Last night, singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco took to the stage at House of Blues Cleveland, kicking and pounding on her guitar. She powered through 18 songs with her bassist and drummer; the set included tracks such as "Allergic to Water," "Careless Words" and "Rainy Parade." Before playing "'Tis of Thee," DiFranco shared a touching story about having to explain racism to her young daughter. "It's a very surreal thing to explain racism to your children, is it not, parents of the world?" she asked the crowd. And while DiFranco can definitely take it down to a whisper, it's when she lets her voice erupt forth in a defiant crescendo that the crowd really responds, as it did during her performance of "Happy All the Time." The beautiful Anais Mitchell began the evening. Armed only with her guitar and a meek voice, she begged the crowd to listen intently.

Photos by Amber Patrick