The Indigo Girls, the folk-rock duo of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, have attracted a large and loyal following over the last three-plus decades and they still continuously sell out shows. This broad, faithful appeal is remarkable since they don’t have mainstream radio play anymore, yet their loyal diverse fan base showed up with passion at Tucson’s Rialto Theatre on June 30th for a special last day of LGBT Pride Month.
In an interview this year at New Orleans Jazz Festival, Ray described Indigo Girls as a bar band that wasn’t supposed get big. “It wasn’t like there was a bidding war for people to sign us. This quirky, eccentric guy from Epic Records, CBS Records back then. . . came to the pub and he liked us and believed in us. We got signed and to have the first album do so well was completely unexpected.”
Their 12 studio albums, three live albums, a Christmas album have garnered the Indigo Girls seven Grammy Award nominations and a Grammy Award, a Pell Award, and a GLAAD Media Award nomination. Their major label, self-titled first album that contained a career-defining song, “Closer to Fine,” is certified two times Platinum in sales.
Ultimately, it was a night for Tucson to celebrate and party with The Indigo Girls. Saliers took the stage in jeans and Amy sporting a flower patterned pant. Emily’s t-shirt seemed to be the motto for the day, “The Time Is Now.” Electric violinist Lyris Hung and folk singer/songwriter Lucy Wainwright Roche accompanied the duo on stage. Hung regularly performs with the Indigos. Roche added harmonies throughout the set.
The Indigo Girls kicked off a two-hour set with “Get Out the Map” followed by “Devotion.” At this point in the concert, the fans and the performers were at ease and freely communicating with each other.
Their rich and powerful harmonies have remained exquisite throughout the years and they were on point with tonight’s show. This certainly is a major reason for the appeal of the Indigos. The set list was a perfect balance with their classic songs and new songs performed. One of the new songs performed was the haunting “Country Radio.”
“Shame on You” had Sailers’ electric banjo dueling with Hung’s expert fiddle playing. Sailer’s finger picking guitar throughout the night was amazing. She utilized acoustic and electric guitars along with mandolin and her electric banjo. Sailers performed a song from her only solo album, “Train Inside,” It is a heartfelt composition about a past love, filled with tenderness and frustration at the same time. It was filled with difficult chords as well as technical vocals and harmony. The result was beautiful.
Ray is considered the rocker of the duo with her strong vocals and heavy-handed electric guitar playing. However, Ray is a ‘jack-of-all trades’ as she can perform folk, rock, country, bluegrass and punk. Her talent has been an evolution over time and it has worked well for her. Her strongest vocal of the night may have been her solo song, “I Didn’t Know a Damn Thing” or “Go.” Both songs possessed the oomph that had the crowd on their feet, dancing and singing.
The relationship with their fans comes from their familiarity with the Indigos’ songbook, stage presence, and their interactions with each other. On several occasions, fans loudly professed their love for the artists and one person even complimented Ray’s pants. In Sailers’ and Ray’s minds, they are just normal folks from Georgia.
Lucy Wainwright Roche opened for the Indigo Girls with an acoustic set of her self-penned songs. Roche is the daughter of musicians Loudon Wainwright III and Suzzy Roche. Roche has been a regular opener for the Indigo Girls, although not exclusively, over the last several years. Her brief set displayed her cleverly crafted songs and her tremendous wit.
The Indigo Girls continue to challenge themselves creatively. They are still making new albums either together or solo. They and their songs remain alive and relevant. And for fans, there is nothing like the joy of singing along to “Closer To Fine” at the top of your lungs during their live show.
Photos by Mary Andrews
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Closer to Fine.