Singer-songwriter-musician-author-activist Ani DiFranco has been forging her own path since the age of 19, and after 35 years and 20 albums, she still looks like she loves getting onstage and sharing her music with the world.
That was evident at her sold-out show Sunday night at the Roxian Theatre in McKees Rocks, where attendees could be heard shouting out requests from throughout her extensive discography in between the 18 songs she performed.
DiFranco has been a passionate advocate for causes including women’s and gay rights for decades, and she’s held the reins of her own career since its beginnings. Her self-titled debut album was released in 1990 on the record label Righteous Babe, which she started in 1989.
Sunday night’s opening act, Wryn, released album “Spaces” through Righteous Babe last month. Wryn and her guitar passed a half-hour onstage with a series of ethereal-sounding songs on very grounded topics, including mental health and trans rights. The personal nature of her lyrics and coffeehouse feel that her music provided set the tone for DiFranco.
The headliner could not have seemed more comfortable in front of a crowd. With no frills required, DiFranco took the stage with her guitar and band, launching into their first tune, “Shy.” The rise and fall of her voice lent a sense of poetry to the bouncy beat.
Keeping politics out was the farthest thing from DiFranco’s mind; in between songs such as “Do or Die” and “Baby Roe,” she discussed her concerns about the current state of affairs in the U.S., especially as they pertain to women and reproductive rights.
On the less political side — insofar as anything DiFranco writes is apolitical — were the waltz “Marrow,” a complex-but-relatable narrative woven with her voice, and “As Is.”
Before the latter, she wished an audience member a happy birthday. “For your birthday, I got you a song from the ’90s. Not that I’m trying to make a comment on your age,” she said.
“The Knowing” was both a children’s book that DiFranco published in 2023 and a song that she performed on Sunday night. It felt inspired by Pete Seeger, or maybe “The Rainbow Connection,” but either way it was soothing and self-affirming in the way any good book for kids should be.
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Among the many things for which she’s known, this multi-hyphenate can add Broadway actor to the list. In 2024 she starred in “Hadestown,” and she brought the musical’s Act One closing number “Why We Build The Wall” to the Roxian, to the delight of a specific segment of fans. Her chirpy vocals added something a little different to the number, which is primarily sung by male character Hades in the musical.
After the fiery testament that was “New Bible,” she and her band pounded through the raucous “Still My Heart.” It was up-and-down from there through the rest of the night, starting with the bluesy and vulnerable “Life Boat” and then going into stage-burner “Swan Dive.”
A highlight of the night, the song found her whole band crashing their way in after the first verse, asserting themselves over her swirly vocals. The drums, pedal steel, bass and keys all got their own turn to scream out over the corkscrewing beat, and fans screamed and clapped for nearly a full minute at the song’s big rock close.
“Everest,” on the other hand, was a little cosmic journey and a moment of quiet amongst the storm of potent sentiments. She closed the regular set with the unabashed “Shameless” before exiting the stage, hand over her heart in thanks and waving at the crowd.
The encore consisted of two fan favorites, “Little Plastic Castle” and “32 Flavors.” Both provided a great opportunity to sing along. The first was bombastic, but the second was an interesting choice for a closer. A quieter song of both kindness and admonishment, “32 Flavors” sums up DiFranco very well; no wonder so many of the fans who love her knew all the words.
As they yelled that love out to her earlier in the night, she responded, “I love you back. That’s what this is. That’s what this is about, I think.”