The catalyst for this
production was the work DiFranco decided to undertake in
saving/restoring a local landmark, taking a threatened
church and turning it into a live venue and home for her
label. This DVD/CD package celebrates the opening nights of Babeville, as the previously religious surroundings have now
been christened. As an artist DiFranco has
always advocated action on a number of causes and as such
it's heartening to see that the Buffalo native is quite literally
putting her money where her mouth is on this particular
project, putting both money and effort into preserving a
local landmark that means as much to her as it does to the
community at large.
With the set list for this
show spanning the breadth of her seventeen albums to date and
including new tracks the set that this DVD covers is an
almost perfect introduction to DiFranco the recording artist
and the setting, almost literally in her back yard is
perfect. With the benefit of
preaching to the converted, this show means that, despite the
brief live hiatus brought about by the birth of her daughter
last year (an event that gives us new song
“Present/Infant”), the crowd are appreciative of all of the
performance and of Ani's self effacing between song banter.
And this is where this
package has its strengths, as performers DiFranco and band
are engaging and, at times, utterly hypnotic,. However you do
get the feeling that Ani could have carried this off all of
her own given the dues that she has paid in the past
with just an acoustic guitar for company but that doesn't
detract from the input the other band members have provided
here.
Given the forbidding
thought of a seventeen album back catalogue to navigate it
would be an appropriate starting point for any new fan to
pick up either this or, for a more comprehensive look at the
DiFranco career so far, last years “Canon” package. You do
get the added bonus of seeing the worlds most metal
Glockenspiel player in action with the “Live At Babeville'
set which should swing it for HardRockHouse readers
John Lewins
