Singer-songwriter and feminist icon Ani DiFranco has been touring hard since the September 2008 release of “Red Letter Year,” but she hasn’t reached the end of the road yet. The musician recently unveiled plans to tour through summer before beginning work on a new studio album.
DiFranco’s next performance is lined up for April 14 at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH, with more spring dates following through April 29 at Murat Egyptian Room in Indianapolis, IN. From there, she’ll close out the season with two special performances: a 100th anniversary concert for Progressive magazine on May 30 at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, and a May 3 benefit celebrating Pete Seeger’s 90th birthday at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY.
After a brief break, DiFranco will return to the summer circuit for a series of headline concerts and festival appearances, beginning with a June 12 set at Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN, and ending with a July 19 show at Belly Up in Aspen, CO. Other festival stops include a July 5 gig at Rothbury in Rothbury, MI, and a July 18 performance at Mile High in Commerce City, CO.
DiFranco launched her first U.S. tour leg for 2009 early last month with a March 3 concert at Grand Opera House in Wilmington, DE. She’s been touring behind “Red Letter Year” since the launch of her fall 2008 tour. The album peaked at No. 55 on the Billboard 200 and hit No. 8 on the independent album charts.
In a recent interview with Billboard, DiFranco explained that she’s been using her time on the road as a way to workshop songs for her next album. However, she noted that touring has become her main option for beating the rough economy and carrying her Righteous Babe label through the storm.
“That’s one thing I have to bring home the bacon because nobody buys records anymore,” DiFranco explained in the interview. “I have to play like I’m 21 and just get out there and play shows to sort of try to keep Righteous Babe afloat. So that’s what I’m doing a lot of.”
Ani DiFranco itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)
| April 14 | Portsmouth, NH | The Music Hall |
| April 15 | Keene, NH | Colonial Theatre |
| April 17 | Portland, ME | Merrill Auditorium at City Hall |
| April 18 | Skowhegan, ME | Opera House |
| April 19 | Burlington, VT | Flynn Center for the Performing Arts |
| April 21 | Pittsfield, MA | The Colonial Theatre |
| April 22 | Morristown, NJ | Mayo Center for the Performing Arts |
| April 23 | Tarrytown, NY | The Tarrytown Music Hall |
| April 25 | Geneva, NY | Smith Opera House |
| April 26 | Cleveland, OH | House Of Blues |
| April 27 | Traverse City, MI | Traverse City Opera House |
| April 29 | Indianapolis, IN | Murat Egyptian Room |
| April 30 | Madison, WI | Progressive’s 100 Anniversary @ Orpheum Theatre |
| May 3 | New York, NY | Clearwater Concert @ Madison Square Garden Arena |
| June 12 | Manchester, TN | Bonnaroo Music Festival |
| June 28 | San Diego, CA | Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay |
| June 29 | Los Angeles, CA | Orpheum Theatre |
| July 1 | Saratoga, CA | The Mountain Winery |
| July 2 | Jacksonville, OR | Britt Festival |
| July 3 | Quincy, CA | High Sierra Music Festival |
| July 5 | Rothbury, MI | Rothbury Festival |
| July 9 | Baltimore, MD | Rams Head Live! |
| July 11 | Lowell, MA | Boarding House Park |
| July 18 | Commerce City, CO | Mile High Music Festival |
| July 19 | Aspen, CO | Belly Up Aspen |
