usual, she still managed to make friends with everyone there.\nAni's political side is what drives much of her music, and about three quarters into the show, she pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. She said it was a poem she had written in the wake of Sept. 11, but hadn't finished. In perfect Ani style, she proceeded to blast the American government and big corporations that run it, managing not to lose touch with the tragedies that occurred. When I was in the Czech Republic, she made a similar move, blasting the Presidential elections. It's not anti-American sentiment she's filled with, but anti-government. \nAni's ability to make a connection, to speak to every person in a room as if they are all old friends, is one reason her shows are so powerful. In her encore, she sang a song that was directed specifically to the audience, and brought some people to tears. "Imagine me up here on stage ... and someone out there yawning," she sang. \nNo one's yawning, Ani.