Milwaukee's Daily Magazine Monday, Nov. 9, 2009
Today
Hi: 66
Lo: 50
Mon
Hi: 60
Lo: 45
Tue
Hi: 56
Lo: 39
Section Sponsor
Article Tools
Print this Article
Make text larger
Related Twitter Posts

  • AllanP1:
    fridays riverside in the glama bar tonight (thursday). from 8pm till maybe 2am or 3 link

  • FreeListOC:
    wheelchair or electric full size bed (san diego, orange or riverside co): In urgent need of a working condition.. link

  • hard2please_ceo:
    BRING UR GIRL OR COME ALONE... DONT MATTER, LOL JUST BE AT THE "RED ROSE LOUNGE" 11/12/09 -287 W. La Cadena Drive, Riverside, CA 92501

  • Dminus5:
    link who wants to join me and my new Doberman at Kickbacks or Wall Street in riverside??that's where we will be #fb

  • gem_wow:
    @andyclemmensen RIVERSIDE! again. or dancing in the dark by bruce spingsteen


Follow us on Twitter ...
In Music Blogs
Cradle-rocking Ani DiFranco rocked the Riverside, too
 
By Molly Snyder Edler RSS Feed Twitter Feed
OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writer

E-mail author | Author bio
More articles by Molly Snyder Edler

What is a blog?  For us it is a short blurb that we write when the mood strikes us.  It can be first person, funny or informative. In short, a blog is whatever we want it to be. Published Sept. 20, 2007 at 10:33 a.m.
Tags: ani difranco, riverside, righteous babe records, melissa ferrick, new orleans, folk, fingerstyle

The last time Ani DiFranco gigged in Wisconsin was in Madison and she was five months' pregnant. Last night, she played a knock-out show at The Riverside, but waited until halfway through the performance to bring up her 8-month-old daughter, Petah Lucia, whom she delivered in her Buffalo, N.Y. home last January.

"You may have heard, I had myself a baby," she said with a huge smile, inspiring a raucous ovation from the audience.

Clearly, motherhood transformed the almost 37-year-old (her birthday is on Sunday), who arguably redefined folk music in the early '90s with edgy lyrics and a signature staccato style of guitar pickin'.

Last evening, DiFranco appeared happier and prettier than ever before with naturally curly shoulder-length hair instead of her usual punkrockish 'dos, and practical black shoes instead of fat platforms.

But don't get me wrong, Mister DiFranco didn't coo "Kum Ba Yah" in a pair of "mom jeans." No, the original righteous babe appeared lean and strong in a black tank top and a pair of cargo pants, ripping it up from the moment she opened with "Knuckle Down."

And Difranco never lost steam during the 90-minute performance, playing a variety of new and newer songs, while still tossing out old-favorite flavored bones like "Napoleon," "Fuel," "Fire Door" (probably my all-time favorite DiFranco tune, for whatever it's worth) and a killer encore of "Little Plastic Castles" featuring amazing opener, Melissa Ferrick, on trumpet.

Many of DiFranco's quips centered around environmental politics and her new mom-dom. She commented on the challenge of showering with a new baby by joking to the audience, "Maybe you're all fine and fancy and fresh, but keep that to yourself," and later confessed she was trying to write happier songs.

"It's f-cking hard, but it's my new mission."

And indeed, most of her material is more hopeful, definitely inspired by baby Petah, but also by the resilience of her new community in New Orleans where she moved after Hurricane Katrina.

"It's a city of good people that history forgot," she said. "Now y'all can perform an act of activism and go down there and drink your faces off. New Orleans needs you."



More Information ...
Riverside Theater
116 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53203
(414) 286-3663
http://www.riversidetheater.org

1 comment about this article.
Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by JS on Sept. 20, 2007 at 11:07 a.m. (report)

What a mix of music Downtown last night: Ani Difranco, Gordon Lightfoot (Pabst) and Megadeath (Rave)!

Rate this:
  • Average rating: 0.0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5



Recent blogs/briefs by Molly Snyder Edler
What is a blog?  For OMC, it is a short blurb that we write when the mood strikes us.  It can be first person, funny or informative. In short, a blog is whatever we want it to be. 11 benefits of being an adoptive mom
Monday
The adoptive mom lets go of a lot, but she receives an abundance in return, too. Here ...

