“Imagine That” by Ani DiFranco
Written by Teresa
The first song on my list comes from one of my all-time favorite musicians, Ani DiFranco. I chose this song because the first time I heard it was at the first Ani concert I went to back in 2000.
My memory of the night is that it was the very first concert I went to without parents. My mom dropped me and my close friend Rachael off in Ann Arbor for the show and picked us up afterward. This was a special treat because Rachael’s parents were very strict and we didn’t get to do things like this together very often. I felt very grown-up and free. We had seats VERY far away, but it was a little theatre (Hill Auditorium) and we were in the middle so even though Ani was tiny, it was OK because I felt cocooned by all of the other fans. It was so clear that they adored her as much as we did (do!). I brought a hand-held recorder with those little answering machine tapes and caught most of the show. Of course, those were notorious for breaking and warping so I’m sure they are unplayable at this point.
When she sang this song it really struck me and has stayed with me to this day – I still get goosebumps when I hear it and now I’ve been to many more shows of hers and still hang on her every note when she plays this one.
I managed to dig up a journal entry from right after the concert:
“Ahhhhh!! Rach and I just saw Ani DiFranco!! Crazy! She’s so beautiful and awesome and unbelievable! Wow!! Man! I taped it all too. She performed with her idols and heros and inspirations, Gillian Welch and Greg Brown. Awesome! … She was so happy sitting up there listening to them. I bet she feels so honored. That’s like Rach playing with Ani. Just seeing her enjoy their music was wonderful.”
NEXT UP a band that was a favorite in the 90s.