Ani DiFranco

Ani DiFranco has a solid cult following that dates back to the ’90s, when young women found refuge in her defiant, angst-ridden music. Since then, the Buffalo-hailing singer-songwriter and feminist icon has embraced motherhood and revealed a softer, more vulnerable self in her songs. She isn’t as radical as she used to be, but neither are her fans, many of whom now also have families of their own. Troubled or not, DiFranco always delivers an emotionally charged live performance and, thankfully, never loses perspective on what attracted her fans in the first place. When someone heckles her to play something for those who are still depressed (there are always a few in the audience), she kindly obliges with a rendition of — what else? — “Grey.”