Indigo Girls 1st Leg of Their Tour
Rialto Theatre, Tucson, AZ, June 30, 2019
by Mary Andrews
The Rialto Theatre celebrated the last day of Gay Pride month with The Indigo Girls. It was a sold out concert with a multi-generational and multi-sexual orientation happy crowd of fans. Even the six-year-old fans were singing along to the very familiar song lyrics. It was a true family affair.
The Indigo Girls consist of the folk-rock duo of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. They have attracted a large and loyal following over the last 30 plus years. They continuously sell out shows. This broad, faithful appeal is remarkable since mainstream radio play has all but forgotten the band.
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 infectious wit.
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.”
The Indigos have garnered 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.
Emily and Amy were dressed for comfort as they took the stage. Electric violinist Lyris Hung and folk singer/songwriter Lucy Wainwright Roche accompanied the duo on stage. Hung regularly performs with the Indigo Girls. 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 fingerpicking 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.
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. That’s not bad for a band that at one time has been considered loud and disruptive.
This leg of their tour is over. Their tour resumes in August. Look out for a new album from the Indigo Girls in 2020.
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