One of the real changes in how Ani DiFranco approaches live performing these days may be something that, in a strict sense, isn’t actually part of what she does on stage. But rest assured, DiFranco says, it’s making a difference in her performances.  

Twenty years ago, a good many savvy, too-hip-for-the-scene industry types were dismissing Ani DiFranco as a fringe-dwelling, mohawked, my-fist-your-face Folk Punk evangelist, a hard-strumming one trick pony destined to marginalize herself into a narrowly defined cult performer of little consequence. Clearly, she didn't follow that particular career path, defying expectations at every opportunity.