TigerLily
For those of you who don't know, I had the opportunity to go to the Bob Dylan/Ani DiFranco concert the night of August 23, 1997, and anyone who knows me knows of my slight obsession with Ani DiFranco.
Well, let's start at the very beginning...we (Rebecca, her mom, and I) hadn't actually bought tickets. When I called to make sure that the show wasn't sold out, the only way to get them was with a credit card, which I don't happen to have at my age. Anyway, we got there and Rebecca and I went to go get the tickets, only to be told that the lawn was SOLD OUT! There was only one actual seat left (it was an obstructed view seat). I was devastated for a number of reasons. First, I could've gotten tickets (or at least reserved them) when I called; second, I hated the thought that we had driven all the way out there for nothing, plus, we're talking Ani here...Ani, my obsession, the one artist I constantly listen to (the one exception to Ani DiFranco that I can think of at the moment being Tori Amos). I was so upset.
Well, Rebecca and I were sitting by a fence, playing cards, waiting for her mom to come over so we could break the news to her. We decided to stay by until they kicked us away (if they did at all), maybe we could hear the concert, ya know? Anyway, her mom went to go "people watch" while Rebecca and I talked for a while, snacking on fruit, bagels, water, and whatever else we happened to have.
About ten, fifteen mintues later, her mom walks over, ONE TICKET IN HAND! A lady had GIVEN her a lawn seat...no cost whatsoever...GAH! Talk about "practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty", eh? Anyway, Rebecca's mom asked us for our money, maybe she could try and buy two more tickets from people who were trying to get rid of them. She was doubtful, but was going to try. I handed her $40, willing to pay at least that much to get in (lawn seats are normally only $20). As I said, we're talking Ani DiFranco here, my favorite artist, poet, chicka...whatever. Rebecca called me nuts, but I was willing to pay that much to see Ms. DiFranco.
At seven 'o' clock (when the concert was scheduled to start with the first opening band, BR 4-59 or something weird like that), Rebecca's mom walked over...with TWO MORE TICKETS!!!!! I was so surprised that she had gotten them; it was like a mircle or something. So, we went in, and she found a small section on the lawn (what was left of it-people were EVERYWHERE!). Rebecca and I went to our seats (which were actual seats, and they were AMAZING! We never would have gotten those types of seats otherwise, we both agreed).
And the show? The first band, Br 4-59, pleasently reminded me of Squirrel Nut Zippers. After them, we went to check on Rebecca's mom, and I tried hummus for the first time (is that a concert food or something???? The people I was with at the Lilith Fair had it too). It was...odd. Anyway, we went back to our seats and Ani came on...
Ohmigosh! She has this amazing stage presence, she's talking to the crowd, making jokes (she made the joke that she was "Bob", and later said, "Now I think you realize that I am not "Bob""...) She was just great!!! She played one of Bob Dylan's songs, "Most of the Time" I think it's called, and that just struck a chord in me, and I almost started crying. She also played two new songs, and I can't wait until her new album comes out (rumours are floating around that one will be coming out February '98, and will be called "Little Plastic Castles" and that makes sense, because one line in the first song she played, which was new, was "little plastic castles". I'm just so ecstatic!). But, I really loved it, really want to go to another show, but that and August 24th's show were her only East Coast appearances for a while (save a date in New York in September). *pouts*
I enjoyed her music live because she's such an energetic performer. You can really tell that she loves what she does; it's in her music, in her stage presence, just EVERYTHING about her!!! It's great...I love her so much. She played "Letter to a John" and a lot of other ones I love (sadly, though, not "Willing to Fight"). But, she left, and I was upset, because she hadn't played "Joyful Girl", which is just like, my absolute favorite (if I had to choose one). After the band left, she came back for an encore which WAS "Joyful Girl". It was a beautiful rendition. Again, I almost cried. She also played "The Slant" which is like a poem type thing which is just great. There's something about Ani DiFranco's playing which makes it feel like you are the only one listening to her, even though you are surrounded by people who are also listening to her. It also feels as though she makes the guitar speak, which is really intriguing. She is one of the few artists today who uses all acoustic guitars. To me, who is trying to learn to play an acoustic guitar, that it's hard to make it sound like you are actually playing music. With Ani DiFranco's music, especially live, the guitar sounds like it's singing with her. It's so amazing.
Okay, enough about Ani. I'm sure you didn't want to know all that, but :P deal with it. Then, we went to go see Rebecca's mom again, and stuff like that. I got a tee-shirt (it's black and on the front is the cover of "Living in Clip"). Then, we went back up to listen to Bob Dylan, whose music I hadn't really been introduced to until the concert. His music isn't bad, and I enjoyed it. I think I'm going to try and listen to him some more; definately read some of his lyrics, because he considers himself a "poet" and from what I could grasp, he is a great one. His music is very upbeat (most of the time). He played "Tamborine Man" which I DO know (and love), but didn't play "All along the Watchtower" which is a cool song that I know of through Dave Matthews Band (on their "Recently" cd, they do a rendition of it, and it's cool), but that's okay. They (the band, and Bob Dylan, of course) play great guitar and they are very talented. A chick jumped on stage (one of the band member's daughters) and danced around. Bob Dylan also, in between two songs, signed one or two posters and threw out his guitar pick to the front row, which I thought was pretty nifty of him to do.
All in all, it was a great concert, and it was amazing that we even got tickets, considering it was sold out. Like Rebecca's mom said, "We were destined to see this concert". It wouldn't have been possible for us to go the second night, so...I don't know... I think it was amazing.
I just thought I'd share this amazing experiance with you all. I had a great time, and, I think that is it...