In a sea of flowing skirts and nose rings, I got down with my bad self at the NorVA last night, listening to the Mistress herself, Ani DiFranco, bring the house down.

With inspiring, progressive lyrics, her distinctive voice rang through the crowd with a sense of purity and honesty, and the warm, progressive energy in the room was palpable.

In her subtle, understated charm, Ani casually strolled onto the stage at the start of the show and started right into “Shy.” No pyrotechnics, no laser light show, just raw talent mixed with her tangible passion for women’s rights hanging on the cusp of nearly every song.

With a live vibraphonist in her four-person band, the tone had an acoustic/indie feel, but the show put out the same grit and power you’d see at a rock concert. When the opening chords from “Napoleon” began playing, the crowd erupted, and the fani (Ani super fan) standing next to me said it was the best he’s heard her live in 10 years. Even though Ani was dressed in a baggy tank top, casual zip hoodie, men’s dress pants, and rocked unkempt cropped hair, I still felt like I was a special guest in a VIP arena, as you could never forget that you were in the presence of a real feminist icon.

Between songs while she’d switch guitars, Ani briefly talked to the crowd with sweet, funny, and interesting quips. Near the end of the set, she took a shout-out request from the crowd and sang “Untouchable Face,” which is one of my personal favorites. It’s a song I think every person can relate to–the crowd raised their fists during the chorus and shouted the lyrics louder than the band.

My favorite moment of the night was when “What Side Are You On?” was played. Ani explained that the chorus is from an old labor song in the 1930s, and she changed the verses to be about contemporary politics. The band’s percussionist played a massive bass drum throughout the song to give it an edge you could feel in your core. This was the song Ani rocked to the hardest. You could tell it was close to her heart, and it made me want to get to the streets and raise hell.

Another fantastic moment was when the band owned a political song that sounded almost like a poetry slam. Ani asked for “civil rights for women,” and the crowd cheered when she sang, “And if you don’t want an abortion / Don’t have an abortion / And teach your kids to avoid them / But don’t treat the country like it’s your children.” Being a hardcore pro-choice activist myself, it was thrilling to be surrounded by like-minded souls. It gave me a truly kindred, refreshed feeling. As we’re all encompassed by opposing views on a regular basis, settling into this solidarity was an intense and extremely inspirational sensation for me and an overdue escape.

It’s my opinion that Ani is one of the greatest modern female artists of our time, and her show last night proved it again and again. Eat your heart out, Alanis, Fiona, and Tori. Ani is the reigning fem rock queen.