i’ll tell ya, i got home and into bed at 5 am after the milan Ani gig, i woke up at 6.30 am (yes 1.30hrs later) to go and meet a colleague that was leaving and should hand me me plane ticket for tonight flight to Rome and got back home to get a couple of more hrs of almost sleep, yet i feel really super happy and excited by that awesome show (probably one of the best i’ve ever been) and from the community that we put together and spend time in good company, expect to read more soon from me, selfproclamed english speaking ambassador for all about Ani in Italy. keepintouch !

When beauty asks a question, how often do you reply?

say that this was my 9th reply to a call of beauty, i.e. a gig of Ani DiFranco…, as i was saying it was just a matter of getting a little deserved restand now to share something about last night gig in Nonantola, it’ll not be a review, or at least, i’ll distill a review from this. So, we got to Modena a little late compared to our plans, we got Lavinia at train station, we’re trying to figure out a photo shop to get batteries, film and all that stuff, got it, lookd out for some people to tell us where to go for this unknown little town, Nonantola and stumbled into a lady who when asked for directions really behave like a crazy ” no it’s so damn far, no way, who told you to get here??” i mean it was amazing freak, it’d have deserved a part in hat shaped hat. anyway it was easier than expected and more or less at 6 PM we got to this place and there were just a few people already there, you’d count’em using one hand fingers.
The Vox Club is indeed bigger than expected (on two stories it can host 1300 people) but only the floor level was open for the gig (i think audience was around 600 people), we waited basically outside freezing our asses ‘til a little after 8 PM and got inside and conquered the front row, and my favorite place, i.e. just 3 or 4 people left than the center.

Ani started singin’ at 9.45 with Ain’t that the way, did you know that the first time that song played was just in Correggio last year ? (i obviously was there too), acoustics of the place was good enough, but i guess there was something to fix for the volume, Ani went to the sound engineer (guess it’s Shawn) a couple of time to talk, in my opinion her voice was a little too low while the horns were very (too much?) present.

For the curious, Ani was wearing some blueish work jeans and an orange shirt, she was in a good shape and as usual when she’s in italy she didn’t forget to remember how good they ate here, with all the band patting their bellies, (this show is pasta powered she said),she didn’t tell much stories apart from remembering when she played in the same place a couple of years ago and there were some americans just screamin and shoutinng while italians in the back were quiet,the audience this time was respectful and quiet and it’s something we appreciate.

Gig went on and i highlight a very intense Marrow, then Firedoor blent with Hat Shaped Hat, i know (as Ani said in another gig that’s a song about nothing but the arrangement and rhytm was just groovy) there were two other new songs : in the way and slide too, i appreciate more the second, being new song, of course you can’t react too much so especially for us italian the first impact is with music and sound and lirics after (although i did catch the passage “my pussy is a tractor”, uhm interesting 😉

after we got come away and it was really an intense and intimate time. Freakshow was done with Ani and Daren playing bongo and that little drum and ani and julie singing together, nice shot. coming toward the end gravel (not my best arrangment)

ended up in carry you around with the disco arrangement, i really enjoyed that version she also did in Florence in February this year, with also jason on the end saying oh yeaaah, just fun, the drive with that kinda 70’s groove is incredible and able to keep me on for all the driving back home after.

Encore song : Sick of Me, we’d take inspiration from this title, will be there a time when we’d say we’re sick of Ani ?

of course things can change, but i don’t wanna think about it right now.

random notes :Ravi Best on trumpet really kicks ass and dance and swings, it a strange couple he, black and knda soulman side by side with Hans that looks like a german (well maybe he’s also…) Daren was in a good shape and very powerful, Julie and Jason not so under the light, but doing a good work. There was also this couple of people recording the show with two cameras (one from the audience suggested : “hide it, hide it” but they’re working for Ani so hopefully we’d see some video production sometimes…

ok, enough (well too much maybe), almost time to get ready for tonight in Milan

Ani DiFranco : Nonantola 2001 dec. 1st setlist

i was going to post a review of the Nonantola (Modena) gig of Ani DiFranco i just’ve been yesterday, but it seems that my inspiration is suddenly trapped most likely by the fog that right now is coming over my hometown, and maybe by me being a little tired after i drove for 560 Km (w/ the way back in the fog too), got to sleep in Milan at 5am this morning and woke up at 9.30 am (and i felt super.ok at that time). The show has been overall very good, so don’t worry and be patient, in the meantime this is the setlist (not yet 100% checked and sure, but enough close to it). :

ain’t that the way,
wish i may,
here for now,
marrow,
shameless,
firedoor -> hat shaped hat,
dilate,
o.k.
what how when where (why who),
[new song ?],
slide
come away,
tamboritza lingua,
freakshow,
the diner,
-band intro-,
gravel-> carry you around;
encore song : sick of me

