"Kelly Pratt" <kellykell9@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote
> .......sigh.....Am I the only one that has been less than
> impressed the last few times they've seen Ani? Is it that I
> just miss the band? Is it that I just don't want such a mellow
> show?
You're not alone, and personally, I don't think it's just the
band I'm missing. I've seen her do amazing shows solo in the past
without any of the problems I've been seeing lately. *However*,
her show that I caught on this last tour was much better than any
I've seen on her previous 3-4 tours, and very promising for the
future. I don't think we've seen the last of the little
folksinger's great shows. I wrote the following two (parts of)
posts in another newsgroup's discussion about going to an Ani
show. They were to someone who was going to see Ani for the first
time (and then to the same person who had just seen her for the
first time).
Don't judge her whole career by this one
show - unfortunately, Ani is in a bit of a decline, IMO. Think
post-hiatus Phish: moments of greatness that evoke earlier
brilliance, but overall, something's wrong. Luckily, I don't
think that this is a permanent thing ... I still have hope that
if she irons out things in her personal life (either finds
someone who makes her happy or at least just gets over her last
situation - a failed marraige to a guy she was apparently
instrumental in ****ing up), gets excited about her music again
(either hooks up with someone who gets her into songwriting, a la
Greg Brown, or takes some time off to write a really well-done
album), and gets over her abhorrence of her old music (so she can
play it more at shows), she'll be fine or even great. I worry
though that she's just going to fade away. Blecch.
---------------------------------------------------------
I had a great time at the show, actually, and was a little
surprised by this on my drive home. As detailed in my super-long
replies to that previous Ani thread, I had big concerns about
this show and gripes about recent ones going in, but they were
all at least somewhat soothed. No, this wasn't the greatest Ani
show I've ever been to, but it was definitely better than the
last four or five I've been to, which was a big relief. She
sounded good, she was (more) energetic, she wasn't afraid to play
some old tunes (and did so without totally ****ing them up on
purpose), and she seemed generally happier. She even went so far
as to address it - she said she was listening to her last album
("Knuckle Down") because it was pressed on vinyl and she had to
approve the wax, and she was taken with how bitter and angry an
alubm it was (to which I said, "no doy!", heh), and that she was
starting to get over stuff and find pleasure again in expressing
herself through song and performing. Yesssss, says I.
Went out for great Thai and then drinks with my show companion,
got there just a tiny bit early (with enough time to buy flutes
of champagne and drink it arm-in-arm marraige style just for
kicks, hahahaha) watched part of Hammell on Trial and agreed as
usual that he was way too loud and only a little funny, then
rocked out when Ani came on (between cringing about the girl who
was screaming near us and giving our section a bad name). Good
stuff.
---------------------------------------------------------
Glad to see posts on the Ani newsgroup,
-Brendon
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