i.
So it goes. The moment she appears on stage, I feel a certain brilliance charging through me, and become aware of the blissful grin that has sprung rambunctiously across my face.
The first time I saw Ani Di Franco perform, in the summer of 1996, her joyful radiance surprised me. What had I been expecting then, knowing as I did a few of her albums just a little, mostly familiar with her proud, reckless strength; her firm, political, no-nonsense lyrics? I remember how her smile and her light but passionate exuberance almost knocked me off my feet.
Here and now, even after years of touring before an ever-expanding international audience, Ani's fresh radiant energy continues to light up the stage. As for me, I just laugh, straight from my belly, at the sweet nuances that are the absolute pleasures of life--at the way the music and the moment have whipped me so shockingly into joy. Now I am here, with the music-makers before me, with the people around me--we are community for one evening, under the dynamic sky that envelopes us all. I give myself to this moment and ride high on the funky rhythms of the opening song.
