Ani DiFranco says journalists have asked her for her definition of feminism so many times that she now simply recites Webster’s — one who believes women’s rights should be equal to men’s.

But DiFranco proved last night at the Landmark Theatre that she is not your traditional feminist — she is many other things. She is anti-corporate propaganda, pro- racial equality and against strip malls. But, all politics aside, she is a musician before all else.

From a deep pool of songs, Ani selected snapshots from each of her albums. Although her album, Evolve, was released two weeks ago, DiFranco is clearly not on a promo tour. She walked onstage modestly, warming up with ‘Shy,’ an impatient, anxious hit from 1997’s Not A Pretty Girl. She blazed through Plastic Little Castle’s ‘Gravel,’ grinning graciously at her fans as she sang the line: ‘Oh let me count the ways/ I adore you.’

She complimented the audience throughout her performance, highlighting the strong bond between herself and her fans. The audience drew magnetically to her, filling the orchestra aisles with their dancing bodies.

This is not a promo tour because there is no need for promotion — DiFranco’s successful label, Righteous Babe Records, and a constantly growing fan base have kept her popularity strong. Ten songs passed before DiFranco reached for a newer tune, adding an extra verse to ‘Phase’ just because she could.

Onstage she was as much an actress as a musician, provoking the audience with wide-eyed facial expressions, sarcastic laughter and jester-like dances that exaggerated each accent in her songs.

Words are DiFranco’s weapon of choice. Her lyrics sting and bruise, evoke anger and sadness, yet relay miles of hope and triumph: ‘I am cancer/ I am HIV/ Just looking up from my pillow/ feeling blessed.’ When she cannot speak in words, DiFranco converses in frustrated wails and low moans.

Clad in a red tank top and navy cargo pants, she was one with the audience even in dress code. Between songs she sing-talks to her fans about the warm weather, describing how she ‘escaped to her fire escape’ to write her set list that morning. Her fan-friendly attitude was tested when a fan climbed onstage and danced theatrically to her song. DiFranco passed — she shooed away the approaching bodyguards, allowing the man to go on. Armed with an acoustic guitar and her self-made label, DiFranco called the shots.

Amid a setlist that contained Evolve’s somber ‘Welcome To,’ Revelling/Reckoning’s race relations anthem ‘Subdivision’ and two serious slam poetry sessions, DiFranco surprised the audience when she began to giggle uncontrollably on stage before a song. She explained, ‘At the end of this verse I say, ‘Only the wolves are out there listening.’ ‘ The audience was puzzled until they started to cheer, and recognize that their hoots and whoo’s actually sounded like a pack of wolves. They laughed at the realization, and DiFranco laughed too. It was obvious that despite her laundry list of gripes, she gets a kick out of this world.

Opener Hamell On Trial provided the perfect set to rile up the audience. Syracuse-raised Ed Hamell serves as both an impressive musician and stand-up comedian, delivering lines like, ‘He’s got the IQ of a Creed fan.’ His blues/rockabilly guitar skills reached new heights, while heavy lyrics about Matthew Shepherd and the loss of his mother balance his otherwise comical performance.

Marisa Bardach is a junior magazine major. E-mail her at [email protected].

Published on March 24, 2003 at 12:00 pm