Last night anxious Ani DiFranco fans overran the Washington Heights-Inwood area of New York City. The United Palace Theater, at Broadway and 175th, held over 2,000 “righteous” men and women all clapping, singing and dancing to the sophisticated lyrics and guitar picking of Ani.
The United Palace Theater was the last of The Loew’s Wonder Theaters built in New York City. Architect Thomas Lamb built the theater in 1930 as a place for people to enjoy vaudeville and movies. The United Palace Theater features Indo-Chinese decoration with elaborate gold leaf moldings with crowned snakes, lotus flowers and Buddhist-esque gods and goddesses. Lamb’s design also includes lush crimson carpet, a palatial staircase, marble statues and huge vaulted ceilings complete with ornate chandeliers. With the acoustics of the theater near perfection, those in the balcony received the same sound quality as those in front row seats. Dr. Fredrick “Rev. Ike” Eikerenkoetter and the Christ Community United Church purchased this historic venue in 1969. The main foyer of the theater features giant placards, which inspire churchgoers with inspirational sayings by Rev. Ike. Such artists as Modest Mouse, Bjork and the Berlin Harmonic recently performed at the theater. Van Morrison, Neil Young and Annie Lenox are scheduled to perform at the United Palace Theater in the fall.
Kimya Dawson, formerly of the Moldy Peaches, opened the show last night. Six of her solo songs were featured on the “Juno” Soundtrack, which topped Billboard Charts in December. Dawson’s set included five dancers in brightly colored leotards with matching flags, who added a carefree performance piece aspect to Dawson’s playful “anti-folk” performance. Although most in attendance were on the edge of their seats in anticipation of Ani, fans received Dawson warmly with enthusiastic applause.
At 9 p.m., the lights dimmed and Ani DiFranco stepped on stage. Dressed in green cargo pants and a t-shirt the 37-year-old musician looked as if she had just come from yoga class. Fan fiercely cheered for their Grammy-award winning feminist icon and smile lit up her face as she addressed the crowd. The hour-and-a-half-long set filled with interesting anecdotes, heartfelt dedications and free-flowing stream-of-consciousness ramblings. Ani played some of her older, timeless pieces such as the ballads “Napoleon” and “As Is.” She also surprised fans with rarer and softer songs such as “Garden of Simple” and “Imagine That.” The set included songs from her highly anticipated new album, “Red Letter Year” which will be released later in 2008. Ani’s newfound motherhood inspired both “Atom” and “Present/Infant.” While the miracle of childbirth created some songs on the new album, the single “Red Letter Year” deals with the destruction of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. DiFranco was in New Orleans when the levees broke in the summer of 2005. Ani has called the city her “second home” and the destruction of such a sacred place will forever leave a mark on the musician.
Despite the sometimes-somber song lyrics, the energy of the fans was palpable throughout the show. Every joke Ani made was followed by a theater full of laughter,
each poignant lyric by a loud cheer, and the end of each song with deafening applause.
The diversity of Ani fans shows the power of this singer/songwriter, whose message knows no boundaries. Married couples in their mid-60s, young single men, lesbian couples, single women of all ages, young couples on first dates, proud feminists and neo-hippies were just some of the many different groups represented at the show yesterday. All of her fans were united on two levels: their love and respect for Ani DiFranco and their excitement for the upcoming election. Ani is known as much for her political stance as she is for her exquisite lyrics. The foyer of the venue contained two tables of volunteers, registering Ani fans to vote. At one point in her set last night, Ani stopped strumming her guitar to ask the crowd, “Who is ready to vote?” This simple question threw the entire theater into an uproar. Fans jumped out of their seats to declare their readiness for a change in government. Once the crowd finally settled down, Ani quietly said, “Let the healing begin.”
The performance included nineteen songs, a sixteen song set with a three song encore. Fans seemed almost apprehensive to leave. They slowly shuffled out of the 77-year-old theater. In the muggy New York City summer night, Ani fans mingled outside the United Palace Theater, reflecting on the electric performance. Union resident Melissa Mott exited the venue and exclaimed, “Someone give me a sedative, because that show was sick!” Mara Miller from New Brunswick said, “This is one of the best Ani shows I have ever seen. I cried for the first five songs.” Emotions definitely ran high last night, leaving all who attended feeling as if they had just experienced a lyric-induced dream.
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United Palace Theater]
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