Ani tour : let’s start the engine !
Just a few hours and the first concert of the 2nd leg of the 2001 italy tour of Ani DiFranco will take place, yess in an almost unknown little city , Nonantola, close to Modena, basically 200 Km from my home. So we’re getting ready to go, to start again this adventure, kms don’t matter too much, all in all, i did 1250 just last february, so this is my 4h ani gig in one year and the 9th overall. the plan for today is to get to Milan, get Annalisa and Francesca on my ani-car and go to modena or maybe bologna where we’ll pick up Lavinia then meet with Micol and Flavia somewhere. I know all those names maybe don’t mean anything to you but basically the core italian fan is well represented by them (and me of course), it seems i’m the only guy in this posse, and this reminds me of one thread Flavia raised in our mailing list about the perception that guys may have toward the folksinger. surely some topics or some position of Ani may have been considered as femminist but i think this is a limitation, it’s just seeing a detail and not the whole picture, so even guys (and straight, just in case you’re wondering) can appreciated her talents… see ya

serata interessante e alternativa, certo non propriamente “popolare”, infatti sono stato ad un incontro su di un tema che solitamente si cerca di evitare o comunque non sta proprio in cima ai pensieri: il tema del male e della sofferenza,il tutto a partire da alcune riflessioni bibliche dal libro di Giobbe. La cosa mi sembrava ancora piu’ provocante considerati i temi che invece affrontero’ nelle prossime serate ehm, cioe’ una serie di concerti della mia artista preferita : Ani DiFranco, che sul palco sprigiona entusiasmo, gioia (i do it for the joy it brings ‘cause i’m a joyful girl dice in una sua canzone).Un bel contrasto quindi.
Tornando al tema invece dell’incontro, certo, appare immediato come non si possa trovare una bella soluzione rapida ed immediata al dolore e alla sofferenza, o alla ricerca delle origini e dei perche’sottostanti,

Eppure lo sforzo dell’uomo di riflettere e di aprirsi alla speranza e alla via verso la salvezza (o forse alcuni si accontenterebbero della salute e’ la chiave di lettura della cosa, apertura che puo’ trovare conforto nella religione, nelle scienze sociali e mediche o nelle forme varie e sfumate di religiosita’ o spiritualita’.
Non penso di riuscire a ridurre la complessita’ del tema edegli interventi nello spazio utile di un weblog, ma quello che mi ha fatto pensare e’ proprio il concetto di apertura, di condivisione : penso che ogni forma di dolore o sofferenza se trattenuta in se’ diventi letale, una sorta di cancro poi difficilmente estirpabile, se invece in una qualche direzione ci si apre agli altri, se cerca di condivedere non solo i momenti gioiosi ma anche quelli pesanti, se, per chi crede, ci si lascia inoltre che Dio sia vicino, allora anche senza comprendere, forse comunque si trova motivo di andare avanti.
Dirlo a parole suona banale viverlo, tutt’altra cosa.

looking at referrer stats i noticed an increasing number of visitors coming here because interested in Ani Difranco in Italy, no wonder since i rank as #1 in google for sucha matter , you got to the right place and i’m gonna post in this weblog first impressions, reviews and fresh materials on the forthcoming shows of the little folksinger, in the meantime they’re in enough good shape to feed the Ani part of this website.
I’ll be at Modena, Milan and Rome shows along with a bunch of good folks from the italian Ani mailing list, they’ll cover also the Florence date.

dunque, stavo dicendo che dopo un po’ di tempo passato a chiedersi dove fosse finita Natalie Imbruglia, ora mi sto sentendo “That Day” e c’e’ qualcosa che mi colpisce nel come la interpreta: come se fosse presa da quella sottile inquietudine, impazienza, anticipazione, insomma restlessness direi, come quando hai fretta di raccontare qualcosa e non puoi mettere in ordine i pensieri, badare troppo alle battute, ai quarti, agli ottavi. Il tutto con un sentimento oscillante con tracce di dolore ma anche bellezza e gioia, what a wonderful mess dice lei.
Non e’ la prima volta che ritrovo questo stile e a me ricorda molto un’altra cantante, forse meno nota ma che mi piace : Maria McKee. Altri commenti sul disco : l’artwork interno che mi sembra molto simile a quello dei Radiohead anche se forse meno angosciante e con tracce di reminescenze infantili e la copertina con lei sul divano con una maglietta con un cultural jamming abbastanza innocuo dove levis diventa elvis e a piedi scalzi, sexy direi io.

ecco con questo post potrei parafrasare il teorema di Fermat : avevo appena preparato una meravigliosa trattazione su “that day” di Natalie Imbruglia ma il margine era troppo stretto… o meglio quando bella pronta per essere inviata e mancava solo di premere “Publish” il mio pc si e’ ammutinato con blocco da spegnimento completo, ah che delusione. ci riprovo domani.ah cioe’, oggi

E’ possibile passare da praticamente quasi sconosciuti alla vivida senzazione di conoscersi da tempo in sei ore senza accorgersi che il tempo passa ? , no certo, (eppure avevo appena fatto revisionare il mio orologio ma si sa che il tempo e’ relativo…).
E’ possibile essere in una conversazione che sembra scorrere smooth come seta e per di piu’ con una persona i cui occhi verdi illuminano la scena e quasi non riesci a staccarti ?.
No, non e’ possibile, avrei detto. Fino a ieri.

i received a couple of e-mails of appreciation and remarks on my site and on my weblog by english and american people, and this after just a little while i’m posting just in italian, isn’t this ironic ?