What is a blog?  For OMC, it is a short blurb that we write when the mood strikes us.  It can be first person, funny or informative. In short, a blog is whatever we want it to be. Can you politely "unfriend" on Facebook?
Oct. 30, 2009
A real friend from the real world told me she wanted to clean up her Facebook page and ...

What is a blog?  For OMC, it is a short blurb that we write when the mood strikes us.  It can be first person, funny or informative. In short, a blog is whatever we want it to be. Rapid review: Centro Cafe
Oct. 29, 2009
Today's quick review focuses on Riverwest's newest eatery, Centro Cafe. It's a cozy, Italian ...

What is a blog?  For OMC, it is a short blurb that we write when the mood strikes us.  It can be first person, funny or informative. In short, a blog is whatever we want it to be. Are spelling tests stupid?
Oct. 26, 2009
I spend hours a week grilling my kid on spelling words, and even though I'm a writer, ...

What is a blog?  For OMC, it is a short blurb that we write when the mood strikes us.  It can be first person, funny or informative. In short, a blog is whatever we want it to be. Rapid review: Roots Restaurant & Cellar
Oct. 22, 2009
Here's a mini review of Roots, a fresh and natural restaurant in Brewer's Hill with an ...

OnMilwaukee.com is part of the In Click Network. Other In Click sites include: 30RockReport.com | Behind The Scenes at OnMilwaukee.com | BetterRecipes.org | Bimmer Digest | Brain Brawn & Body | BrewCityBeats.com | Brewcitybigscreen.com | britneysnation.com | BritPop Rocks | Brooklynbanter.com | CactusLeagueReport.com | Caffeinateddigest.com | Culinary Piedmont | Cycling Chainring | Daily Lost Update | Daily Milwaukee News | Daily Spa | DannyGokeyMilwaukee.com | Dogs Blogs | EarthFueled.com | Edible Wisconsin | FanaticPhotog.com | Gadget Deals and Steals | GolfLinksWisconsin.com | H1N1 Alerts | H1N1 Blog | H1N1 Prevention | H1N1 Reporter | H1N1 Tracker | HogEnthusiast.com | Informed Runner | iPhone Daily Report | Man United Nation | Milwaukee Brewers Nation | Milwaukee Bucks Blog | Milwaukee Dad | Minnesota Wild Nation | MomMilwaukee.com | My Super Stocks | MyGayMilwaukee.com | MyHangoverHelper | News on Draught | NY Mets Nation | OnAtlantaGA.com | OnAustinTX.com | OnBaltimoreMD.com | OnBirminghamAL.com | OnBostonMass.com | OnBuffaloNY.com | OnCharlotteNC.com | OnCincinnati.com | OnClevelandOH.com | OnColumbusOH.com | OnDallas.com | OnDCmetro.com | OnDenverCO.com | OnDetroitMI.com | OnDoorCounty.org | OnFortLauderdale.com | OnGreenBay.com | OnHartford.com | OnIndianapolisIN.com | OnKansasCityMO.com | OnLakeCountry.com | OnLosAngelesCA.com | OnLouisvilleKY.com | OnMadison.com | OnMemphisTN.com | OnMiamiFLA.com | OnMilwaukee.com Cars | OnMilwaukee.com Metro Headlines | OnNashvilleTN.com | OnNewOrleansLA.com | OnNYCny.com | OnOrlandoFL.com | OnPalmSprings.com | OnPhiladelphia.com | OnPhoenixAZ.com | OnPittsburgh.com | OnPortlandOR.com | OnProvidence.com | OnRichmondVA.com | OnSacramento.com | OnSaltLakeCity.com | OnSanAntonioTX.com | OnSanDiegoCA.com | OnSanFran.com | OnSanJose.com | OnSeattleWA.com | OnSinCity.com | OnStLouis.com | OnStPetersburg.com | OnTampaBay.com | OnTucsonAZ.com | OnTwinCities.com | OnWichita.com | OnWindyCity.com | Packers Posts | Porsche 911 Fans | PriusFans.com | Roller Derby Network | SnuggieFans.com | SummerfestRocks.com | Swine Flu China | Swine Flu Reporter | The 24 Reporter | The Barack Obama Fan Club | The Brilliant Manager | The Comic Book Reporter | The In Click | The Office Fan Blog | TheHDTVReporter.com | TheNetbookBlog.com | TheNewParentBlog.com | Trueguitarheroes.com | Vintage Mets | VW Busses | WaukeshaWeekly.com | Weekly Media News | Wisconsincustomhomenews.com | WisWomen.com | Woodworker Digest