Hurricane Ani blows away UM audience

Maybe the University of Maine can get some federal disaster relief aid, to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Ani at the Hutchins Concert Hall.

Ani DiFranco, a genuine force of nature, took the stage at the performance venue of the Maine Center for the Arts and truly made it her own Friday night. She gave the sell-out crowd, made up largely of her college-age fans, an evening to remember, and she picked up new converts along the way.

From the first notes of the opening “Know Now Then,” the audience was standing and applauding. DiFranco kept them on their feet and dancing throughout most of the 17-song, 90-minute concert, a rare sight in the oft-staid Hutchins Hall.

DiFranco, garbed in a black, sleeveless shirt knotted at the waist, yellow checked pants and platform shoes, was a cordial host. The Buffalo, N.Y., native struck an instant rapport with the crowd and stayed in regular communication with them. Sort of.

“My crunchy folk singer side wants the dialogue, but I have no f….’ idea what you’re saying,” she explained matter-of-factly about halfway through the show, the kickoff event for The Beautiful Project.

The exuberant DiFranco made fun of her own foibles during the concert. At one point, she stopped midsong to tune her guitar. Early on, she had trouble recalling some of the lyrics for “Fuel.”

“The woman you came here to see couldn’t be here tonight,” the Righteous Babe Records artist and founder explained after that tune. “I’m her understudy. The role of Ani DiFranco tonight will be played by Barbara Mandrell.”

The majority of the evening’s songs were uptempo rockers, powered by the propulsive beat provided by bassist Jason Mercer and drummer Daren Hahn. DiFranco’s frenetic leads on guitar were supplemented by talented keyboardist Julie Wolf.

But then there also was a cluster of ballads, including “Everest” and “Angry Any More.” “Welcome to folk night,” she joked. “Usually we have dancers and a lot of smoke.”

DiFranco featured the bulk of the songs from her current album, “Up Up Up Up Up Up,” including the title song, “Virtue” and “Jukebox.” But she also spanned the rest of her 12-album repertoire, reaching back for such songs as “Not a Pretty Girl,” “Anticipate,” “Coming Up” and the one-song encore, “Little Plastic Castle,” among others.

As a performer, DiFranco was a whirling dervish. She would hunch over her guitar, bend her back and knees, then launch herself skyward and dance around the stage. Some of the lyrics would get lost as she would shift rapidly from a whisper to a scream. This truly is a musician enjoying herself. And, as a result of her happiness, those in the crowd went away drained and content.

The opening act, Drums and Tuba, was an oddity, featuring musicians on the two aforementioned instruments as well as electric guitar, with some sampling thrown in as well. The five songs in its short set sounded like variations on the same theme. The DiFranco fans proved themselves a tolerant lot, as they applauded enthusiastically after each lengthy song ground to its inexorable conclusion. Still, suffice it to say that young rock fans won’t be playing air tuba any time soon.