On Tuesday, May 5 th, hundreds of music-hungry fans gathered at Joseph Meyerhoff
Symphony Hall—home of Baltimore’s Symphony Orchestra—to witness the musical and
creative craftsmanship of feminist legend Ani DiFranco. Her stop in Baltimore comes at
the midpoint of her Spirit of Love Tour (supported by Valerie June), and just two years
after her most recent album, Unprecedented Sh!T (2024).

Fans of DiFranco know that she has amassed an extensive list of accolades: she
created her own independent record company, Righteous Babe Records (1990), at just
33 years old, she won a Grammy in 2004 for her album Evolve, and her memoir No
Walls and the Reoccurring Dream (2020) was a New York Times best seller! DiFranco is
also a children’s book author and a fervent activist for an array of progressive causes,
including LGBTQ equality, voter rights, and abortion access.

DiFranco, who was accompanied by Todd Sickafoose (bass, keyboard), Jharis Yokley
(drums) Eric Heywood (pedal steel and Guitar), opened her set with “Two Little Girls”
from her album Little Plastic Castle, a song that is both lyrically poignant and subtly
rebellious, establishing a tone that radiated throughout the entirety of the set.

“Two Little Girls” was followed by “Do or Die”, “As Is”, “Dilate”, and “You Had Time.”
These beginning tracks exuded an atmosphere of profound openness and empathy.
Though radical in spirit and action, DiFranco seemed truly happy and content to share
space with her Baltimore fans.

These two seemingly opposed—but remarkably congruous—attitudes were the subject
of DiFranco’s next song, “Simultaneously”. “I live in two different worlds,” she sang:

The one I seem to live in
And the one that lives in me
And one is full of violence

Oppression and disrespect
And one is full of longing
To breathe and connect

Here, words give a name to a sensation that many of us, including myself, have felt.
There is so much destruction around us, yet despite it all, we yearn for peace,
contentment, and tranquility. At times, it feels unfair. We ask ourselves, “How can I allow
myself to be happy when the world is full of such despair?”. DiFranco responds to this
difficult question by encouraging us to give space to both feelings—joy and
sadness—simultaneously.

“Simultaneously” was followed up by “Alrighty” and “If Yr Not”, a more emphatic and
rock-inspired tune about taking one’s life into one’s own hands. “If you’re not getting
happier as you get older,” she belted, “then you’re f*ckin’ up”. The crowd clearly agreed
with this sentiment as they grooved and head-nodded along.

Listen to Ani DiFranco’s Tiny Desk Concert:

A little over halfway through the set, DiFranco performed “My I.Q,” a poem about
continuously learning and unlearning what it means to be human. This thought-
provoking song was followed by “More or Less Free” and “The Thing at Hand.”

DiFranco ended her set by playing one of her most notable songs, “Little Plastic Castle,”
and, alongside her touring partner Valarie June, “Revolutionary Love” and “Gravel. Then
she was, of course, coaxed back onto stage for a two-song encore of “If He Tries
Anything” and “Gravel”.

The show was immensely touching, leaving the once hungry listeners temporarily full,
but wanting more of Di Franco’s music soon.

The setlist included:

Two Little Girls
Do or Die
As Is
Dilate
You Had Time
Simultaneously
Alrighty
If Yr Not
Albacore
Angry Anymore
Bad Dream
My I.Q.
More or Less Free
The Thing at Hand
If He Tries Anything
Little Plastic Castle
Revolutionary Love

Encore:
Gravel
32 Flavors

Check out more photos of the legendary Ani DiFranco performing at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on May 5, 2026. All photos are copyright Cary Evan:

And check out photos of Valerie June opening the evening at the Meyerhoff: