Ani DiFranco Brings Decades of Music to the Ryman Auditorium
There are some rooms that feel like they hold memory in the walls, and the Ryman Auditorium is one of them. On May 1, that history met something just as enduring when Ani DiFranco took the stage. A songwriter who has built her career on independence and intention. It is the kind of room that rewards honesty, and that has always been at the core of what she does.
Opening the night, Valerie June brought a kind of warmth that immediately shifted the room. Her voice has that unmistakable texture, soft but rooted, carrying elements of folk, blues, and soul. She doesn’t rush a moment. Instead, she lets songs unfold in their own time, drawing the audience in without forcing it. There’s a sincerity to her performance that feels disarming in the best way, like she’s letting you in on something rather than performing at you.
After her first song, she was joined by Memphis-based string players Tamar Love and Alice Hasen, adding a subtle richness that deepened the set. June, who is from Jackson, Tennessee, quickly won over the crowd.
There is a brightness to her that is hard to pin down. Glittery sunshine, is the only way I can describe it. It comes through not just in her sound, but in the way she connects with a room. At one point, she said something about all of us being there for one reason, and that was to shine. And shine she did.
Highlights of the set were “Astral Plane” and a banjo-led take on “What a Wonderful World.”
By the time Ani DiFranco stepped out, the room was already primed. There was a certain kind of anticipation that followed her, built over decades of fiercely independent work and a catalog that continues to evolve without losing its edge.
Backed by bassist Todd Sickafoose, drummer Jharis Yokley, and guitarist Eric Heywood, she moved through a set that pulled from across her career. Early songs, mid-era work, and newer material all found their place. The throughline was clear. Ani has always been a truth spitter. Saying the things many people avoid, and doing it without hesitation.
Her voice is still as strong and striking as ever, with that smoky texture that has always defined it. When she pushes into those higher moments, it can catch your breath.
There was a sense of ease in the room that felt specific to this kind of show. Dancing with people who may not be your friends outside of it, but for that night, it didn’t matter. At an Ani DiFranco show, it can feel like everyone is on the same side.
She didn’t shy away from speaking directly, either. “Attention is the most valuable commodity,” she said at one point. Later, a sharp “Stop feeding him!!!!” drew a clear reaction from the crowd, a pointed remark that read as directed at Donald Trump. She also spoke about the Tennessee Innocence Project and the work they do, and introduced her song “Baby Roe,” sharing context about the baby born as Roe v. Wade was being decided.
“Napoleon” was a standout, pushing the energy up another level with the crowd fully locked in. “If Yr Not” and especially “Shameless” gave the band room to stretch, and they took it. Those moments brought more of the room to its feet, with Sickafoose, Yokley, and Heywood locking in tightly.
Later in the set, Ani brought out Valerie June along with Tamar Love and Alice Hasen to join her on “Revolutionary Love,” a moment that tied the night together. “Little Plastic Castle” followed with one of the biggest reactions of the evening.
The Ryman Auditorium wasn’t quite sold out, but you wouldn’t have known it from the sound in the room. When it came time for an encore, the stomp of feet and drumming on the pews built into something that felt like rolling thunder. One of the most powerful calls for an encore I have personally witnessed in that room.
She closed simply, telling the audience to “have an absolutely beautiful life… until I see you again…” It felt like a genuine sendoff. And if the room was any indication, a lot of people will carry that with them, along with the music she has spent decades giving. Our lives are definitely more beautiful because of her music.
The Spirit of Love tour continues on through North Carolina before wrapping in California in mid-August, and if this night at the Ryman Auditorium was any indication, it is a show worth catching.
Between sets, Tennessee Innocence Project was invited onstage to speak. The nonprofit works to free innocent people who have been wrongfully convicted, using DNA evidence and other investigative methods to revisit cases that might otherwise be left behind.
It was a brief moment, but an important one. A reminder that the night was not just about music, but about using the platform in the room to bring attention to important work.
Ani DiFranco Set List
1. Shy
2. Dilate
3. Do or Die
4. Two Little Girls
5. You Had Time
6. Baby Roe
7. Simultaneously
8. Life Boat
9. Napoleon
10. More or Less (solo)
11. The Thing at Hand
12. If Yr Not
13. Albacore
14. Little Plastic Castle
15. Revolutionary Love (with Valerie June)
16. Shameless
Encore:
17. If He Tries Anything
18. Joyful Girl
